The hype around Grand Theft Auto VI reached another level this week with Rockstar and Netflix’s extended look at the game.

So, as we wait just a little longer to head back to Vice City, why not spend some time watching the films that capture the many sides of Florida? From classic gangster epics to Vanessa Hudgens popping pistols, these ten films should get you in the mood.

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10. Miami Vice (2006)

Michael Mann’s sleek, nocturnal take on Miami might be the closest cinematic companion to GTA VI. Neon, speedboats, nightclubs, criminals and the suits – it’s all here, along with an on-form Colin Farrell.

9. Scarface (1983)

Tony Montana’s coke-fuelled rise and fall helped define the larger-than-life Miami crime fantasy that Rockstar would later transform into an open-world playground. It also happens to be one of the greatest movies ever made, with an absolute banger of a soundtrack.

8. Bad Boys (1995)

Fast cars, beautiful locations and spectacularly destructive police work – sounds like a pretty good all-nighter on GTA. Only with Will Smith and Martin Lawrence to lead us through it.

7. Spring Breakers (2012)

This neon nightmare is full of former Disney stars in bikinis, guns, drugs and terrible decisions – basically a GTA side mission directed by the fascinating mind of Harmony Korine.

6. Pain & Gain (2013)

Michael Bay’s ridiculous true-crime comedy captures the stranger side of the Florida dream, where ambition, bodybuilding and criminal stupidity collide, giving us one of Dwayne Johnson’s funniest and strangest performances. Just like the GTA VI trailers, this one gives us major Florida Man energy.

5. The Florida Project (2017)

This one might seem like the odd film out, but Sean Baker takes us beneath Vice City’s neon to another Florida. One of charm and sadness, with cheap motels, tourists and people struggling to get by. Not to forget one hell of a Willem Dafoe dad joke.

4. True Romance (1993)

The GTA VI trailers make Jason and Lucia feel like Rockstar’s latest Bonnie and Clyde. To get into that headspace, Tony Scott’s Tarantino-penned classic is essential viewing. It perfectly captures the chaotic loyalty of a crime-fuelled “us against the world” partnership.

3. Carlito’s Way (1993)

Another De Palma crime classic, but considerably more melancholy than Scarface. A perfect watch for anyone looking to avoid the over-the-top side of the gangster genre, it features one of the great climaxes in cinema.

2. Zola (2020)

Based on a viral Twitter thread, this fast-paced crime comedy follows a Detroit waitress who gets lured into a wild weekend trip to Florida that quickly descends into prostitution, trafficking and a parade of increasingly incompetent criminals. Its hyper-stylised aesthetic and raw focus on modern social media exploitation perfectly match the tone of the GTA VI trailers.

1. Casino (1995)

Yes, this is Las Vegas rather than Miami, but forgive me for squeezing some Scorsese into this list. It has everything you want from a GTA classic: money, crime, nightlife, explosions, excess – and the ever-present possibility that everything is about to go spectacularly wrong.