With just over a month to go before GTA 6 launches on November 19, Rockstar's campaign to turn Miami into the game's Vice City is getting off the ground. A City of Miami ordinance allows promotional banners downtown starting this Thursday, October 15. The Miami Heat's arena already displays a giant "Welcome to Vice City" sign, and a blimp with the game's branding was spotted heading to Florida. Not everything is settled, though: the deal to brand Miami Beach's beach chairs has not been signed yet, and Miami-Dade County remains divided.

What has already been approved

The City of Miami passed an ordinance that carves out an exception to its advertising rules for the GTA 6 campaign. According to TweakTown, the vote was 4 to 3 and allows the "Vice City" name and the Roman numeral VI on temporary banners in a defined downtown area from October 15 to December 31. According to GTA BOOM, each banner can stay up for a maximum of 56 consecutive days, and the ordinance sets rules on size and fees.

The most visible deal is a private one: on the roof of the Kaseya Center, the Miami Heat's arena, Rockstar installed a sign reading "Welcome to Vice City," which is already lit. According to Notebookcheck, the roughly $975,000 deal was struck by county mayor Daniella Levine Cava with Rockstar, the Heat, and the arena's operators, without a vote of the county commission. The Heat themselves will play the Milwaukee Bucks on November 18, the day before launch, as "Vice City," with a special court and uniforms, in a game called "A Night in Vice City."

The beach deal has not been signed

On September 10, the Miami Beach commission voted, also 4 to 3, to let the city manager negotiate a contract with Amplify Marketing to place discreet Vice City and VI branding on beach chairs and umbrellas through December 31. The plan was to start on October 15, and the deal could be worth up to $4 million to the city.

But the vote authorized negotiations, not the contract itself. According to reporter Joel Franco, cited by GTA BOOM, a city official said the deal has not been signed and that an October 15 start will "most likely not" happen. The date is expected to move until the contract is signed. The City of Miami's downtown banners do not depend on this deal.

The county pushes back

In Miami-Dade County, the idea of bringing Vice City branding to the international airport and the port, which appeared in a 19-page presentation obtained through a public records request, has stalled. The mayor's office confirmed conversations with Rockstar but said nothing has been formally agreed. Sheriff Rosie Cordero-Stutz and Commissioner Juan Carlos Bermudez publicly objected, arguing that the county should not tie its name and public buildings to a fictional world centered on crime. According to GTA BOOM, a county commission vote scheduled for October 20 could end Miami-Dade's part in the campaign.

The Vice City blimp

On Sunday, October 12, a Goodyear Zeppelin NT, "Wingfoot Three" (tail number N3A), took off from Ohio heading south. Photos from airship enthusiasts show it carrying Grand Theft Auto VI branding and the words "Vice City" on its side. According to groups that follow these flights, its destination is Pompano Beach, Florida, Goodyear's base in the state. Neither Rockstar nor Goodyear has commented, so an official link to the campaign has not been confirmed.

What we still don't know

  • When the Miami Beach deal will be signed and when the branded chairs will show up on the beach.
  • How many banners Rockstar will actually put up in downtown Miami.
  • The outcome of the county vote expected on October 20.
  • Whether the blimp is part of the official campaign.

For the rest of the countdown to launch, see how long until GTA 6 and our guide to everything we know about GTA 6.