GTA Vice City bridges: How to open up closed bridges and fully explore the map in GTA Vice City
How to fully explore the map - officially and unofficially.
Opening up the map in GTA Vice City allows you to experience everything the PS2 classic has to offer.
The further you expand and establish Tommy Vercetti's criminal empire, the more of the map you can explore.
Initially, only the first island is available - and so by completing certain story missions, more will become available to you. However, if you know the right glitches, you can reach them sooner than you're supposed to.
This page explains how to unlock the closed bridges to help you fully open up GTA Vice City's map.
On this page:
If you're looking for more explainers, we have pages on Vice City properties, helicopter locations and GTA Vice City cheats.
How to open up both sides of the bridge in GTA Vice City
You will meet the first map restriction in GTA Vice City as you begin the game. The bridges that connect Vice City Beach and Vice City Mainland to Starfish Island will be completely closed due to hurricane warnings, rendering you unable to go further.
Thankfully, these warnings are lifted after completing the story quests "Guardian Angels" and "Phnom Penh '86" - the 11th and 13th missions respectively - after which the bridges leading to Starfish Island and Vice City Mainland will open.
How to explore the map in GTA Vice City early with bridge jumps and other glitches
If you're eager to explore the full map of Vice City early, you can also glitch your way into either Starfish Island or Vice City Mainland through various methods.
These steps work in the PS2 and PC originals and other re-releases, however only the first glitch - allowing you to get to Starfish Island - works in the Definitive Edition.
Badinfos on YouTube - embedded above - shows these time-old exploits in motion which might be easier to follow, but the highlights are:
- To glitch into Starfish Island in all editions, steal an Ambulance and drive it to the closed gate, aligning it with the smaller gate on the left. Now jump on the roof of the ambulance, sprint, and jump. It's as simple as that!
- Alternatively, steal and a bike and drive it to the closed gate, aligning it with the smaller gate on the left. With the frontal tire touching the left side of the small gate, press forward until you do a wheelie. As you do that, dismount the bike. You should glitch and reappear one block forward, inside Starfish Island!
- To glitch onto the Vice City mainland in the originals, steal an Ambulance and drive it to the Marina. At the right gate, drive in reverse so the back of the Ambulance touches the gate. Jump on the roof of the ambulance, sprint, and jump. You should glitch and go through the gate. You can now steal a boat and go to the Vice City Mainland.
- Alternatively, go to Prawn Island, and head to the left side of the bridge connecting Prawn Island to Vice City Mainland. Without touching the water, sprint and jump against the left side of the bridge, and you should end up glitching 'inside' it. Run until your head and torso pop out of the floor, and jump to glitch out of the bridge. That's it! Now you can explore the Vice City Mainland.
While these methods are reliable in the originals, only the first will work in the Definitive Edition. Either way, involve specific vehicles and methods to enact and some skill to pull off. Whether you decide to go for these, or prefer to unlock them in the official way, is up to you. Either way - best of luck in exploring Vice City!