Grand Theft Auto V is an absolute masterpiece of video game design. The series has been redefining the open World Games Vehicles world genre ever since its jump to 3D with Grand Theft Auto III , and the latest iteration in the series is no slouch. The details present in this game reach astronomical levels. A player that wishes to find each and every little secret that's present in the game has to put a fair bit of effort in if they want to gloat about having found everything. (Of course, doing so will also mean that you pretty much have no life outside of video games).
Speaking of secrets, there are a ton of hidden messages and scattered across the open world games secrets of Los Santos which the player can find if they put a lot — and we do mean a lot — of effort. Some of these include the trademark Rockstar humor, while others hint at something totally sinister present in the game that might not be apparent at first glance. Whatever the nature of these messages might be, it's clear that Rockstar has put in a lot of time and effort into crafting this open world games collectibles world and providing gamers with the best experience one can offer. Here are 15 hidden messages in Grand Theft Auto V that you probably haven't noticed — which Rockstar kinda counts on so your mind can be blown when you read about it on this list).
15 Welcoming You Back To Los Santos Rather Creatively
(Image: https://static1.thegamerimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/GTAV-welcome-back.jpg) via gta.wikia.com
Grand Theft Auto V lets you visit the city of Los Santos for the second time in the franchise. The first time you get to visit this place is in San Andreas , which was another landmark title for the series. The dark green colors of the Grove Street Families will be familiar to any person who's played the game, and a callback to the times gone by is present in the latest iteration of the series.
To be more specific, there's a certain place in Chamberlain Hills that has a rather interesting piece of graffiti on a wall. The artwork features the iconic green colors of the Grove Street Families and reads out, „Welcome back! We missed you since last time.“
14 A Subtle 'Back To The Future' Reference
(Image: https://static1.thegamerimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/1.21-GTA-e1507653834895.jpg)
Back To The Future is one of the most iconic movies of all time, and it's no wonder why the trilogy has become a pop culture icon that pretty much everyone knows about. Apparently, Rockstar is no stranger to these movies either, and they've referenced it in a pretty clever fashion as well.
There's a satellite tower present in Sandy Shores, where players can find a circuit box. While this might sound boring, the power mentioned on this circuit box is 1.21 GW, which is a really subtle — and pretty clever — nod to the iconic power measurement by Doc Brown while he's testing out his time machine.
13 The Special Edition Map Reveals Hidden Messages Under UV Light
(Image: https://static1.thegamerimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/GTA-Map-secret.jpg) via playstationlifestyle.net
The special edition of Grand Theft Auto V was a pleasant surprise that showcased just how much power is present in the engine that the game is made on. A person's experience of the game is completely altered with the shift to first-person, and that honestly would've been enough… but after all, we're talking about Rockstar. They always have to take the extra step when it comes to stuff like this.
So (along with a bunch of extra features), when Rockstar shipped out the copies of the special edition, they also packaged a map along with it that seems rather innocent at a first glance — that is, until you decide to shine a UV light at it. This action will reveal a bunch of secrets that are marked on the map which you can actually find in the game.
12 'Dock' Your LifeInvader To Any Device (Image: http://publicdomainpictures.net/pictures/100000/velka/open-sign.jpg)
(Image: https://static1.thegamerimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/LifeInvader-GTA.jpg) via igta5.com
Grand Theft Auto V is a game that has a bunch of satirical aspects that parody real life in more ways than one. Obviously, Facebook won't be spared by Rockstar when it comes to this scathing satire, and they're parodied in the form of LifeInvader, a social media site that exists within the game.
One of the advertisements that appear on the television involves a docking feature that LifeInvader boasts about. Basically, in order to stay connected at all times, LifeInvader wants people to dock their account to the device… with something on you.
No, don't ask us how that works. We're not experts on this subject.
11 A Subtle Nod To The Reddit Community
(Image: https://static1.thegamerimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/GTAV-reddit-e1503127013820.jpg) via trafficblog.info
Subtle messages have become a staple in the Grand Theft Auto series, and nothing gets more subtle than this.
There are various newspaper clippings scattered across the city of Los Santos, and one of them happens to have a rather interesting heading, which might not make any sense at first glance if you aren't familiar with Reddit.
However, the saying, „When does a Narwhal Bacon,“ will certainly ring a bell with Redditors all over the world. The answer to this perplexing question is „midnight,“ and is meant to a be a secret code for Redditors to identify themselves in real life. Yes — it's pretty freaking cringy, but that's just the power of the hive mind.
10 A Callback To Grove Street Families
(Image: https://static1.thegamerimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/GTAV-groove-along.jpg) via youtube.com by JFM FTW
We've already talked before about the significance of Los Santos in the Grand Theft Auto Franchise. San Andreas was the first game to utilize this setting, and Grove Street has become a neighborhood that most gamers now know by heart. In order to pay homage to the days gone by, Rockstar decided to add a hidden message in Grand Theft Auto V referencing the Grove Street Families.
This message can be found on the eastern side of the Del Pierro Pier, where the words „Nothing to see here! Groove along“ can be seen, accompanied with a smiley face. This sign can be interpreted as either a subtle reference to the Grove Street Families, or a callback to a similar sign that was present in Grand Theft Auto III .
9 Rockstar Troll Gamers In Typical Rockstar Fashion
(Image: https://static1.thegamerimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Nothing-here-GTA.jpg) via youtube.com by TotalWeGames
Rockstar's known for including a bunch of humorous signs in their games, and this one's no different.
These pair of signs can be found in Strawberry, in a path present on the side of the highway. These messages are written out in graffiti, and the first one signals the player to „turn back.“ Of course, since gamers are inquisitive in nature, it's pretty obvious that most of them didn't turn back and continued onwards.
Unfortunately for these players, it seems that Rockstar was actually telling the truth in the first place. For all their efforts, players are simply told that there's „nothing here.“ It's a trademark joke from Rockstar… although players who were expecting a payoff might not find it to be all that funny.
8 Writing On The Train's Side Spells 'LS2004' (Image: https://openclipart.org/image/2400px/svg_to_png/188421/sloten.png)
(Image: https://static1.thegamerimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/LS2004-GTA.jpg) via youtube.com
The developers at Rockstar always find creative ways to display secrets in the game, and this is just one of these numerous instances.
The trains roaming around Los Santos have a rather interesting inscription written on their side, and it takes a rather keen mind to make the connection once they witness this particular message.
The inscription reads out 'LS2004', and to the normal eye it might just be reading out Los Santos 2004. However, veterans of the series will realize that 2004 was the release year of San Andreas , and a game that we've already talked about multiple times on this list. It's just of the many intelligent nods towards a great game that everyone should experience.
7 The Game Itself Has 69 Missions In Total
(Image: https://static1.thegamerimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/GTAV-best-missions.jpg) via sportskeeda.com
The obsessions of Rockstar and the Grand Theft Auto franchise with the number 69 has been well documented. The infamous 'Area 69' in San Andreas is perhaps the most notable example of this, but the cheeky inclusion of this number in Grand Theft Auto V is also rather glaring as well.
Attaining 100% completion is no simple task, and in order to do so, one of the important criteria is to complete all the main missions in the game. While this might be rather obvious, the reason why we've chosen to specify this fact is because the total number of main missions that must be completed to achieve total completion is — you guessed it — 69.
6 Some Cars Have 'GOATSE' Written On Their Number Plates
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If you don't know what Goatse is, then — no matter how curious you might be — don't try googling it. Sometimes, ignorance is bliss.
For those of you who do know about this disgusting fad that had taken over the internet (albeit for a short period of time), Goatse truly was one of the evilest pranks you could bait your friends with.
It seems that the staff of Rockstar were also the victims of this prank (or maybe the pranksters themselves) since they decided to pay tribute to this short-lived trend by imprinting 'GOATSE' on some of the number plates of various cars in and around Los Santos.