Grand Theft Auto V may have come out in 2013, but it’s still a really popular game that people are picking up and playing all the time. While other games seem to dwindle in popularity over the years after their release, GTA V is one game that fans just can’t seem to get enough of and one that will probably remain super popular until GTA VI comes out - or even after.
Part of what has kept this game so insanely popular is the fact that players can basically do anything they want. Players can do jobs and missions or they can just run around Los Santos in GTA Online. And while they’re roaming around this massive world, they’re able to discover a ton of little hidden secrets and Easter eggs. Some of them are pretty hard to find and only the most hardcore GTA fans know where to look for them.
To see 10 of the coolest Easter eggs hidden around GTA V, keep reading!
10 Red Dead: The Novel
Grand Theft Auto and Red Dead Redemption are both popular game series that are created by the same developer. Because of this, there are quite a few crossover fans between the two series. So, it’s not surprising that there’s an Easter egg hidden in GTA V that references Rockstar’s other big series.
On various bookshelves around GTA V, eagle-eyed fans might notice that one of the spines says “Red Dead” and is by someone by the name of J. Marston. This is clearly a reference to the Red Dead Redemption franchise and many fans believe that Jack Marston wrote this novel and that Read Dead Redemption 2has a reference to it.
9 Thelma & Louise
Thelma & Louise is a movie that was released in 1991 and follows a pair of friends who find themselves on the run from the law. This movie was many people’s first introduction to Brad Pitt and has become a popular movie over the years.
If you’re lucky and find yourself flying in a helicopter near Raton Canyon between 7 and 8 PM in GTA V, you’ll actually get to see one of the most iconic scenes from the film reenacted in the game. Players that fly in the right area will be able to see a police standoff and a car that has two women inside who drive the car off the edge of the cliff, just like in the movie.
8 Jolene’s Ghost
This Easter egg is one that many GTA V fans are likely already familiar with, but not one that a lot of fans have seen for themselves considering it’s in a fairly out-of-the-way place. If a player travels to Mount Gordo between 11 PM and midnight, you can see the ghost of a woman who was allegedly murdered by her husband.
This area is a dangerous one, because the creatures that call it home can immediately kill the player, but it’s worth it to climb up the mountain and try to spot Jolene’s ghost. The mountain even has the name “Jock” written in blood, a possibly allusion to the fact that Jolene’s husband, Jock Cranley, was accused of pushing her off this mountain.
7 A Familiar Jacket
Drive is a movie that stars Ryan Gosling as a getaway driver. This movie was released in 2011 and is a favorite for many people that love action and crime films. Considering the movie is so similar to what many people get up to in GTA V, is it any surprise that there’s an Easter egg reference to the movie in the game?
If you go to the thrift store in Blaine County and browses their clothes, you’ll find a jacket called the “Champagne Driver Blouson.” It’s a white jacket with black accents and a gold crab on the back. It’s not identical to the one Gosling wore in the film, but it’s clearly an homage to the movie.
6 A Whale Skeleton
There are a lot of unusual things hidden around GTA V. From ghosts to murder mysteries and UFOs, there’s a lot for the player to discover when they’re not busy doing jobs, making money, and stealing cars.
One of the most unusual things in the game that a player can find is the skeleton of a giant whale. Players that go diving off the coast of Banham Canyon can find this giant skeleton on the ocean floor. Although people once believed it was the skeleton of a sea monster, it has since been proven to be a whale. Even though it’s not a fictional creature of some kind, it’s still pretty cool to discover.
5 The Playboy Mansion
Grand Theft Auto V is full of all kinds of houses and apartments. Some are nicer than others, but one of them is particularly special because of the fact that it’s a pretty faithful recreation of a famous mansion from the real world.
Located near the Los Santos Golf Club is an almost perfect recreation of the Playboy Mansion. If you visit during the day, it may seem like nothing out of the ordinary, but if you visit during the night time, you’ll get to experience one of their famous parties.
4 Lester’s Decor Choices
Lester is one of many NPCs in the game that can give the player quests and generally help them with becoming a criminal mastermind throughout the game. Anyone who is familiar with GTA V will know that Lester is definitely on the nerdy side and visiting his house will show you that firsthand.
His house is full of all kinds of pop culture references and Easter eggs. Among them are things like this poster of a UFO with the words “accept the truth” on the bottom. It’s definitely a reference to the iconic poster from Fox Mulder’s office in The X-Files.
3 The Vinewood Zombie
It’s definitely safe to say that Los Santos has some unique people who live there. Some of them play a bigger part in the story than others, but they’re all interesting. Among the most interesting, although unimportant to the story, characters is Graham. Graham is better known as “The Vinewood Zombie” and is one of the soapboxers in GTA V.
Graham is dressed up as a character from Vinewood Zombie, a movie from the franchise. If you pay him $10, you can even take a picture with this character! If you speak to Graham as Trevor, Trevor will reveal some information about his life and deceased brother.
2 The Hatch From Lost
The TV show Lost is one that definitely has a lot of secrets and Easter eggs of its own that dedicated fans love to re-watch and try to find. The series ended three years before the release of GTA V, but that didn’t stop the developers from referencing the show in this game.
If you go down into the ocean off the coast of Sandy Shores, players will find this Lost Easter egg down in the ocean. It’s located pretty deep in the ocean, so players definitely need a mini-sub and can’t spend too long looking at the hatch or they won’t make it back.
1 A Frozen Alien
The fact that there are UFOs all over GTA V is no secret. Even a casual fan of this open-world game will know that there are multiple UFOs that can be spotted in the game, but how many players knew that there’s an actual alien frozen and hidden under the ice?
This Easter egg can only be spotted during the first mission, so many people drive right past it without ever seeing it. But, after you get the getaway car in North Yankton, you’ll drive by a river. If you get out and go look under the ice of the frozen river, you’ll see an alien under the surface.
