GTA 6 turns the Miami Heat into Vice City on November 18

The Miami Heat are becoming Vice City for one night. On October 2, Rockstar Games and the NBA team announced a partnership built around a GTA 6 themed home game. On November 18 the Heat will play the Milwaukee Bucks at Kaseya Center under the Vice City name, and a matching clothing line is already on sale through the team's store.

What happens on November 18

The Heat are calling the event "A Night in Vice City." According to the press release covered by Dexerto, it will include a custom court and a uniform the team has never worn, plus themed programming and live activities during the game. Gematsu also reported the date and the rebrand. Neither the team nor Rockstar has shown the court or the uniform yet, so for now we only know that both are coming.

The arena had already been made over before the announcement. PC Gamer reports that Kaseya Center put a huge "Welcome to Vice City" sign on its roof, big enough to read from planes coming in to Miami International Airport.

The merch, and a shirt longtime fans will recognise

The collection includes hoodies, caps and several T-shirts. The standout is a deep cut for anyone who finished 2002's GTA: Vice City. Hitting 100% completion in that game unlocked an outfit at the Vercetti Estate, and its shirt said Tommy had completed Vice City and only got a lousy T-shirt for it.

The new $55 Court Culture "Vice City Souvenir" Oversized Tee changes the wording to "Went to Vice City and all I got was this lousy t-shirt." Dexerto says the shirt is 100% cotton and comes in sizes S to 3XL. It's on pre-order through the Miami Heat Store with no fixed release date, and the listing estimates shipping in five to six weeks. Unlike the original, you won't need to find every hidden package to get one.

Part of a bigger Miami push

The Heat deal is the most visible piece so far of Rockstar and Take-Two's campaign to make the real Miami look like the city GTA 6 is based on. It follows supercars, Burger Shot and fake brand ads around the city, E11EVEN's one-night switch to NINE1NINE and the game's first TV ad running during NBA broadcasts.

Not everyone in South Florida has been on board. In September, Miami-Dade Sheriff Cordero-Stutz called Grand Theft Auto "a videogame franchise built around criminal activity" while opposing the proposed promotion. Asked about the Heat event, a representative from her office told PC Gamer that her objections were about using publicly owned assets, such as public transit, stations and the airport, and "were not directed at promotional decisions by private businesses or organizations." Miami Beach found a similar compromise. PC Gamer says the city approved a "discreet" campaign in September that runs through hospitality company Boucher Brothers, on its beach chairs and umbrellas, not on city property.

As for reach, a basketball game can only do so much outside the US. In a lighthearted piece, PC Gamer found that several of its UK editors had never heard of the Heat. One of them argued the stunt was far more niche than a global trailer. Still, the target is clearly the American audience, and Miami fans in particular.

What's still unknown

Rockstar hasn't said whether anything at the game connects to GTA 6 itself, such as in-game items or new footage, and the court and uniform designs haven't been revealed. We'll update this story when the Heat or Rockstar share more before November 18.