GTA games have been filled with side activities and missions since GTA 3, but Vice City was where they started to become more varied thanks to the inclusion of vehicles such as motorbikes and helicopters. These missions may arise due to the purchase of a new property asset or they may simply exist as various odd jobs.

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Side missions in GTA games sometimes get overlooked, but they're often required if you're going for 100% completion or if you need to build up funds. Most of them also come with some excellent rewards, such as a permanent upgrade to your stats or a new vehicle, so it can be worth going out to do them.

10 Dirt Ring

GTA VC stadium

The Dirt Ring is an event available at the stadium where you ride a dirt bike through an obstacle course. The goal is to collect all 32 checkpoints as quickly as you can, with more money being earned the faster you complete it. Taking over 10 minutes will earn you $5,000, but being under will earn you $10,000 (or $50,000 if you manage to clear it in just five minutes).

Money is the only reward you get from this mission, but it feels satisfying to pull off some of the stunts.

9 Sunshine Autos Import Garage

GTA Vice City Sunshine Autos garage

This property can be purchased for $50,000 and requires you to deliver four lists of vehicles from around the map, ranging from sports cars to utility vehicles. There's no time limit, you just have to find the specific vehicles as you're driving around and park them in the garage of the shop.

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Completing the lists unlocks some of the most exclusive cars in the game, including the Deluxo and the Sabre Turbo, and the property will start generating $9,000 per day when they're all finished.

8 RC Bandit Race

RC Bandit race about to begin in GTA VC

Dotted around Vice City are three "Top Fun" vans. If you enter them you'll begin the RC races, and of the three, the Bandit race is possibly the most fun. This challenge is located near Vice Point's sand track, and it involves racing an RC car on the track alongside three other opponents.

You must complete two laps of the course and come in first, at which point you'll earn $100 for your efforts. Not a huge reward, but this race can be played multiple times if the money's needed.

7 Pizza Boy

Outside shot of a Well-Stacked Pizza restaurant in GTA VC

A fairly simple mission, your task is to deliver pizzas to various destinations across the map. Head to any Well Stacked Pizza restaurant and the timer will begin as soon as you sit on the delivery scooter. The pizzas are "deilvered" by throwing them from the scooter, in the same manner as you would normally shoot from a vehicle.

In order to consider the mission "cleared," you need to reach level 10, at which point you'll earn $5,000 and your health total will increase from 100 to 150.

6 Firefighter

GTA VC Fire Truck

This mission can only be activated from inside a fire truck (one naturally spawns outside the Downtown fire station), and your task is to put out the various fires that spring up across the map. This can be tricky because after dousing a flaming vehicle, you need to be careful you don't accidentally run over its occupants whilst extinguising them too.

Upon reaching level 12, the mission will be completed and Tommy will become completely fireproof (admittedly not that useful unless you're very careless when using a flamethrower).

5 Paramedic

GTA VC ambulance

The Paramedic mission in Vice City is quite challenging, but the reward is very appealing. It's initiated by grabbing an ambulance (normally available at any hospital or recent crime spree you've caused) and beginning the mission whilst inside.

You have to pick up injured people and take them to a nearby hospital (up to three at any one time), but they'll die if you drive too erratically, so make sure to have a good knowledge of the map beforehand to avoid delays. Reach Level 12 and you'll unlock unlimited sprinting.

4 Taxi Driver

GTA VC taxi

If you're driving one of the various taxis in the game, you can enable the taxi driver job. This is useful for earning a spare bit of cash in a pinch, and it can help new players learn the map.

You need to do is deliver 100 fares to fully complete the mission, but this doesn't have to be done in one run and there's no time limit either. And once it's done, every taxi in the game will be able to jump when you press the horn.

3 Street Racing

gta vice city race

Street races are unlocked when Sunshine Autos Import Garage has been purchased and are selected behind the showroom. There are six races to choose from, each one more difficult than the last but with a better financial reward too (ranging from $400 to $40,000). They all require an entry fee but by this point in the game, money shouldn't really be an issue.

Street racing also gives you a chance to finally see just how good your driving skill really is, especially during the faster races.

2 Vigilante

GTA VC Hunter helicopter in a vigilante mission

The Vigilante mission requires that you chase down and "dispatch" various criminals across the city. It can be triggered from any VCPD vehicle (the Enforcer and VCPD Cheetah being the best examples to choose from), but this can also be done via the Rhino or the Hunter if you enjoy a bit of overkill.

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Regardless of your methods, you must reach level 12 without dying or abandoning the mission in order to complete it. Your max armour will increase from 100 to 150 as your reward.

1 Sparrow Challenges

GTA VC sparrow

The Sparrow is a very fast and agile helicopter in Vice City, and there are four checkpoint races that require its use. The money you earn is not very much (just $100 per race), but the Sparrow is so fun to fly around that it doesn't matter.

The races occur around Ocean Beach, Downtown, Vice Point and Little Haiti, and the number of checkpoints varies from 17 to 29 depending on the course. Thankfully there are no other opponents, it's just you and your skill in flying.

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