Outside of missions, the player can freely roam the game's open world and has the ability to complete optional side missions. It is possible to have several active missions running at one time, as some missions require the player to wait for further instructions or events. The player controls criminal Tommy Vercetti and completes missions-linear scenarios with set objectives-to progress through the story. Grand Theft Auto: Vice City is an action-adventure game played from a third-person perspective.