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On November 18, 2026, the night before GTA 6 comes out, the Miami Heat will walk onto their own floor at the Kaseya Center under another name. The official poster says it in pink neon: Milwaukee vs Vice City. The Heat announced “A Night in Vice City” on October 2 together with Rockstar, and they’re promising uniforms inspired by the game, a court built for this one game and a national broadcast on ESPN. Tip-off is at 7 PM Eastern, on the last evening before release day.
What the Heat announced
The event page on the Heat’s site sums it up in one line: the HEAT as Vice City host “a never-been-done-before event on the eve of the highly anticipated release” of GTA VI. Here’s everything the page and the poster give so far:
| Detail | What’s announced |
|---|---|
| Date and time | November 18, 2026, 7 PM ET |
| Arena | Kaseya Center, Miami |
| Opponent | Milwaukee Bucks |
| Home team | “Vice City” on the poster |
| Uniforms | New, inspired by GTA VI, never worn before |
| Court | Special hardwood, for this one night |
| TV and radio | ESPN across the US; Local 10 (WPLG), 560 WQAM and Radio Mambí 710 AM in Miami |
On the poster the home side is simply Vice City, with the Heat logo down in the corner next to the VI. For one evening the team swaps its city’s name for the game’s, and the ticket page even lists the venue as “Kaseya Center - Vice City”.
The uniforms and the court are still under wraps. The court teaser on the event page is a blur of pink light under the arena roof, and the line next to it reads “One court, one night only”. The Heat say more details are coming in the next few weeks together with Rockstar, including special activities inside the arena starting on the season’s opening night and “unique game night activations” on the 18th itself. The Heat store already sells a Vice City clothing line, and I’ve added it to the merch post.
The sign on the roof came first
Remember the Welcome to Vice City sign on the Kaseya Center roof? It went up in September, lying flat and facing the sky, with no explanation, and it has been lit at night since. Now it has company. The greeting for planes landing at Miami International and the game on the floor right under it are one story.
The arena is in the game too. Game Informer’s Vice City screenshot shows a round building on the same spot by the bay, with “sahara arena” written on it, and I put the real view and the game view side by side. So on November 18 there are two arenas on Biscayne Bay, one real and one made up, and for one night both belong to the same city.
The Heat have done pink before
You don’t need to talk this team into neon. In 2017 the Heat brought out their “Vice” City Edition uniforms: white, with pink and blue lettering inspired by Miami Vice, the eighties cop show that also fed into GTA Vice City in 2002. They sold like crazy, and the Heat kept the idea going for four seasons, with Vice Nights in black, Sunset Vice in pink, ViceWave and ViceVersa. The series and the team grew out of the same Miami, and now they meet on one floor.
As someone who sets up lights for a living, I’m most curious about that floor. Polished hardwood under arena lights works like a mirror, and broadcast cameras don’t love strong pink. Push it a little too far and on TV it turns into a flat glowing patch with no wood grain left. The blurred teaser looks a lot like that, a pink slab glowing in the dark. I’m hoping the real court is smarter, with the colour in the lines and the paint and the wood left alone.
If you’re in Miami on the 18th, here’s the evening I’d plan: the game downtown, the sign glowing on the roof above you, and the next day Vice City stops being a name on a jersey and turns into a place you can drive around.
FAQ
When is the Miami Heat GTA 6 game?
On November 18, 2026, at 7 PM Eastern, at the Kaseya Center in Miami. The Heat play the Milwaukee Bucks the night before GTA 6 comes out.
Are the Miami Heat changing their name to Vice City?
For one game. The official poster bills it as Milwaukee vs Vice City, and the Heat’s site says the team plays “as Vice City” that night.
Where can I watch the Heat’s Vice City game?
On ESPN across the US. In Miami it’s also on Local 10 (WPLG), and on the radio on 560 WQAM and Radio Mambí 710 AM.
Will the Heat wear GTA 6 uniforms?
Yes. The team promises new uniforms inspired by the game and a special court for that night, with more details from the Heat and Rockstar in the coming weeks.