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Grand Theft Auto: Vice City is structured differently than the other open-world games from Rockstar. Instead of a linear sequence of missions, the story opens up at the halfway point and lets you do a variety of missions and activities until you unlock the final arc.
However, unlocking the final mission, called Keep Your Friends Close, might prove somewhat confusing for some. If you're wondering how to beat GTA: Vice City the following guide will help you unlock the last mission as fast as possible. Ultimately, you can get to the end credits pretty fast as long as you know what to do. All the same, you would be skipping a lot of content if you just book it to the finish.
Updated August 17, 2023, by Sean Murray: Looking to beat GTA Vice City? We got the lowdown on how to reach the game's final missions. We've also refreshed this guide with improved formatting and breakout tips to make getting to the final mission that much easier.
Step One: Completing The Rub Out Mission And Completing All The Vercetti Estate Missions
If you are looking for a way to unlock the final mission, you probably already have done this. The Rub Out mission unlocks the Vercetti Estate on Starfish Island. Before following further steps below, you need to complete all the missions for this property.
The last one of these is Cop Land, where you and Lance Disguise yourselves as cops and blow up a store at the Mall. Once you complete this mission, you unlock a steady income from the mansion.
Step Two: Buy And Complete The Printworks Mission Line
Now numerous properties throughout Vice City are available for purchase. Once you complete the mission line provided by the property, it gives you a steady source of income. Unlocking the final mission is directly tied to these properties.
The only one you absolutely must purchase and complete is the Print Works. It is located north of Starfish Island on the second island and costs $70,000 ($35,000 in the mobile version), a relatively high price, so it might take you some time to save up the money.
Do a couple of cheaper properties and then some missions, and you should have the money in no time.
Step Three: Buy And Complete At Least Five Other Properties
In addition to the Print Works, you also have to buy five other properties and complete their missions to earn their money. The cheapest ones are the Boatyard ($10,000), Cherry Popper Ice Cream Factory ($20,000), Pole Position Club ($30,000), Kaufman Cabs ($40,000), and Sunshine Autos (50,000).
In the mobile version, all of these properties are 50% cheaper.
Additionally, earning the revenue for each club is not as simple as just completing missions:
|
Boatyard |
Complete Checkpoint Charlie by getting into the boat parked on the property |
|---|---|
|
Cherry Popper Ice Cream Factory |
Complete 50 deals in a single session |
|
Pole Position Club |
Spend $300 on dances |
|
Kaufman Cabs |
Complete the missions that appear after purchasing the property |
|
Sunshine Autos |
Complete the list of cars written on the property. Steal them and bring them back to the property's garage |
There are other, more expensive places to buy, but if you are looking for the fastest track toward this, then these properties are where you want to go.
After Completing These Requirements.
Once you do all the requirements listed above, you unlock the mission Cap the Collector at the Print Works. This is the first mission of the final arc closing out the game's story.
Do these and eventually, you unlock the mission Keep Your Friends Close. This is the final mission. Keep Your Friends Close is a combat gauntlet through the mansion. It might take a few tries, especially considering the game's wonky shooting mechanics.
After you beat the game, you can still roam around the world and complete all the other activities and buy the other assets you have not yet acquired.