GTA Vice City Weapons: Every Weapon, Its Damage and Where to Buy It
Tommy Vercetti has ten weapon slots, and each one holds a single class of weapon - so what you carry matters more than what you own. Below is every weapon in GTA Vice City with its damage, magazine and price, every shop that sells it, and which ones are worth the slot.
How the ten weapon slots work
Tommy Vercetti carries ten weapon slots, and each slot holds one class of weapon. That single rule explains most of the confusion new players run into: you cannot stockpile four pistols and switch between them. Picking up a weapon in an occupied slot replaces what was there.
So the practical question is never "what can I carry" but "what should I be carrying in each slot". The tables below give damage per shot, magazine size and price, so you can answer that for yourself.
Melee weapons
Melee weapons occupy the same slot family and are mostly useful early, before firearms are common. The Chainsaw is the exception - it stays genuinely lethal for the whole game.
| Weapon | Damage | Price | Where to buy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brass Knuckles | 16 | - | Not sold; found in the world |
| Hammer | 21 | $20 | Bunch of Tools, Tooled Up, Screw This |
| Golf Club | 21 | - | Not sold; Leaf Links golf course |
| Nightstick | 21 | - | Not sold; dropped by police |
| Baseball Bat | 21 | $80 | Bunch of Tools, after Riot |
| Knife | 21 | $90 | Tooled Up, North Point Mall |
| Meat Cleaver | 24 | $50 | Bunch of Tools, Tooled Up, Screw This |
| Machete | 24 | $100 | After Treacherous Swine |
| Katana | 30 | $300 | Tooled Up, after The Chase |
| Chainsaw | 35 | $500 | Screw This, Little Havana; free at safehouses after 20 hidden packages |
| Screwdriver | 45 | $10 | Bunch of Tools, Tooled Up, Screw This |
The Screwdriver has the highest per-hit melee damage in the game and costs $10, which is a strange piece of balancing but a useful one early on. The Chainsaw is slower per hit but hits repeatedly, and once you have 20 hidden packages it sits at your safehouses for free.
Handguns
| Weapon | Damage | Magazine | Price | Where to buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pistol (Colt 45) | 25 | 17 | $100 | Ammu-Nation Ocean Beach and North Point Mall |
| .357 (Colt Python) | 135 | 6 | $2,000 | Ammu-Nation Downtown after Rub Out; free at safehouses after 30 packages |
The .357 is one of the hardest-hitting weapons in the game - 135 damage per shot, more than a rocket launcher does to a single target. Six rounds is the trade-off. It is worth unlocking the 30-package reward purely so you never have to pay for it again.
Shotguns
| Weapon | Damage | Magazine | Price | Where to buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shotgun | 80 | 1 | $500 | Ammu-Nation Ocean Beach, after Mall Shootout |
| Stubby Shotgun | 120 | 1 | $600 | Ammu-Nation North Point Mall, after The Chase |
| S.P.A.S. 12 | 100 | 7 | $4,000 | Ammu-Nation Downtown, after Bar Brawl |
The Stubby Shotgun does the most damage per shot but reloads after every round. The S.P.A.S. 12 does slightly less per shot with a seven-round magazine, which makes it the better weapon in any fight longer than a single doorway.
Submachine guns
| Weapon | Damage | Magazine | Price | Where to buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tec-9 | 20 | 50 | - | Not sold; found in the world and from gang members |
| Ingram Mac 10 | 15 | 30 | $300 | Ammu-Nation Ocean Beach |
| Uzi 9mm | 20 | 30 | $400 | Ammu-Nation North Point Mall |
| MP5 | 35 | 30 | $3,000 | Ammu-Nation Downtown, after Rub Out |
The Mac 10 is the cheapest automatic weapon in the game and worth picking up the moment it is available - a car full of gang members stops being a problem once you can fire 30 rounds without reloading. The MP5 is the upgrade, nearly doubling the per-shot damage.
Assault rifles
| Weapon | Damage | Magazine | Price | Where to buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kruger (Ruger) | 35 | 30 | $1,000 | Ammu-Nation Ocean Beach, after Guardian Angels |
| M4 | 40 | 30 | $5,000 | Ammu-Nation Downtown, after Rub Out |
The M4 is the best all-round weapon in the game. Forty damage a shot at 625 rounds per minute with a 30-round magazine is enough to handle almost any mission without switching, and it stays accurate at range in a way the submachine guns do not.
Heavy weapons
| Weapon | Damage | Magazine | Price | Where to buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flamethrower | 25 | 500 | - | Free at safehouses after 40 hidden packages |
| Rocket Launcher | 75 | 1 | $8,000 | Phil's Place, after Boomshine Saigon; free after 70 packages |
| M60 | 130 | 100 | $8,000 | Phil's Place, after Boomshine Saigon |
| Minigun | 140 | 500 | $10,000 | Phil's Place, after Boomshine Saigon; free after 60 packages |
The Flamethrower's 25 damage is per flame particle rather than per second, so its real output is far higher than the number suggests. The Minigun at 140 damage and 1,800 rounds per minute is the strongest weapon in the game, and collecting 60 hidden packages puts one at your safehouses permanently - which is far cheaper than the $10,000 sticker price.
Sniper rifles
| Weapon | Damage | Magazine | Price | Where to buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sniper Rifle | 125 | 1 | $1,500 | Ammu-Nation North Point Mall, after Phnom Penh '86 |
| .308 Sniper (PSG-1) | 125 | 7 | $6,000 | Ammu-Nation Downtown, after Shakedown; free after 50 packages |
Both do 125 damage; the difference is the magazine. The PSG-1 fires seven rounds before reloading, which turns it from a single-shot tool into a weapon you can actually fight with. It is also the 50-package reward, so it is free if you are collecting.
Thrown weapons
| Weapon | Damage | Magazine | Price | Where to buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grenade | 75 | 1 | $300 | Ammu-Nation North Point Mall |
| Remote Grenade | Detonated | 1 | $1,000 | Phil's Place, after Boomshine Saigon |
| Molotov Cocktail | Fire | 1 | - | Not sold; found in the world |
| Tear Gas | Area effect | 1 | - | Not sold; found in the world |
Remote grenades are the most interesting of the four: you throw one, walk away, then detonate it on demand. They are useful for setting traps before a mission's shooting starts.
Where to buy: every shop and what it stocks
| Shop | Location | What it unlocks over time |
|---|---|---|
| Ammu-Nation | Ocean Beach | Pistol and Mac 10 from the start; Shotgun after Mall Shootout; Kruger after Guardian Angels |
| Ammu-Nation | North Point Mall, Vice Point | Pistol, Uzi, Grenade; Stubby Shotgun after The Chase; Sniper Rifle after Phnom Penh '86 |
| Ammu-Nation | Downtown | MP5 and M4 after Rub Out; .357 after Rub Out; S.P.A.S. 12 after Bar Brawl; PSG-1 after Shakedown |
| Phil's Place | Little Haiti | M60, Minigun, Rocket Launcher and Remote Grenades, after Boomshine Saigon |
Shop stock is gated by story progress, not by money. There is no point saving up $10,000 for the Minigun before Phil's Place opens - the weapon simply is not in the game yet.
Which weapons are actually worth carrying
- M4 - the default. Best damage-to-handling ratio in the game and the weapon you will finish most missions with.
- MP5 or Mac 10 - for drive-bys and close-quarters fights where the M4's accuracy is wasted.
- .357 Colt Python - one-shot stopping power against a single tough target, and free after 30 packages.
- Minigun - for the missions that throw a small army at you. Free after 60 packages.
- PSG-1 - for anything you would rather deal with before it sees you. Free after 50 packages.
- Chainsaw - the only melee weapon that stays useful all game, and free after 20 packages.
Frequently asked questions
How many weapons are in GTA Vice City?
Tommy has ten weapon slots, and the game fills them with roughly three dozen items across melee, thrown, handguns, shotguns, submachine guns, assault rifles, heavy weapons and sniper rifles. You can carry only one weapon per slot, so picking up a new pistol replaces the old one rather than adding to it.
What is the most powerful weapon in GTA Vice City?
The Minigun, at 140 damage per shot and 1,800 rounds per minute, is the hardest-hitting weapon in the game. The M60 (130 damage) and the .357 Colt Python (135 damage) are close behind on a per-shot basis, but the Minigun wins on sustained damage by a wide margin.
Where do you buy weapons in GTA Vice City?
There are three Ammu-Nation shops: Ocean Beach, North Point Mall in Vice Point, and Downtown. Each one stocks more as the story progresses. Later in the game, Phil's Place in Little Haiti also opens up and sells the heavy weapons - the M60, Minigun and Rocket Launcher.
How do you get free weapons in Vice City?
Two ways. Collecting hidden packages unlocks permanent free weapons at all three safehouses - the Chainsaw at 20, the .357 at 30, the Flamethrower at 40, the .308 sniper at 50, the Minigun at 60 and the Rocket Launcher at 70. Separately, several cheat codes hand out complete weapon sets instantly.
What is the best all-round weapon in Vice City?
The M4. It does 40 damage per shot at 625 rounds per minute with a 30-round magazine, which makes it the best balance of damage, accuracy and ammo economy in the game. It costs $5,000 at Ammu-Nation Downtown and unlocks after the mission Rub Out.
Why can I only carry one weapon of each type?
That is how the slot system is designed. Each slot holds one class of weapon, and picking up a weapon in an occupied slot swaps out the old one. It is worth knowing before you grab a Tec-9 and lose an MP5.