GTA 6 sports teams and stadiums: Hard Rock snubbed as venues worth $800m feature in Vice City

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Grand Theft Auto is returning to Miami — I mean Vice City — after a 24-year hiatus.The wait is almost over for fans of the long-running franchise, with GTA VI finally getting a release in November.LoanDepot Park features a massive retractable roofGettyOfficial updates have been thin on the ground as Rockstar Games keeps its cards close to its chest.But eagle-eyed fans have poured over every leak, screenshot and press release to glean information on the upcoming release.Thanks their efforts and insights from Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, a picture is starting to emerge of the city, gamers will soon spend months of their life in.Miamians are spoiled for choice when it comes to sports in real life, and Vice City residents appear to have at least two teams to get behindView Tweet: https://t.co/8aRdcBwRuAVice City Manatees: A version of LoanDepot ParkGTA’s original parody of the Miami Dolphins — The Mambas — made an appearance in the fourth edition and have been mentioned in several times since.In Grand Theft Auto Advance there was even a mission when players had to injure the team’s star quarterback.Its logo — a mamba wearing a football helmet — resembles the Dolphins design from 1966 to 2012.The Mambas played games at Hyman Memorial Stadium, which was loosely modelled on American Airlines Center.An official GTA 6 screenshot appears to suggest that the Mambas have been replaced, however, as a man is seen wearing a distinctive aqua jersey with Manatees written across the front.Fan rumors have suggested that games will be played at a stadium based on LoanDepot Park — a $634 million ballpark with a retractable roof in the Riverside neighborhood of Miami.View Tweet: https://t.co/5cHDGAsO9SGamers may be able to open the roof in GTA 6GettyIn the background of the first trailer and an official screenshot, the distinctive roof does appear to be visible.The home of the Marlins has served as a football stadium, hosting the Miami Beach Bowl from 2014 to 2016.It looks like Hard Rock Stadium will miss out — perhaps to avoid players being able to parachute onto the field.Vice City Narcos: Sahara Arena ( Kaseya Center)GTA Vice City didn’t feature a basketball team, but hoopers will get representation in the return to Florida.The first trailer showed a woman standing in a convertible as it drives down Interstate at night with an elaborately-lit arena in the background.It is an indoor complex, which a later screenshot revealed is called the Sahara Arena, and will host the Vice City Narcos.View Tweet: https://x.com/X?ref_src=twsrc%5EtfwThe Kaseya Center features in the game with a major lighting upgradeGettyThe design borrows from the Kaseya Center — the $213 million home of the Heat in Biscayne Bay.Sahara is the game’s version of Amazon.Instead of the simple black fins of the real life building, the eye-catching lighting plays into the game’s retro color palette.NBA 2K in collab with GTA VIThe Season 1 trailer for NBA 2K27 dropped a major teaser a day before early access.Near the end, the camera drifts past a purple poster of palm trees, with police sirens and seagulls cutting through the audio and a GTA-style color scheme.An arcade cabinet featuring the Rockstar Games logo also appears.View Tweet: https://t.co/GHR40ZEXV7When is the next GTA VI reveal?More information is bound to drop over the coming months, with fans set to scour the upcoming Netflix release.Rockstar Games is dropping an extending look via the streaming platform on August 27.