The Miami Heat turn into Vice City the night before GTA 6 launches

On 18 November, the eve of GTA 6's launch, the Miami Heat will host the Milwaukee Bucks on a Vice City court built just for that night and in a brand-new uniform: it's «A Night in Vice City». That's not all. The arena already has a giant «Welcome to Vice City» sign on its roof, for which Rockstar is paying almost a million dollars, and the team is selling a clothing line that sold out in hours. Miami has gone all in on the game, although not everyone is amused.

A Night in Vice City: the game on launch eve

The Heat announced it on 2 October with a video and a line that sums it up: for one night only, they're trading Miami for Vice City.

Miami HEAT@MiamiHEAT

Bright lights. Vice City. A Night in Vice City tips off November 18.

Here's what we know about the game, according to the team's official site:

• When: Wednesday 18 November at 7pm ET, which is midnight in the UK, as 19 November begins. Launch day itself.
• Where: the Kaseya Center, the Heat's arena, which is also one of the buildings Rockstar has recreated in the game's Vice City.
• Opponent: the Milwaukee Bucks.
• The court: a special Vice City hardwood built for that night only.
• The uniform: completely new and still under wraps. Fans can sign up on the team's site to hear about the drop.
• In the arena: special fan activations, starting from the first home game of the season.
• TV: ESPN nationally in the US and local station WPLG Local 10.

With Giannis in the mix

There's a sporting storyline too. Giannis Antetokounmpo, the star who led the Bucks to their first title in 50 years, joined the Heat this summer in one of the NBA's biggest trades. So on Vice City night he'll be facing his old team.

It's not the first time the Heat have leaned into the '80s look: since 2017 they've had their famous «Vice» uniforms, inspired by Miami Vice. The difference is that this time the wink comes with Rockstar.

A nearly $1 million sign on the roof

Before the game came the sign. On 22 September, a helicopter lifted a giant «Welcome to Vice City» sign with the GTA VI logo onto the roof of the Kaseya Center. It covers about 4,700 square feet and can be seen from planes landing at Miami International Airport.

According to Forbes, Rockstar is paying $975,000 to Miami-Dade County, which owns the arena, and the sign has to stay up at least until the end of the Heat's home season in April 2027.

The Vice City merch that sold out in hours

Also on 2 October, the Heat's Court Culture label launched its Vice City Collection: 14 pieces including tees, hoodies and New Era caps, priced from $45 to $110, according to Vice. It's sold through the team's online store, which also ships internationally, although buyers outside the US pay any duties. Several sizes sold out on day one.

The standout piece is the Vice City Souvenir tee, which brings back a joke from the 2002 game. Completing Vice City 100% unlocked an outfit with a shirt reading «I completed Vice City and all I got was this lousy T-shirt». The Heat's version reads: «Went to Vice City and all I got was this lousy t-shirt».

Tex2@TexFunz2

nba.com/heat/uniforms/…

If you'd rather have Rockstar's own merch, the studio's store has its own GTA VI Collection with tees at $29.99: we cover it in the official GTA 6 merch.

Not all of Miami is laughing

The Vice City fever has clashed with law enforcement. In September, Miami-Dade Sheriff Rosie Cordero-Stutz and Commissioner Juan Carlos Bermudez signed a joint statement urging the county not to use its resources to promote the game. Their conclusion couldn't be clearer: Miami-Dade is not Vice City. Bermudez said he couldn't believe the county was even considering temporarily rebranding its international airport as «Vice City Airport», and the county's police chiefs association also opposed any deal, according to CBS Miami.

That said, the sheriff later clarified that her criticism was about the use of public buildings and infrastructure, not about decisions made by private businesses like the Heat, as PC Gamer reported. Meanwhile, the City of Miami approved letting Rockstar pay for permits for larger-than-usual banners, and Miami Beach gave the green light to its own campaign.

It's not the first time Vice City has caused discomfort in Florida. More than twenty years ago, Haitian groups in the south of the state sued Rockstar over a mission in the 2002 game in which a character asked the player to kill a Haitian gang. The case was closed once Rockstar changed the dialogue.