GTA Vice City is the perfect game to play while waiting for the release of GTA 6. Some characters from Vice City are returning for Grand Theft Auto 6. The game runs very well on Asus ROG Ally handhelds but the new fan-made mode made it every better.
Vice City Next Gen Edition mod recreates the classic experience with modern graphics, pushing it hard on Asus ROG Ally and ROG Ally X. You can do a quick Google search to find the mod because I can’t provide a link to something unofficial for obvious reasons.
How to Play GTA Vice City Next-Gen Edition on ROG Ally and Ally X
This mod brings Vice City over to GTA IVs RAGE engine, so you dont need copies of either game to play it. First, make sure your ROG Ally has the latest DirectX and vcredist_x86.exe installed; doing this keeps the mod from crashing.
Next, unzip the mod files into a folder you like, then run the installers executable. If Windows asks, hit run as administrator, so permission problems don’t block the installation.
Every time you start the game, turn off the Embedded Controller on the Ally. Skipping this step means you might see a crash right at launch.
Open either Armoury Crate SE or the MyASUS app, head to device settings, and flip the Embedded Controller switch to off before you fire up the game.
Head over to the folder where you installed the GTA Vice City NextGen Edition mod. In the Command Center, turn off the Embedded Controller option. Then start the mod as you normally would. Once you see the main menu, jump back into Command Center and switch Embedded Controller back on. Your controller should work, and the game will no longer crash at launch.
Yes, I know it is a pain, but you have to repeat this step every time you boot the game.
As for performance, it won’t blow you away, but plenty of GTA IV tweaks and mods are floating around online that could squeeze out a few extra frames.
Once inside the game, set graphics to match what your ROG Ally can handle. The new engine asks for more power than old Vice City did, so medium settings are a safe starting point; tweak them later if needed.
Controller support works out of the box, recognizing the Ally’s built-in pads or any Bluetooth gamepad you pair, just like GTA IV does.
Finally, remember to run the games executable as an administrator each time you launch.
If you see a black screen or the game crashes right after the loading logo, first make sure the Embedded Controller is turned off and that every required file is installed.
If you still get a crash, switch to compatibility mode for Windows 7 or 8 and check that all your drivers are current. A number of players say running the game as an administrator clears up various access errors.
