CBS News Amazed by Accuracy of GTA 6, Highlights Miami Similarities in New Report
CBS News has reported on the accuracy of GTA 6’s Vice City, a fictionalized recreation of The Magic City. The Miami office of CBS News looked at major locations and brings on experts to talk about how accurate Rockstar’s open world is, from PortMiami to South Beach, Wynwood to the Everglades.
According to the report, fans have noticed over 100 locations in Vice City that mirror real areas in Miami, such as the Kaseya Center, home of NBA team the Miami Heat. The Heat will actually wear Vice City-themed uniforms in an upcoming match to celebrate the game’s launch in November.
“Vice City is unmistakably Miami,” the reporter says in the video before pausing the gameplay to compare it to the real street, 15th and Biscayne in downtown Miami. “If you’re a true Miami local, you’ll recognize that replicated overhead walkway.”
🚨 CBS MIAMI JUST HIGHLIGHTED GTA 6’S INCREDIBLE MIAMI ACCURACY. 🌴GTA 6 fans have already spotted 100+ real Miami locations recreated in Vice City.From South Beach and PortMiami to Wynwood and the Everglades, Rockstar has recreated huge parts of Miami with an insane level of detail.Even specific streets and landmarks have been identified from the trailers. 👀🔥Vice City might be the closest GTA has ever come to feeling like a real city.#GTA6 #GTAVI #RockstarGamesSource: CBS Miami— Davin (@davngta) October 7, 2026
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🚨 CBS MIAMI JUST HIGHLIGHTED GTA 6’S INCREDIBLE MIAMI ACCURACY. 🌴GTA 6 fans have already spotted 100+ real Miami locations recreated in Vice City.From South Beach and PortMiami to Wynwood and the Everglades, Rockstar has recreated huge parts of Miami with an insane level of detail.Even specific streets and landmarks have been identified from the trailers. 👀🔥Vice City might be the closest GTA has ever come to feeling like a real city.#GTA6 #GTAVI #RockstarGamesSource: CBS Miami
The video moves onto Ocean Drive, an area of Miami players will recognize from the original GTA: Vice City, with its neon lights and bustling streets. The real life Breakwater Hotel appears in GTA 6 as Hotel Boardwalk, while a hotel in the background of the scene is called Hotel Dixon.
Hotel Dixon is a reimagined Victor Hotel. Miami Design Preservation League’s Julie Fornary appeared in the report to explain that the Victor Hotel was built by designer and architect L. Murray Dixon in 1937 — Rockstar’s naming choice here works as a layered Easter egg for Miami residents to pick up on, in a lovely homage to locals.
The report praises Rockstar’s attention to detail throughout, and how GTA 6 blends the iconic art deco architecture of Old Miami with the more modern buildings that dominate the city’s skyline. “But the game’s South Florida feel is deeper than just some buildings and streets,” the reporter says. “It’s what Vice City represents: character, culture, adventure. That same spirit has been part of Miami’s story from the very beginning.” Fornary goes on to talk about the city’s history and how it was founded by pioneers and adventurers.
GTA 6 gameplay and screenshots have already teased how the game will adapt Florida, known as Leonida in-game. The GTA 6 map has six different regions: Vice City, of course; Leonida Keys; Grassrivers; Port Gellhorn; Ambrosia; and Mount Kalaga National Park. Activities include kayaking, street and off-road racing, and air boating. We’ve also seen nightclub gameplay, beach gameplay, and plenty more.
Rockstar traveled across Florida with gang members and cops for GTA 6 research, embedding themselves in the scene. From the most affluent areas to the poor districts, the development team lived Miami to bottle up its essence in a sprawling open world crime drama. Yes, that also involved going to real-world strip clubs.
We've got extensive coverage of GTA 6 across IGN. Check out IGN's interview with Rockstar Games, our GTA 6 preview, and word of the first confirmed GTA 6 voice actor. GTA 6 is scheduled to release on November 19, 2026, for PS5 and Xbox Series X and S.