GTA6 NOW » GTA 6 Miami HEAT A Night in Vice City

GTA 6 Miami HEAT A Night in Vice City

Official Grand Theft Auto VI Vice City still — Image: Rockstar Games. Vice City.

The Miami HEAT play as Vice City against the Bucks on 18 November at 7:00 p.m. ET on ESPN, the night before GTA 6 launches Official. Other Miami tie-ins are Reported. New here? Start here.

Official
Wednesday 18 November 2026, 7:00 p.m. ET, Kaseya Center, Miami.

Official
HEAT as “Vice City” vs Milwaukee Bucks. On ESPN and Local 10.

Not confirmed
No trailer, in-game item or launch event announced for the game.

What is official

Official The Miami HEAT and Rockstar Games announced the partnership on 2 October 2026 in a HEAT press release on NBA.com. It was a HEAT release, not a Rockstar Newswire post.
Official The HEAT “will take the court as ‘Vice City’” against the Milwaukee Bucks on 18 November, the eve of the 19 November launch. Tip-off is listed as 7:00 p.m. ET.
Official Television: ESPN nationally and Local 10 in South Florida.
Official “One court, one night only”: special hardwood built for Vice City, plus “a new, completely reimagined uniform for the night”. Neither the court nor the uniform has been shown, so no colours or designs are official yet.
Official The “Welcome to Vice City” sign on the Kaseya Center roof was lit on 1 October 2026.
Official The HEAT promise “special activities starting on Opening Night” and game-night activations on 18 November, with more news “over the next few weeks” at HEAT.com/ViceCity.
Official The HEAT’s Court Culture Vice City clothing is sold by the HEAT at Miami HEAT Store locations and MiamiHeatStore.com. It is not Rockstar’s US$399.99 Vice City Collection box.

What is reported

Reported Kotaku says one HEAT shirt nods to the GTA: Vice City 100% shirt and sold out on day one.
Reported The Miami Herald reported a US$975,000 county deal for the Kaseya Center sign. Some outlets round it to US$1 million; we keep 975,000.
Reported The HEAT have worn Vice-themed City Edition uniforms since 2017–18 (SportsLogos.net). That is background, not a description of the 18 November uniform.

What is not confirmed

Not confirmed A GTA 6 trailer or TV spot during the broadcast is creator speculation. Neither the HEAT nor Rockstar has said it. Nothing in the game unlocks early because of this night. The game still unlocks at 12:00 a.m. ET on 19 November per US store listings, five hours after tip-off.

Dates

Official 21 October: HEAT home opener, when the Opening Night activities start.
Official 18 November, 7:00 p.m. ET: A Night in Vice City, HEAT vs Bucks.
Store listing 19 November, 12:00 a.m. ET: GTA 6 unlocks.

The HEAT schedule around it

Official HEAT: the Bucks game at Kaseya Center is on 18 November on ESPN at 7PM (heat.com).
Official The season opens 21 October, 7:30 p.m. ET, against Minnesota at Kaseya Center, also on ESPN.
Official The HEAT’s longest homestand runs 13–22 November, so the 18 November game sits in a run of home games.
Official “All Miami HEAT home games are mobile only entry.”

What we don’t know yet

Not confirmed The court and uniform design.
Not confirmed Any in-game tie-in item.
Not confirmed Whether Rockstar staff attend.

The sign deal, as reported

Reported The Miamian reports a deal “for a ‘Welcome to Vice City’ sign on the Kayesa Center’s roof that pays the county $975,000” [sic] (The Miamian, 9 Oct).
Reported The mayor’s office says it “averages approximately $139,000 per month over seven months.”
Reported The HEAT affiliate Basketball Properties Ltd. “cut a deal with Rockstar to allow ‘in-arena advertising as well as promotional external signage.’”
Reported “Rockstar and Basketball Properties spokespersons declined comment.”

What we don’t know yet

Not confirmed The Rockstar–Basketball Properties fee.
Not confirmed The outcome of the 20 October county vote.

More quick answers

How long does the sign stay up?

Reported Seven months, per the mayor’s office via The Miamian.

Who runs the arena ads?

Reported Basketball Properties Ltd., the HEAT affiliate, per The Miamian.

Related: Marketing tracker · Vice City · Budget · Calendar

Sources: HEAT press release, 2 Oct 2026 · A Night in Vice City event page (checked 14 October).

Add to calendar (.ics) · Calendar · Marketing tracker · Vice City · Vice City Collection · Countdown

Change log: desk notes, 14 October 2026

Desk stamp: 14 October 2026.
The night before GTA 6 launches, the Miami HEAT play as “Vice City”.
It’s a real NBA game with Rockstar as partner, a one-night court and a new uniform.
Below: what the HEAT and Rockstar have said, and what they haven’t.

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Miami takeover: Burger Shot at Kaseya Center, the Heat night and Wynwood.