The Grand Theft Auto series and its input of cheats, from the useful to the ridiculous, will always be intrinsically linked. However, so many gamers play the most recent title for the multiplayer alone, that they often miss out on all the fun to be had in Grand Theft Auto V when it comes to inputting a few codes. Looking back, the actual peak of this practice started with the first 3D game in the franchise, GTA III, before becoming a massive part of Carl's adventures in San Andreas and Tommy Vercetti's pursuit of the '80s American dream in Vice City.

Vice City remains one of the most well-appreciated titles in the series to date. Despite not having the insane popularity of San Andreas, it retains a dedicated following of those who will swear to it being the best game in the series. There are also a variety of cheats that truly do encapsulate everything that made the GTA games of this era memorable.

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How To Use Cheats and What They Do

Vice City Driving

Grand Theft Auto: Vice City is officially an old game. As such, it elected not to use the more sensible system of pausing and typing in codes in favor of inputting specific combinations while the game is very much unpaused (as opposed to the mobile phone system employed in the fourth and fifth games). For consoles, pressing the buttons in the instructions below in the particular order given is enough to activate the cheats, while on PC, there are words to type, which usually relate to the effect of the cheat. Beyond that, cheats that add something to the inventory or spawn items essentially stack, but others are toggled on or off by inputting the code more than once.

Is There Any Better Game to Start a Riot?

vice-city-riot

This is something of a staple in the selection of GTA cheats available to the player. Doing exactly what it sounds like it would do, hitting ↓, ←, ↑, ←, A, RT, RB, LT, LB (Xbox), ↓, ←, ↑, ←, X, R2, R1, L2, L1 (PlayStation) or FIGHTFIGHTFIGHT (PC) will have the instantaneous effect of inciting all the NPCs in the game to start rioting. From guns to bats to their own vehicles, nothing will stop them from attacking the player and each other.

GTA Players Deserve the Very Best Selection of Weapons

Grand Theft Auto - Vice City - Tommy.

While it was a bit of a toss-up between weapon set 2 and weapon set 3, it is the latter that better represents the excesses of Grand Theft Auto. Containing the chainsaw, grenade, MP5, combat shotgun, M4 and the always reliable minigun, it also grants players some of the weapons most often collected naturally through gameplay. To access this weapon set, enter RB, RT, LB, RT, ←, ↓, →, ↑, ←, ↓, ↓, ↓ (Xbox), R1, R2, L1, R2, ←, ↓, →, ↑, ←, ↓, ↓, ↓ (PlayStation) or NUTTERSTOOLS (PC) to start wreaking havoc.

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Why Commit Grand Theft Auto When Tommy Could Be Driving a Tank?

vice-city-tank

There are a ton of excellent vehicles to drive across all the GTA games, with Vice City memorable for its use of particularly cool convertibles. They are everywhere and easy enough to steal from unsuspecting members of the public. This cheat thinks a little bigger than that, spawning the most powerful vehicle in the game and turning Tommy into a one-person wrecking crew. Entering B, B, LB, B, B, B, LB, LT, RB, Y, B, Y (Xbox), CIRCLE, CIRCLE, L1, CIRCLE, CIRCLE, CIRCLE, L1, L2, R1, TRIANGLE, CIRCLE, TRIANGLE (PlayStation) or PANZER (PC) should spawn a tank immediately available for the player's nefarious use.

Smoking Is a Bad Thing... Usually

vice-city-smoke

The practice of smoking in real life is never to be encouraged, but there is something about making Tommy Vercetti do it that feels appropriate to the '80s backdrop of the game. Different from the cheats above, this one does not affect the game itself besides making our protagonist hold a cigarette in his mouth. Unfortunately for those on consoles, this is only available on the PC version by typing CERTAINDEATH. There really is no reason to do this besides immersion, but Vice City remains the only GTA game where this can be toggled, so it's worth a look.

Grand Theft Auto games remain some of the most brilliant and chaotic experiences available to players in any genre. Even if many don't consider it cheating, completing the game without using cheats on the first playthrough is absolutely the best way to experience the story, but there is no reason thereafter not to type in a few cheats and alter the game for maximum enjoyment. Of course, players could always just have Tommy smoke a cigarette and enjoy the beach while waiting for the release of Grand Theft Auto VI.