Key Points
- Speedrunners have completed GTA: Vice City, a 41-hour game, in just 2 to 3 hours using various glitches and strategies.
- AdamAK is considered a pioneer in GTA: Vice City speedruns, completing the game in only 3 hours without major glitches or exploits.
- Speedrun videos are divided into two categories: 100% completion and Any% completion, where glitches and tactics are used to finish the game quickly.
- Common glitches used in GTA: Vice City speedruns include Taxi Boost and Pole Position.
GTA: Vice City is nostalgic for all the 90s kids. In 2002, Rockstar Games released it as the fourth main installment in the already-popular Grand Theft Auto series. Like its predecessors, GTA: Vice City became an instant hit among action-adventure game lovers for all the right reasons. It has an interesting plot, exciting missions, and strong characters. Soon, many speedrunners posted Grand Theft Auto: Vice City speedruns using different glitches and manipulations.
Speedruns involve completing a game in the shortest time possible. The player has to use different strategies, tricks, and glitches to do it. If you play GTA: Vice City while discovering all the gaming aspects, you will probably spend around 41 hours completing it. Therefore, you’ll be surprised to know that speedrunners have completed all GTA: Vice City missions in just 2 to 3 hours!
Of all the records on Speedrun.com, we consider AdamAK’s Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Speedrun the best. It is one of the earliest speedrun videos depicting AdamAK’s impressive gaming skills to their full glory. Let’s discover more aspects of this particular speedrun.
When Did Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Speedruns Begin?
GTA: Vice City was one of the early action-adventure installments by Rockstar Games that instantly became a hit. While it stole the limelight in the gamer community, many speedrunners started competing in speedrun challenges. This period dates back to the early 2000s, when Rockstar released the game.
Players began speedrunning this 41-hour long game and completing it within 2 to 3 hours using different glitches and strategies. While finding the first-ever Grand Theft Auto: Vice City speedrun is challenging, we all remember that it started from AdamAK. He was one of the pioneers of this trend.
Initially, GTA: Vice City’s speedruns were quite basic. The players only completed the game in the shortest time using optimized movements and strategies. There was no concept of glitches or exploits. But over time, speedrunners found numerous tricks and glitches to manipulate time, such as “Taxi Boost” and “Pole Position.” With these glitches, speedrunning GTA: Vice City became more entertaining.
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City’s speedrun videos were divided into two main categories. The first is 100%, in which the player completes every mission while collecting all items. The second is Any%, where the speedrunner uses glitches, tactics, or strategies to finish the game as quickly as possible.
Over the years, the GTA: Vice City speedrunning community has grown significantly. Gamers now engage with others on online forums and platforms to discuss their strategies, compare their records, and share helpful tricks and glitches. Today, you can easily find many Grand Theft Auto: Vice City speedrun videos on Twitch and YouTube. In fact, many speedrunning tournaments and events are now organized to encourage more players to showcase their GTA skills. Honestly, that’s quite refreshing!

©Gorodenkoff/Shutterstock.com
Why Is the Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Speedrun by AdamAK Out of This World?
Over the last decade, we have seen many fascinating GTA: Vice City speedruns. But is there any special video that you still remember? For us, it’s AdamAK’s Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Speedrun! He is one of the early gamers who started the speedrun trend in the GTA community.
AdamAK didn’t use major glitches, strategies, or exploits to complete the missions. Undoubtedly, his speedrun is the most original attempt on this criminal underworld, showing his impressive skills, understanding, and command over the game.
Here are some factors that make AdamAK’s Grand Theft Auto: Vice City speedrun one of its kind:
Impressive Completion Time
Speedrun videos are all about finishing the game in the shortest time possible. While GTA: Vice City’s missions can be tricky, you can quickly complete them if you play them with a well-thought plan.
AdamAK’s gameplay shows he knew where he should use each strategy to complete the mission’s objectives efficiently. Not to forget his timely movements and execution throughout the speedrun. Completing all missions of this 41-hour-long game in only 3 hours is indeed an achievement!
Precise Execution
Your skills won’t be helpful if you don’t know where to execute them. That’s the basis of every speedrun’s success. AdamAK utilized his skills and mastery of Grand Theft Auto: Vice City fully in good decision-making, precise inputs, and smooth movements. We saw how he shot accurately in multiple places to reduce the mission’s duration and save time.
Another critical factor behind AdamAK’s precise execution is consistency. He didn’t only know the strategies but executed them with sheer consistency, regardless of the complexity of the situations. He made little-to-no mistakes, portraying his high concentration level, muscle memory, and understanding of GTA: Vice City’s mechanics.
Efficient Gaming Approach
GTA: Vice City is filled with lots and lots of missions. While some are as easy as traveling to the beach and killing the target, others can be complicated and require the implementation of a well-thought strategy. AdamAK’s Grand Theft Auto: Vice City speedrun displays an excellent gaming approach. Plus, he carefully planned his routes to reduce the traveling time.
AdamAK also arranged the missions in the proper order and played them accordingly. He opted for the most efficient shortcuts and sequence breaks in every mission to reduce the completion time. In addition, he didn’t waste time taking unnecessary detours.
Super Entertaining
What makes AdamAK’s Grand Theft Auto: Vice City speedrun this good? Is it his perfect execution or efficient route planning? It can be both, but there is something even more outstanding about his videos. Yes, his commentary!
If you visit AdamAK’s speedrun’s page on YouTube, you will see how almost every comment mentions his unique and entertaining commentary during the speedrun. Honestly, that’s one reason we stayed glued to his 3-hour video. Of course, GTA: Vice City is entertaining, but Adam’s strong presence during the video makes it a treat to the eyes, ears, and heart.
Other YouTubers Who Made Impressive Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Speedruns
- Publisher: Rockstar Games
- Open world game set in a Miami inspired landscape
- Large vehicle selection (whatever floats your boat — literally)
- Set in the 80s
While we are head over heels for AdamAK’s GTA: Vice City speedrun, many YouTubers also competed in this challenge and posted their entertaining videos.
Here are some of the most popular ones:
- Marushko is currently the leading speedrunner in the GTA: Vice City All Missions category on Speedrun.com. He completed the entire game in 2 hours, 6 minutes, and 22 seconds — thanks to his timely movements, efficient gaming approach, and super-accurate execution. His entire speedrun is a delight to watch!
- Diabl0 is the second leading speedrunner in the All Missions category with his 2 hours, 8 minutes, and 5 seconds long speedrun. Throughout the game, he didn’t waste time exploring unnecessary details and stayed true to his game plan. And the result is in front of us.
- Guywith is the third on the leaderboard, falling just 2 seconds short of Diabl0! His 2 hours, 8 minutes, and 7 seconds long speedrun is simply amazing. You can easily detect his smart moves throughout the video.
- Iguana’s take on the Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Speedrun is outstanding. While it may not be on the top, we consider it the best regarding strategy implementation and precise movements. The video is 2 hours, 10 minutes, and 43 seconds long, and filled with many exciting elements.
- KZ_FREW is a popular speedrunner in the gaming community. He has posted many Grand Theft Auto: Vice City speedruns, with a few even becoming world records. Of those, we truly admire his GTA: Vice City Speedrun All Missions, which is 2 hours and 13 minutes long. Although he ranks 7th on the leaderboard today, his speedrun will surely blow your mind.
The speedrun community is continuously evolving, with new runners posting their attempts every day. So, be active on YouTube and Twitch to stay up-to-date!
Some Common Glitches Used in GTA: Vice City Speedruns
Speedruns are incomplete and boring without glitches. These tactics save significant time and effort when completing a game, allowing you to dodge unnecessary obstacles easily or finish a mission quickly. So, if you’re planning to speedrun GTA: Vice City, check out these common glitches used in the game:
- Taxi Boost: With this glitch, you’ll have to enter a taxi, start a mission and cancel it, and exit the cab at the right time. It will activate a speed boost that helps you skip a sequence of actions.
- Pole Position: Activating this glitch will require driving a specific route to the strip club and parking your car in a particular spot. It will make the dancer pay you unlimited money.
- Cop Bike Duplicate: You must steal a cop bike and perform specific actions to obtain duplicate weapons and items.
- Swim-In-The-Air: To activate this glitch, you must enter the water at a particular angle and perform specific actions to swim through the air. It will help you avoid obstacles and reach destinations more quickly.
- Jumping Over Walls: With this glitch, you can manipulate the game’s mechanics or physics, such as jumping over walls or barriers that usually restrict you from bypassing them.
While these glitches may sound exciting, note that they vary based on the route you choose in the game. For a better idea, you must check out different speedrun videos to stay updated about the latest glitches.
Is It Easy to Make GTA: Vice City Speedruns?
Making GTA: Vice City speedruns isn’t exactly a smooth road. Instead, it requires relentless practice, extensive knowledge of the game’s mechanics, and skills to complete it quickly. When speedrunning GTA: Vice City, you may struggle in the following aspects:
- Precise Execution: Knowing how to make exact movements and actions is important in a speedrun video. You must adapt to changing situations and use your muscle memory to react accurately.
- Glitch Mastery: Glitches only work when you use them correctly at the right place and time. That’s another thing you must master before taking on the speedrun challenge. Invest time in experimentation to understand the right way to use glitches.
- Consistency and Time Efficiency: Consistency is the key to making a successful speedrun. You can’t afford to choke at any place and waste your precious milliseconds. After all, every second counts, so there is no space for mistakes. It’s essential to execute all your strategies consistently and complete the game with maximum time efficiency.
These challenges will only bother you in the beginning. Once you start to get the hang of things, you can easily make an excellent Grand Theft Auto: Vice City speedrun!
Amaze Yourself With AdamAK’s Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Speedrun!
The image featured at the top of this post is ©Rockstar Games, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.