Below are all 54 verified cheat codes for the original PlayStation 2 version of Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. Enter each combination during normal gameplay with the D-pad, without pausing. Codes cover health, weapons, wanted levels, vehicles, pedestrians, character models, weather, traffic and game speed.
Important: Create a clean save before using cheats and avoid saving afterward, as some effects cannot be safely reversed.
Enter each button sequence from left to right exactly as shown.
| Effect | PS2 button combination |
|---|---|
| Restore full health and repair the current vehicle | R1, R2, L1, Circle, Left, Down, Right, Up, Left, Down, Right, Up |
| Restore full armor | R1, R2, L1, X, Left, Down, Right, Up, Left, Down, Right, Up |
| Attempt suicide; Tommy normally dies, but exceptionally high combined health and armor can let him survive | Right, L2, Down, R1, Left, Left, R1, L1, L2, L1 |
The health code restores Tommy's health and also repairs the car, bike, boat or aircraft he is currently using. On cars, it repairs the engine and damaged tires as well, although visible body dents may remain. It does not increase maximum health or make Tommy invincible.
There is no genuine money or invincibility cheat in the original PS2 version. Codes claiming to award cash or god mode are fake, belong to another GTA game or require external cheat hardware.
| Effect | PS2 button combination |
|---|---|
| Get Weapon Set 1: Brass Knuckles, Baseball Bat, Molotov Cocktails, Colt .45, Shotgun, Tec-9, Ruger, Sniper Rifle and Flamethrower | R1, R2, L1, R2, Left, Down, Right, Up, Left, Down, Right, Up |
| Get Weapon Set 2: Katana, Remote Grenades, Colt Python, Stubby Shotgun, Ingram Mac 10, M4, PSG-1 and Rocket Launcher | R1, R2, L1, R2, Left, Down, Right, Up, Left, Down, Down, Left |
| Get Weapon Set 3: Chainsaw, Grenades, Colt Python, Spaz Shotgun, MP5, M4, PSG-1 and Minigun | R1, R2, L1, R2, Left, Down, Right, Up, Left, Down, Down, Down |
GTA Vice City has three predefined weapon-set codes. Each one equips a particular collection of weapons and ammunition; none gives Tommy every weapon in the game. There is no built-in infinite-ammo button code: infinite ammo is awarded for reaching 100% completion.
| Effect | PS2 button combination |
|---|---|
| Clear the wanted level | R1, R1, Circle, R2, Up, Down, Up, Down, Up, Down |
| Raise the wanted level by two stars | R1, R1, Circle, R2, Left, Right, Left, Right, Left, Right |
| Enable the Media Attention or Chase Stat display | Circle, L1, Down, L2, Left, X, R1, L1, Right, X |
There is no PS2 code that adds or removes exactly one wanted star. The Media Attention code can appear to do nothing immediately: it enables the display, but the counter only appears outside missions when the current Media Attention value is above 40 and reaches at least 70% of Tommy's previous best. Beating the record is not required.
| Vehicle | PS2 button combination |
|---|---|
| Spawn a Rhino | Circle, Circle, L1, Circle, Circle, Circle, L1, L2, R1, Triangle, Circle, Triangle |
| Spawn Bloodring Banger A | Up, Right, Right, L1, Right, Up, Square, L2 |
| Spawn Bloodring Banger B | Down, R1, Circle, L2, L2, X, R1, L1, Left, Left |
| Spawn a Caddy | Circle, L1, Up, R1, L2, X, R1, L1, Circle, X |
| Spawn Hotring Racer A | R1, Circle, R2, Right, L1, L2, X, X, Square, R1 |
| Spawn Hotring Racer B | R2, L1, Circle, Right, L1, R1, Right, Up, Circle, R2 |
| Spawn Romero's Hearse | Down, R2, Down, R1, L2, Left, R1, L1, Left, Right |
| Spawn the Love Fist limousine | R2, Up, L2, Left, Left, R1, L1, Circle, Right |
| Spawn a Sabre Turbo | Right, L2, Down, L2, L2, X, R1, L1, Circle, Left |
| Spawn a Trashmaster | Circle, R1, Circle, R1, Left, Left, R1, L1, Circle, Right |
The original PS2 game has ten vehicle-spawn codes. Each combination creates one specific vehicle at a nearby valid road position, so stand in an open area near a road before entering it.
Both arena-car codes spawn models whose in-game English name is Bloodring Banger; they are two different body variants. There is no original PS2 code that can spawn every car, motorcycle, plane or helicopter. In particular, the Hunter and Skimmer cannot be generated with a controller combination in this version.
| Effect | PS2 button combination |
|---|---|
| Destroy all currently loaded vehicles | R2, L2, R1, L1, L2, R2, Square, Triangle, Circle, Triangle, L2, L1 |
| Make most vehicle bodies invisible; wheels remain visible and motorcycles are unaffected | Triangle, L1, Triangle, R2, Square, L1, L1 |
| Make cars fly; build speed and pull back on the left analog stick to take off | Right, R2, Circle, R1, L2, Down, L1, R1 |
| Make boats fly; build speed and pull back to lift off | R2, Circle, Up, L1, Right, R1, Right, Up, Square, Triangle |
| Make cars and most road vehicles drive or hover over water; motorcycles are unaffected | Right, R2, Circle, R1, L2, Square, R1, R2 |
| Improve vehicle handling, grip and acceleration behavior; press L3 to make the vehicle jump | Triangle, R1, R1, Left, R1, L1, R2, L1 |
| Give newly generated traffic a more aggressive driving style and higher cruise speed; drivers may ram other vehicles or Tommy | R2, Circle, R1, L2, Left, R1, L1, R2, L2 |
| Turn newly generated civilian traffic black where the vehicle model supports recoloring | Circle, L2, Up, R1, Left, X, R1, L1, Left, Circle |
| Turn newly generated civilian traffic pink where the vehicle model supports recoloring | Circle, L1, Down, L2, Left, X, R1, L1, Right, Circle |
| Make all traffic lights stay green | Right, R1, Up, L2, L2, Left, R1, L1, R1, R1 |
| Apply special wheel, acceleration, speed, mass and handling changes to selected vehicles | R1, X, Triangle, Right, R2, Square, Up, Down, Square |
The vehicle-destruction code affects every currently loaded vehicle, including Tommy's current vehicle, rather than every vehicle across the entire map.
The final code is often labeled only as Crazy Wheels, but its effect is much broader. It enlarges the wheels on the Infernus, Cheetah, Phoenix and Deluxo; boosts acceleration on selected utility and off-road vehicles; doubles the top speed of the Caddy and Baggage Handler; and makes several sports cars heavier and more resistant to collision damage.
| Effect | PS2 button combination |
|---|---|
| Make certain female pedestrians follow Tommy and attack his targets | Circle, X, L1, L1, R2, X, X, Circle, Triangle |
| Replace Vercetti Gang members with bikini-clad women carrying M4s | Right, L1, Circle, L2, Left, X, R1, L1, L1, X |
| Give newly spawned pedestrians a Pistol, Nightstick, Golf Club or Tec-9; existing pedestrians keep their weapons until they despawn | R2, R1, X, Triangle, X, Triangle, Up, Down |
| Make pedestrians attack Tommy; entering the code again does not reverse it | Down, Up, Up, Up, X, R2, R1, L2, L2 |
| Make pedestrians riot and attack one another or Tommy; entering the code again does not reverse it | Down, Left, Up, Left, X, R2, R1, L2, L1 |
These codes alter pedestrian or gang behavior throughout Vice City and can interfere with missions. Never save your main game after activating the riot or hostile pedestrian combinations.
The commonly copied riot sequence with Down as its third input is wrong. The correct opening is Down, Left, Up, Left.
| Effect | PS2 button combination |
|---|---|
| Change into a random pedestrian model; repeat to select another random model | Right, Right, Left, Up, L1, L2, Left, Up, Down, Right |
| Play as Candy Suxxx | Circle, R2, Down, R1, Left, Right, R1, L1, X, L2 |
| Play as Hilary King | R1, Circle, R2, L1, Right, R1, L1, X, R2 |
| Play as Ken Rosenberg | Right, L1, Up, L2, L1, Right, R1, L1, X, R1 |
| Play as Lance Vance | Circle, L2, Left, X, R1, L1, X, L1 |
| Play as Dick, Love Fist's drummer | R1, L2, R2, L1, Right, R2, Left, X, Square, L1 |
| Play as Jezz Torrent, Love Fist's lead singer | Down, L1, Down, L2, Left, X, R1, L1, X, X |
| Play as Mercedes Cortez | R2, L1, Up, L1, Right, R1, Right, Up, Circle, Triangle |
| Play as Phil Cassidy | Right, R1, Up, R2, L1, Right, R1, L1, Right, Circle |
| Play as Ricardo Diaz | L1, L2, R1, R2, Down, L1, R2, L2 |
| Play as Sonny Forelli | Circle, L1, Circle, L2, Left, X, R1, L1, X, X |
These combinations replace Tommy's player model with another character or a random pedestrian. They do not unlock normal outfits. Exit any vehicle before entering one, and expect possible animation or clothing glitches; reloading a clean save is the safest way to restore Tommy.
The two Love Fist combinations are often swapped in online lists. The sequence beginning with R1, L2, R2, L1 is Dick; the one beginning with Down, L1, Down, L2 is Jezz Torrent. The correct name is also Phil Cassidy, not Phil Cassady.
| Effect | PS2 button combination |
|---|---|
| Extra-sunny weather | R2, X, L1, L1, L2, L2, L2, Down |
| Sunny or lightly cloudy weather | R2, X, L1, L1, L2, L2, L2, Triangle |
| Cloudy or overcast weather | R2, X, L1, L1, L2, L2, L2, Square |
| Foggy weather | R2, X, L1, L1, L2, L2, L2, X |
| Rainy or stormy weather | R2, X, L1, L1, L2, L2, L2, Circle |
| Speed up the in-game clock | Circle, Circle, L1, Square, L1, Square, Square, Square, L1, Triangle, Circle, Triangle |
| Speed up gameplay; repeated entries can increase the time scale to four times normal speed | Triangle, Up, Right, Down, L2, L1, Square |
| Slow down gameplay; repeated entries can reduce the time scale to one quarter of normal speed | Triangle, Up, Right, Down, Square, R2, R1 |
The five weather combinations share the same first seven inputs and differ only in the final button. The sequence ending in Triangle selects the sunny or lightly cloudy preset, while the extra-sunny combination ends in Down. The clock code accelerates the passage of in-game hours; the fast- and slow-gameplay codes change the speed of the entire game.
GTA Vice City does not use a cheat-entry screen. Enter each combination directly on the PS2 controller:
The buttons still perform their normal actions while you enter a code, so move Tommy to a quiet area first. Vehicle-spawn combinations work best when he is standing in a clear space near a road. If a code does not register, wait for any cutscene or mission transition to end, close all menus and try again at a steady pace.
Create a separate manual save in an unused slot before entering any cheat, and do not overwrite your clean save afterward. Rockstar warns that saving after using cheats can corrupt save data or produce unpredictable results, even if a code was later disabled. Reloading a save made before entering a cheat is the safest way to return the game to normal. See the official Rockstar Support warning.
The pedestrian riot and hostile pedestrian effects are especially dangerous because entering their combinations again does not undo them. Cheats can also interfere with missions and lower Tommy's criminal rating. The original PS2 release has no trophies or achievements, but a cheat-affected save can still disrupt normal progress or a 100% playthrough.
This guide is specifically for the original PlayStation 2 release. It does not cover Grand Theft Auto: Vice City - The Definitive Edition on PS4 or PS5, where cheat availability can differ. Playing on a computer? See our complete GTA Vice City PC cheats guide.
Weapon names differ by PS2 disc revision. Later discs rename Colt .45 as Pistol, Colt Python as .357, Ingram Mac 10 as Mac, MP5 as MP, Ruger as Kruger, Spaz Shotgun as S.P.A.S. 12 and PSG-1 as .308 Sniper. The loadouts themselves do not change.
| Quick fact | Answer |
|---|---|
| Version covered | Original PlayStation 2 release |
| Verified button combinations | 54 |
| Money cheat | No |
| Invincibility cheat | No |
| Infinite-ammo cheat | No; infinite ammo is a 100% completion reward |
| Helicopter, plane or motorcycle spawn cheat | No |
| Pause required | No |
| Can every cheat be disabled? | No |
Several old cheat lists have copied unverified sequences or assigned the wrong effect to a genuine combination. The following claims should not be added as extra working cheats beyond the 54 combinations above.
| Old claim | Published sequence | What is actually true |
|---|---|---|
| Double Car Speed | R1, R2, L1, L1, Left, Down, Right, Up, Left, Down, Right, Up | This is an unverified legacy sequence that originally circulated as Unknown, with no confirmed PS2 effect. The corresponding button pattern is documented as Faster Cars on the original Xbox port, not PS2. |
| Faster Cars or Increased Top Speed | Right, R1, Up, L2, L2, Left, R1, L1, R1, R1 | The sequence is genuine, but it only forces all traffic lights to green. It does not directly multiply vehicle top speed. |
| Repair Tires as a separate cheat | R2, L2, L1, Circle, Left, Down, Right, Up, Left, Down, Right, Up | This sequence has no verified effect. Tire and engine repair is already part of the Full Health code, which begins with R1, R2, L1, Circle. |
| Robocops or Police Return From Dead | Circle, L1, Down, L2, Left, X, R1, L1, Right, X | The combination is genuine, but it enables the Media Attention or Chase Stat display. It does not revive police officers or make them more aggressive. |
| Boats Jump Higher or Show Media Level | R2, Circle, Up, L1, Right, R1, Right, Up, Square, Triangle | This is the genuine Flying Boats cheat on the original PS2 game. It is separate from the Media Attention code above. |
| Girls Drop Weapons | Right, L1, Circle, L2, Left, X, R1, L1, L1, X | This duplicates the bikini-clad Vercetti Gang code. Characters dropping weapons when killed is a consequence, not a separate cheat. |
| Sunny Weather ending in Triangle | R2, X, L1, L1, L2, L2, L2, Triangle | This is the sunny or lightly cloudy preset. The extra-sunny combination ends in Down. |
| Thriller Pedestrians | Square, L1, Triangle, R2, Square, L1, L1 | This old rumor has no verified effect and does not show a cheat-activation message. |
The Flying Boats and Media Attention combinations were documented separately in a contemporary PS2 testing thread shortly after the game's release. Many later lists merged them, which is why the same boat sequence is still incorrectly labeled as a media-level code.
Changing the moon's size is a hidden interaction, not a controller cheat. At night, equip either sniper rifle and shoot the moon. Each valid hit advances it to another of eight size settings; after eight valid hits, it returns to the size at which you started. This effect is purely visual.
Enter the complete button combination during normal gameplay. Use the D-pad for directional inputs and press each button in order. You do not need to pause or press Start. Most cheats display a confirmation message, although character-model codes may only produce the visible model change.
The original PlayStation 2 version has 54 verified working button combinations with distinct in-game effects. Some modern lists report 53 because they omit Flying Boats and incorrectly assign its sequence to Media Attention. Higher totals usually count duplicates, fake codes or separate consequences of another cheat.
No. The original PS2 game has no built-in money cheat. Codes claiming to award instant cash are fake, belong to another GTA title or require third-party cheat hardware.
No. The original PS2 release does not include an invincibility or god-mode code. The full-health combination restores health and repairs the current vehicle, but it does not prevent future damage.
No. The ten original PS2 spawn codes generate specific ground vehicles. The Hunter, Skimmer and motorcycles must be obtained through normal gameplay.
Some effects toggle when the same combination is entered again, while others remain until the game or a clean save is reloaded. The pedestrian riot and hostile pedestrian cheats cannot be reversed by re-entering their codes. Reload a save created before cheating rather than relying on a second entry.
A code does not directly award or remove completion percentage, but persistent effects can break missions or leave a save in an unpredictable state. Never continue a normal playthrough from a save made after using cheats. Keep a separate clean file if you are pursuing 100% completion.
This page covers only the original PlayStation 2 game. Many familiar combinations were carried into later PlayStation releases, but The Definitive Edition removes some old cheats and adds others. Do not assume that every code on this page works on PS4 or PS5.
Make sure you are using the original PS2 version, enter the buttons in the exact order shown and use the D-pad for directions. Wait for any cutscene or mission transition to end, close all menus and try again during normal gameplay. Also check that the sequence is not one of the fake legacy codes listed above. The Media Attention code is a special case: it can activate successfully without displaying the counter until the chase meets its HUD conditions.
No. The PC versions use typed keyboard phrases rather than PS2 controller combinations. See our GTA Vice City PC cheats guide for the original Windows release and The Definitive Edition.
