You may be looking for Secrets and Easter Eggs in GTA Online.
The following is a list of secrets, easter eggs, and hidden trivia references in Grand Theft Auto V.
General[]
Aliens[]
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Alien Egg There is a hidden Alien Egg in the game files that can be spawned using third-party trainers. The egg glows in the dark when spawned. The Alien Egg was eventually added to GTA Online in the Gunrunning update as supplies that the player can steal. To trigger the mission, the player must complete 600 resupply missions and start a new one between 21:00 and 23:00. If all conditions are met, the game may randomly begin the Alien Egg supply mission. | |
Alien in the Ice In Ludendorff, North Yankton, underneath the train bridge the crew passes in the Prologue, there is a frozen creek. The player is able to drive down an embankment and onto the ice, where an alien is visible, frozen underneath it. It can also be found during the mission "Bury the Hatchet". | |
Collector's Edition Black Light Map Using a black light/UV light on the blueprint map that comes with the Collector's Edition reveals markings, map legends, secrets and text. Most of the things that appear are pointing towards the existence of UFOs. Three of the collectible Spaceship Parts are also shown in the map. | |
UFOs Multiple UFOs can be seen, most of them only after 100% Completion is obtained. Three appear in the sky and one appears underwater.
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Ghosts[]
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Ghost of Jolene Cranley-Evans Between 23:00 and 0:00, a female ghost appears on the eastern peak of Mount Gordo. The ghost doesn't move, and will not react to the player being present or shooting it. The ghost fades away if the player gets too close, and reappears when the player moves away. During the time the ghost is present, the word "JOCK" appears written in blood on the rocks under the ghost. Investigating online reveals that the ghost is Jock Cranley's wife. |
Myths[]
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Bigfoot vs Beast After eating all 27 Peyote Plants, golden ones will appear; one in a different location for each day of the week. When eaten, they will turn the player into Bigfoot. If consumed in order (from Sunday to Saturday), when eating the final plant, a dead animal will be lying nearby, along with the Sasquatch Hunter from The Last One. Growling will cause a howl to sound from the distance, to which the player must follow, starting a hunt of sorts that consists of following a trail of dead bodies. Eventually, the player will arrive at the Thomson Scrapyard. Upon finding the last body in a small shack nearby, the camera will then zoom into the main building where a werewolf called the Beast will jump from, starting a fight. If the player wins, the hallucination will end automatically. Bigfoot and the Beast will then be unlocked in Director Mode.[1] [2] [3] The Beast is a reference to Michael J. Fox's character, Scott Howard, from the movie, Teen Wolf. | |
Thermal Bigfoot In the mission "Predator", Michael must use a sniper rifle fitted with a thermal scope to find the O'Neil brothers in the woods at night. If the player zooms in on the thermal heat dot in the bottom right, it appears to be the Sasquatch standing still. Shooting it does nothing and it abruptly disappears within a few seconds of being spotted. This references a longstanding myth involving Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas and also foreshadows the post-game mission "The Last One". |
Other[]
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Angry Phone Call If the player shoots or fires rockets at a protagonist's house while playing as another protagonist, they will receive an angry call or text from him telling them to stop. If the player sneaks around the protagonist's house as another protagonist, they will receive a call or text from him asking politely if they are the one sneaking around. If either Franklin or Trevor steal one of Michael's family member's cars, he will text them and either insult them or tell them to return it, depending on whose car was stolen. | |
Beta photo In the back of the Yellow Jack Inn is a framed photograph of Trevor Philips sitting in the cockpit of a small plane with the registration LS-5680, while the background appears to be a beta version of the Grand Senora Desert. Furthermore, LS-5680 can be seen in the Thomson Scrapyard. | |
Big O juice stand In both Vinewood Hills and Grapeseed, a Big O juice stand can be found with a large orange ball on top of it. Shooting or walking into the ball will cause it to detach and roll around. It has very little weight and can be moved easily. | |
Black Cellphones Dialing 1-999-367-3767 will call an unlisted contact called "Black Cellphones", after which a small explosion will occur over the player's head and their phone color will be changed to black.[4] | |
California License Plate There is a wrecked pickup truck bed in Stab City with a real-life California license plate. | |
GTA IV Dial-up Tone If the player dials 948-555-0100 in their in-game phone, the dial-up modem sound will be heard upon calling. This is the same number for ZiT in GTA IV. The same will happen if the player dials any cheat codes from GTA IV and Episodes from Liberty City. | |
Mount Chiliad Mural A mysterious mural inside the tramway station atop Mount Chiliad includes a drawing of what appears to be a jetpack, leading to speculation that such a device might be hidden somewhere on the map, though it was later revealed that it was an unimplemented idea from the game developers. Although data files for a jetpack were present in the game, the vehicle itself was later scrapped from the game for unknown reasons. Symbols relating to this mural, instructing the player on how to see the UFO, can be seen under Mount Chiliad's observation platform, on the side of the mountain, at the Beam Me Up site, at a small silo in the Grand Senora Desert, and at the Altruist Camp. | |
Face on Mount Chiliad In the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions, a face (possibly based on the likeness of Aaron Paul) could be seen on the side of Mount Chiliad. In the enhanced editions, this face was replaced with a drawing of a rooster shaped to look like a penis. | |
Hidden Sign On the eastern side of the Del Perro Pier a piece of graffiti can be found reading 'Nothing to see here - groove along' accompanied by a small illustration of a smiling face. This may be a reference to similar signs in Grand Theft Auto III, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas and Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories. | |
Real Brands In the original versions of the game, on the Lucky Plucker menu boards, stickers for the real life beverages, Sprite, Barq's, and Fanta could be seen. These were removed in the enhanced edition. | |
Rockstar Games Various Los Santos Department of Sanitation bins contain references to Rockstar Games, the developers of the Grand Theft Auto games. On some around Vinewood Hills, the text "RSGEDI021277" can be seen, referencing Rockstar Games and Edinburgh, Scotland, the real-life location of the Rockstar North division headquarters. Additionally, "RSNRTH281078" is written on the side of the bins outside 3671 Whispymound Drive, again referencing Rockstar North. Furthermore, other bins and dumpsters contain recycling symbols featuring a square, rather than the traditional triangle, and are stylized to look like the Rockstar logo. In Michael's house, a painting on the wall is signed "R. North", referencing Rockstar North. The stars in the Fame or Shame logo are in the same style as the star in the Rockstar logo. | |
Serial Killer's Footprints At the Yellow Jack Inn, there are bloody footsteps around the 8-ball pool table in the back. This is a possible reference to the serial killer Merle Abrahams and his obsession with the number '8'. | |
Snowman In East Los Santos, a Snowman can be seen inside a room in the Fridgit warehouse, behind some boxes. The room cannot be entered, but can be seen through a gap in the door and fired into. | |
Turn Back In Strawberry, it is possible to find a pathway down the side of the highway. If the player continues going down that path, they will see the words "Turn Back". If going the opposite direction behind them, there will be the words "Nothing Here" in red paint on the wall. |
References to the Grand Theft Auto Series[]
Grand Theft Auto[]
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Grand Theft Auto Font On a wall next to the tunnel on Low Power Street, there is graffiti of Los Santos sprayed in the style of the original Grand Theft Auto logo. | |
Ten Points! Sometimes, when Trevor hits a pedestrian in a vehicle, Trevor will shout "ten points!", a reference to the scoring system in the original Grand Theft Auto. |
Grand Theft Auto III[]
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Donald Love In Franklin's house in Vinewood Hills on one of the bookshelves, there is a book entitled "The Liberty King" featuring the artwork of Donald Love from Grand Theft Auto III on its cover. This easter egg appeared in previous GTA games too. | |
Franklin's ringtone Franklin's ringtone is a low pitch sample of the song Bump To The Music, which first appeared in Grand Theft Auto III and was created by the in-universe band Fatamarse. |
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City[]
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BJ Smith BJ Smith, a minor character in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, is referenced in the name of a recreation center and park in Chamberlain Hills - the BJ Smith Recreational Center. | |
DJ Toni Billboard There is a billboard of Toni, a radio DJ from the 3D Universe under the Vinewood Sports LS store in Hawick. | |
Heat Boiler Suits One of the outfits available for heists, the green boiler suit with the hockey mask, is a clear reference to the movie Heat, which was previously referenced in a similar way in the heist mission planned at the Malibu Club in GTA Vice City. | |
The Twins Painting There is an advert for The Directors Cut Hair Salon featuring the artwork of one of The Twins painted on a building. | |
Tracey Suxxx The name of Tracey De Santa's online persona, Tracey Suxxx, is a possible reference to Candice Shand, a porn star with the stage name Candy Suxxx in GTA Vice City. |
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas[]
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CJ Surveillance In Lester's House, there is a book called Surveillance on the bookshelf. A picture of CJ can be seen on it. | |
Cops Donuts In "I Fought the Law...", Michael and Trevor, dressed as police officers on motorcycles, throw their half eaten donuts to the ground. This is likely a nod to the mission "Reuniting the Families" in GTA San Andreas, as during this mission, two motorcycle cops drop their donuts and begin to chase CJ, Sweet, Ryder, and Big Smoke in their car. | |
C.R.A.S.H. During the mission, "Eye in the Sky", the pilot that is flying with Trevor will remark that the "LSPD have come a long way concerning racism in the last two decades". The pilot may be referencing the events of GTA San Andreas and C.R.A.S.H - which itself would also reference the Los Angeles Riots in 1992. | |
Follow the Damn Train! During the mission "Derailed", a gold medal objective is named "Better than CJ". This refers to the infamously difficult mission "Wrong Side of the Tracks" in GTA San Andreas, in which CJ needs to follow a train. Additionally, on the side of the highway near the RON Alternates Wind Farm, the numbers "1 25 8 20 4 23 6 20 4 20 3 10" are written. Each number corresponds to a letter, spelling out "A Y H T D W F T D T C J", referencing Big Smoke's line said whenever the mission fails, "All we had to do was follow the damn train, CJ!", though in the easter egg, "we" appears to be changed to "you". | |
Founding Dates The Los Santos Country Club was established in 1992, a nod to the year of the setting of GTA San Andreas The San Andreas Flight School was established in 2004, the same year GTA San Andreas was released. | |
Gold Records In Franklin's house in Vinewood Hills there are three gold records on the wall, one of which belongs to OG Loc from GTA San Andreas. There is also a Madd Dogg CD sitting on top of the DJ Booth, and a red and blue coloured artwork of Madd Dogg with MADD written across the bottom. | |
Orange Grove Shirt Available for purchase by Michael in Sub Urban stores is an orange shirt called the "Orange Grove Shirt". This is possibly a reference to the beta name for the Grove Street Families in GTA San Andreas, the "Orange Grove Families". | |
Rochell'le Dollars If the player goes into the Yellow Jack Inn in Sandy Shores, behind the counter will be several "$69" bills hanging on the wall. Pictured on these bills is the artwork of Rochell'le that appeared on the disc and cover art of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. The bills also appear to have "10.12.2004 6PM" on them, 14 days before Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas was released. | |
Sweet & Kendl During the mission "Hood Safari", on the last turn before arriving in Grove Street, three people riding BMXs down Grove Street away from the cul-de-sac can be seen. They closely resemble CJ, Sweet and Big Smoke in the events of the "Sweet & Kendl" mission. | |
Train Date Writing on the side of trains reads "LS2004", possibly a nod to Los Santos and the year GTA San Andreas was released. | |
Welcome Back In Chamberlain Hills, close to Franklin's house, there is graffiti which reads "Welcome Back - We missed you last time", welcoming players back to San Andreas. |
Grand Theft Auto IV[]
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Amanda's stripper name Hinted by the license plate of Sentinel, Amanda De Santa's stage name from her days as a stripper was "Krystal". This is possibly a reference to a prostitute named Crystal, who is featured on the TV show, America's Next Top Hooker, in GTA IV. | |
Broker Clothing A brand of clothing called Broker, a reference to the borough of Broker in Liberty City from GTA IV, can be found in GTA V in the form of wearable clothing and outlet stores. The shop also features a picture of Broker's skyline on its logo. | |
Daddy's Back One of the lines Michael will say after entering his house is "Daddy's back, bitches!" This is similar to Dave Bosoy's famous line from the very beginning of GTA IV, "Daddy's back, you bitches!" | |
Trevor's CB radio Occasionally, if playing as Trevor and driving a vehicle with a CB radio, such as his Bodhi, the player may hear chatter over it. One of the conversations heard is between a security guard and a truck driver named Eddie Low. Low shares his name with a serial killer that could be found in Alderney by Niko in GTA IV, and acknowledges this during the conversation. | |
Honkers Stickers At the Vanilla Unicorn, there is a sticker on the lockers in the back room for Honkers Gentlemen's Club in GTA IV. These stickers can also be seen at Tattoo Parlors around San Andreas. | |
Liberty City GPS In many of the vehicles in the original version of the game, the in-vehicle GPS shows a map of Liberty City from GTA IV. | |
Liberty City License Plate Near the O'Neil's ranch, a yellow-green car bumper (probably that of a 1st-gen Cavalcade) is seen in a barn with a 2008 Liberty City license plate. | |
Morse Code Hatch By using the Submersible, players can find the famous hatch from the TV series Lost, which is located to the far east of the map, over the coast near the San Chianski Mountain Range. It is not possible to get up close to the hatch, as the player/submersible will be crushed by the water's pressure. If the player goes near the hatch, they will hear someone knocking on the other side. This is a message in Morse code which was translated by members of GTA Forums into "Hey you never call, how'd you fancy going bowling?". This is a reference to Roman Bellic's famous saying. | |
Niko's Lifeinvader Jimmy can be seen viewing Niko Bellic's LifeInvader page on his laptop while sitting at the dining table in his house. It is difficult to see the page in detail, however he appears to have Roman in his friends list and is stalking Burger Shot, possibly a humorous reference to the health system in GTA IV, where health can be replenished by eating hot dogs and burgers. | |
Niko's Status During planning for the first heist, Lester mentions an Eastern-European man doing jobs in Liberty City who went quiet. This is an obvious allusion to Niko Bellic, the protagonist of GTA IV. It also suggests he has either given up his life of crime, or that he was killed, giving no clear hint on which is more likely. However, as his LifeInvader page can be seen to be active, it's likely that he's still alive after the end of GTA IV. If Patrick McReary is picked as a gunman for "The Paleto Score", he will refer to the events of the mission "Three Leaf Clover" from GTA IV, later stating that he doesn't know what became of Niko and that he is most likely dead. | |
Niko's wanted posters Scattered around the map, wanted posters with Niko's picture on them can be seen. | |
Niko - Yellow Jack Inn Within the Yellow Jack Inn is a framed portrait of Niko driving a tow truck. Additionally, a coat on the coat rack next to the entrance is similar looking to his first brown jacket. | |
The Octopus At Elysian Island, a cargo ship known as the Octopus can be found docked. Save for some texture enhancements, this ship appears to be nearly identical in design to the Platypus. | |
Roman's Taxis During one of the private fares for Downtown Cab Co, Franklin has to bring a passenger down to the docks to deal with The Lost MC bikers. They will be standing next to two Albany Emperors with license plates reading "NIKOB" and "ROMANB" - a reference to the Bellic cousins and also Roman's cab company which also used Albany vehicles (Esperanto and Cavalcade). | |
Vintage Liberty City Two of the in-game movies, Capolavoro and Meltdown, utilize recognizable locations from GTA IV, such as the Statue of Happiness, with the latter film inferred to take place there. Capolavoro also features the infamous Heart of Liberty City easter egg and footage from Red Dead Redemption. | |
QUB3D Various QUB3D arcade machines can be seen around the map. Unlike GTA IV, however, the game is not playable. |
The Lost and Damned[]
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Best of Show Awards At the Yellow Jack Inn, inside is a fridge and to the left is a wall with 4 trophy shields. The top 2 have the words 'Best Of Show 2008' and a picture of a motor bike. This refers to the release year of GTA IV and the expansion The Lost and Damned. The middle shield has the words 'Best Of Show 2010' with a picture of what appears to be a Stagecoach Wheel. This refers to Red Dead Redemption and its release year. | |
Johnny Klebitz Newspaper There are multiple newspapers scattered around the map with pictures of Johnny Klebitz from The Lost and Damned appearing on the cover, along with the headline "LOVE'S HATE RELATIONSHIP WITH THE TAXES". Some can be found in Merle Abrahams' house in Sandy Shores. | |
Uptown Riders outfits In Franklin's wardrobe, several outfits containing the Uptown Riders logo can be found. |
The Ballad of Gay Tony[]
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Luis Lopez License Plate In the same location as the "NIKOB" and "ROMANB" license plates (see above), there is also an LCC Hexer in the same location with "LUISLOPZ" - a reference to The Ballad of Gay Tony protagonist Luis Fernando Lopez. | |
Buzzard Attack Chopper In "Daddy's Little Girl", a Buzzard Attack Chopper can be seen flying towards the Dignity. This is likely a reference to the mission "Sexy Time", from TBOGT, when Luis uses the same type of helicopter to destroy a similar yacht. |
References to Other Video Games[]
Rockstar Games Video Games[]
Bully[]
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Hopkins' Uniform In the Vanilla Unicorn strip club, an NPC will occasionally wear a blue jersey featuring the last name "Hopkins". | |
Sequel to the Sequel A movie can be seen advertised called Sequel II, this is a nod to a movie in Bully, Sequel: The Movie. |
L.A. Noire[]
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Elysian Fields The Elysian Fields Freeway in the game is a reference to the Elysian Fields Development company from L.A. Noire. | |
Murderous Tattoo Franklin's neck tattoo, joining hands and a cross along with it, was first seen in L.A. Noire; it is the necklace of the murder victim in the homicide case "The Silk Stocking Murder". The protagonist in the featured game comes across it as a clue in a grocery store named "Just Picked Fruit Market". | |
Up-n-Atom One of the TV Commercials (for Up-n-Atom Burger) shows the restaurants as they were in 1950. The footage reuses images from L.A. Noire. Protagonist Cole Phelps and his Arson partner Herschel Biggs are shown as generic businessmen in the foreground. |
Manhunt[]
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Carcer City Heist In the mission, "The Paleto Score", on the drive to the bank, Michael mentions that his first score was a heist in the outskirts of Carcer City in 1988, referring to the HD Universe counterpart of the city of the same name featured in Manhunt. | |
Piggsy Mask At Vespucci Movie Masks in Vespucci Beach, there is a pig mask which slightly resembles Piggsy from Manhunt. |
Max Payne[]
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The Dignity is extremely similar to, if not almost directly copied, from the boat present in the beginning of the mission Sun Tan Oil, Stale Margaritas and Greed in Max Payne 3. | |
Max Payne's Outfit If Michael goes to a Sub Urban shop, he is able to buy a Hawaiian shirt very similar to the one Max Payne wears in Max Payne 3, which is another game created by Rockstar. |
Red Dead Redemption[]
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Café Redemption Café Redemption is likely a reference to Red Dead Redemption. | |
Capolavoro The in-game film Capolavoro uses locations from Red Dead Redemption. | |
De Santa Surname The surname "De Santa" that Michael Townley and his family took is a reference to Vincente De Santa, a major antagonist in Red Dead Redemption. | |
Escalera There is a Rent-A-Car agency named "Escalera". Escalera is a town in Red Dead Redemption. | |
J. Marston the Author There is a book case in the living room of Franklin's Vinewood Hills house, with a few titles that stand out, like the book Red Dead, by a J. Marston. "J. Marston" could refer to John's son Jack, who regularly reads books and stated that he may write a book himself one day. | |
John Marston Graffiti In Strawberry, under the freeway, there is a lot of graffiti on the walls. One of them resembles a silhouette of John Marston riding a horse at night time, with a full moon. | |
John Marston T-Shirt During the mission "Daddy's Little Girl", the man working at the bike rental shop in Vespucci Beach can be seen wearing a John Marston t-shirt. Occasionally, NPCs can spawn around the map wearing this same shirt. | |
New Austin Road Names There are two roads in Sandy Shores referencing towns in Red Dead Redemption, Cholla Springs Avenue and Armadillo Avenue. | |
Sasquatch Hunter The Sasquatch Hunter who appears in "The Last One" shares the same appearance, voice, and personality as the Sasquatch Hunter from Red Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmare, though with slightly more modern clothes. |
Smuggler's Run[]
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Dune Buggy The ground based Arms Trafficking missions - done for Oscar Guzman by Trevor - could be a nod to another Rockstar Games series called Smuggler's Run, where players must pick up and drop off contraband across the map. The Dune Buggy - which these missions are completed in - is a possible reference to some of the cars used in Smuggler's Run. |
References to Other Video Games[]
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Borderlands In Paleto Bay, there is a junkyard that contains some sort of machine with paint art that resembles Claptrap from the video game series Borderlands. | |
Call of Duty The game Jimmy De Santa plays in his room is called Righteous Slaughter 7. It is a parody of modern shooters, mostly mocking the Call of Duty series (especially with it's later titles following Modern Warfare). | |
Dark Souls The gold medal objectives check list at the end of the mission "Did Somebody Say Yoga?" features a challenge named "Praise the Sun!". This is a reference to the Dark Souls series, a fantasy RPG, which features this line that has since attained meme-like popularity among Dark Souls fans. | |
Dead Island There are numerous billboards scattered around the game for the TV Show Rehab Island. The commercial for the TV shows can also be seen on the in-game television. The logo in the middle looks similar to the logo from the game Dead Island, with a marijuana leaf replacing the palm tree. | |
Dead Rising Zombrex from the Dead Rising series can be heard mentioned on Weazel News. | |
DOOM/Fallout In a radio ad for Pride not Prejudice the announcer says that "some shooters are set in hell", referencing the Doom series, and "others are set in post-apocalyptic wastelands", possibly referencing the Fallout series. Additionally, the rocket found at the Procopio Truck Stop is possibly a reference to the rocket souvenir from Fallout: New Vegas. When next to the rocket, sounds of a Geiger counter can be heard, further referencing Fallout. | |
Duke Nukem/Gears of War In Floyd's Apartment, there is a mural which originally reads "Live, Love, Laugh", over which Trevor writes "Eat, Shit, Die". This is a possible reference to Duke Nukem's signature phrase "Eat shit and Die". Furthermore, this could be a reference to the Gears of War series, where it is possible hear this phrase when executing a Locust. | |
Half-Life The Crowbar is similarly painted to the one used by Gordon Freeman in the Valve video game series Half-Life. | |
Mario Two garden mushrooms can be seen in Denise Clinton's house, a short red mushroom and a tall green one, which is likely a reference to Mario and Luigi in the Super Mario series. | |
Portal There is graffiti in an alleyway in Downtown Vinewood (where the mission "Bearing the Truth" starts) on which, amongst multiple Kifflom rambles, is written "The fruit tree is a lie", referencing the iconic "The cake is a lie" catchphrase from the Portal series and possibly comparing it to the fruit tree in the Adam and Eve creation theory, which the Epsilon Program disregard. | |
Sonic the Hedgehog There is a business called "Supersonic" located in Downtown Los Santos. Its motto is "The Ultra Fast Ring Service". This is obviously a reference to the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise. | |
Street Fighter The Akuma is a Japanese motorcycle with a "streetfighter" style body. In the Street Fighter series, Akuma is featured as a hidden boss and later as a playable character (coincidentally, Capcom publishes the GTA series, along with Street Fighter, in Japan). |
References to Other Media[]
References to Cinema[]
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2001: A Space Odyssey/Aliens/The Big Lebowski The trip sequence in the mission "Did Somebody Say Yoga?" references multiple Hollywood movies: It resembles Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey . Similar to the beginning of the trip, the movie starts with apes, which represent early humans, and ends with the protagonist going out of a spaceship into a colorful and trippy "star-gate". The appearance of the aliens that abduct Michael and often appear recurrently throughout the storyline bear similarities to the xenomorphs from the Aliens films. The flying sequence may also reference the film The Big Lebowski, in which The Dude takes drugs and hallucinates that he's flying over a nighttime Los Angeles, the city that Los Santos is based after. All of these references, in addition to the fact that Michael is watching a vintage movie in the initial cutscene of the mission, further emphasize his passion for cinema and how it reflects in the way he sees his life, even later influencing some of the heists he plans. | |
8%/Andrei Rublev/Persona Capolavoro mostly references and parodies 1960s European cinema, with some distinguishable influences. The cinematography is extremely similar to that seen in Federico Fellini's 8½. The use of horses as recurrent symbolism is likely a nod to Tarkovsky's Andrei Rublev. It shares similarities with Ingmar Begman's Persona, notably the use of a seemingly disjointed dream sequence as an introduction and the reflections on the nature of cinema. The two intervening women might also be a reference to Elisabet and Alma. | |
A Boy and His Dog/Lassie The dog that Franklin speaks to during "Risk Assessment" could possibly be a reference to the famous dog Lassie. It could also be a reference to the movie A Boy and His Dog. | |
A Nightmare on Elm Street In the desert in Sandy Shores, on a few rocks, a large amount of graffiti containing the number 8 can be found. There is also an inscription which reads: "One is done, Two was fun, Three tried to run, Four called mom, Five's not alive, Six is nix, Seven's in heaven, 8 won't wait." This may be a reference to Freddy Krueger's poem from the Nightmare on Elm Street franchise. The poem itself is believed to have been written by a serial killer or rapist, possibly Merle Abrahams. | |
Akira The description of the Vindicator states that the vehicle was "bold and futuristic when you first saw these feet forwards motorcycles in 80s anime". This is a reference to the 1988 Japanese animation Akira, in which protagonist Kaneda rides an iconic retro futuristic bike. Said bike was stated to be one of the major design influences of the Honda NM4, the motorcycle on which the Vindicator mostly takes inspiration from. | |
Aliens In Los Santos, the museum called Bishop's WTF?!, an obvious parody of the famous Ripley's Believe It Or Not! museums, can be found. Ripley and Bishop are both central characters in the 1986 film Aliens. | |
American History X A book named American History Y can be seen in 3671 Whispymound Drive. This is a reference to the 1998 movie American History X. | |
Back to the Future Some power stations have an orange sticker that says 1.21 GW (GW most likely an abbreviation of gigawatt), a reference to the Back to the Future trilogy. There are two churches (one in Pacific Bluffs and the other in Great Chaparral) called Hill Valley Church. This is another reference to the Back to the Future trilogy, as the three movies take place in a Californian fictitious town called Hill Valley. | |
Battle: Los Angeles/Independence Day During an optional tour in Downtown Vinewood, the Vinewood Tour lady will state that the mayor's office appeared during a "twenty-minute final dogfight to save Earth in the movie Invasion: Los Santos". The "dogfight to save Earth" is a reference to 1996 alien invasion movie Independence Day, which ends with a lengthy dogfight sequence, while the title "Invasion: Los Santos" is a reference to another alien invasion movie, Battle: Los Angeles. | |
Blade Runner The title of the movie The Shoulder of Orion II is a reference to the line "Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion", part of the famous "Tears in Rain" monologue in the 1982 film Blade Runner. | |
Blues Brothers If the player stands around long enough in an Ammu-Nation store, the cashier will talk about "a pregnant lady who bought a flamethrower earlier", referencing The Blues Brothers. Additionally, the movie is referenced the name of the pop duo, Blue Brothers. | |
Deus ex machina In A Starlet in Vinewood, Peter Dreyfuss mentions a plot device often found in movies known as a deus ex machina, in which a seemingly unsolvable problem is suddenly resolved by an unexpected or unlikely occurrence. | |
Drive If the player goes to any Binco or Discount Store as Trevor, there is a jacket called "Champagne Driver Blouson," which has a crab on the back. This is a reference to the movie Drive, as the main character wore the same jacket, with the only difference being that there was a scorpion on the back. | |
Friday the 13th The White Hockey Mask, which can be purchased at Vespucci Movie Masks, is a major reference to Jason Voorhees, the main protagonist of the Friday the 13th slasher film series. | |
Ghostbusters The Digiscanner bears a strong resemblance, both in appearance and function, to the P.K.E. Meter, a device in the Ghostbusters movies. | |
Heat The theme of major heists in GTA V is heavily inspired by the 1995 film Heat, which is set in Los Angeles, the city Los Santos is based on. Michael De Santa seems to be loosely based on the film's main character, Neil McCauley, as both are seasoned bank robbers and leaders of crews; in fact, Michael's default gray suit is virtually identical to one that McCauley wears prominently during the film. Furthermore, the armored car heist in the game is an almost exact recreation of the opening sequence of the film. Devin Weston's habit of calling people "slick" is apparently another reference to Heat, in which the character Michael Ceritto is explicitly said to constantly refer to people using the term "slick". Heat previously inspired the mission "Three Leaf Clover" in GTA IV. | |
Hot Rod The brand name of the coffeehouse chain Cool Beans may be a reference to an iconic scene from the cult comedy film Hot Rod, where the words "cool beans" are repeated numerous times. | |
Jackie Brown Floyd's apartment, Trevor's first safehouse in Los Santos, is modeled upon Melanie's apartment from the movie Jackie Brown by Quentin Tarantino. Even the pictures on the kitchen's pillar are very similar to those depicted in the movie. | |
James Bond There is a customized JB 700 armed with machine guns, tire spikes and a passenger ejector seat in the mission "Deep Inside" for Devin Weston. This is a reference to James Bond's specially modified Aston Martin DB5 (on which the JB 700 is modeled) from the 1964 movie Goldfinger. The in-game business "J's Bonds" could also be a reference to the main protagonist of the 007 franchise, James Bond. | |
Jurassic Park When asking a taxi driver to go faster, he may reply with "Hold on to your butt!", a line from Jurassic Park. | |
Law Abiding Citizen Jay Norris' death in "Friend Request" is likely a reference to the movie Law Abiding Citizen, during which a character is killed upon answering a phone that promptly explodes next to their head. | |
Lethal Weapon In "Marriage Counseling", Michael destroying the deck of Martin Madrazo's Vinewood Hills house by attaching a pickup truck winch to one of the support columns is a reference to a scene in the movie Lethal Weapon 2. | |
No Country for Old Men If the player goes to Chiliad Mountain State Wilderness, there will be a drug deal that has gone bad. Heading down a small slope, the player will find a man on the ground, who tells them to "stay away from the case." If one grabs the case (which adds $25,000 to the player's in-game account), he will still say that the player is "a dead man". This is a reference to the movie No Country for Old Men, as one of the protagonists stumbles upon a drug deal gone bad and a case which contains $2,000,000. When the protagonist finds and takes the money, he discovers that a hitman (as well as the police and cartel) are out to recover the money. | |
Predator The mission "Predator" is a reference to the Predator movie franchise, in which the predator hunts humans with the use of thermal vision. | |
Psycho At the Sonar Collections Dock near Paleto Bay, there is a noticeboard showing multiple ads. One of them says "Norman Baits - The Mother of all catches!" This is a reference to Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho, and the leading character, Norman Bates', relationship with his mother, Norma. | |
Spider-Man During "Did Somebody Say Yoga?", Jimmy refers to Ahron Ward as the "Friendly neighborhood drug dealer", referencing the "Friendly neighborhood Spider-Man" catchphrase from the Spider-Man franchise. | |
Star Trek At Silent Probe Mountain, the words "Beam Me Up" are written, which is a reference to the often-misquoted "Beam me up, Scotty" phrase attributed to James T. Kirk when wanting to be transported back to the Starship Enterprise in Star Trek. | |
Star Wars There is an outdoor ad for a Drone Chatterbot smartphone, bearing the slogan "this is the drone you've been looking for". This is an obvious reference to the line "these aren't the droids you're looking for" from Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. Lester Crest also references this line in the mission "Cleaning out the Bureau", saying "this is not the car we're looking for". | |
The Godfather If playing as Michael while rescuing Antonia Bottino during her random event, she will ask for his name. Michael responds by questioning whether of not he will find a severed horse head in his bed the following morning, referencing a scene in The Godfather. | |
The Italian Job The subtle approach of the heist mission "The Big Score" is a reference to the film The Italian Job where three Mini Coopers are used to carry out a heist to steal gold bars. However, the protagonists use four Gauntlets to steal gold. Still, both involve manipulating the traffic light system and armored trucks. | |
The Matrix There is a green-ish filter in the Rockstar Editor named "Morpheus". This could be a reference to the 1999 movie The Matrix, in which Morpheus was a major character, reflecting the movie's distinctive green-filtered aesthetics. The Übermacht cars Oracle, Zion, and Sentinel are references to The Matrix. The Oracle refers to the computer program that helps humans fight the machines, the Zion refers to the last human city, and the Sentinel refers to the model of killer robot the machines use against humans. | |
The Shining In one of the discount stores or Binco, it is possible to find a red jacket named "Overlooked Red Blouson" for Trevor, which is the jacket worn by Jack Torrance in the movie The Shining. The hotel where the Torrance family stays in the movie is also called The Overlook Hotel. | |
Thelma and Louise In the mountains there is a Thelma and Louise Easter egg. If the player goes to the right part of the mountains between 7:00 and 8:00 PM, they will see a vehicle similar to the one from the movie. A few feet behind the vehicle are several police cars and a helicopter. There is an officer that begins to approach the vehicle. As he gets closer, the vehicle's engine starts and the car drives off of the edge of the cliff. This Easter egg only happens if the player is in a helicopter. It can't be seen while on foot, however if the player approaches the scene on foot from the bottom of the cliff, they will see the vehicle crash and it is possible that it can land on the player. | |
Wilhelm Scream While inside Richards Majestic Productions studios, it is possible to hear the Wilhelm scream, which is a very famous stock sound effect that has been used in more than 200 movies, beginning in 1951 for the film Distant Drums. It is also used during the mission "Father/Son" when Franklin throws one of the thieves off Michael's stolen yacht during the highway battle. |
References to Television[]
Image | Description |
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ALF/My Two Dads On the in-game website theinternetisahellhole.com, the site states "You remember sitting in front of the TV as a kid - watching a magical world where every kind of problem was solved within an hour. Families were funny and sometimes had pet aliens or two parents of the same sex but were all heterosexual.". These are allusions to both the television series ALF and My Two Dads, respectively. | |
Barney & Friends In Blaine County, the purple dinosaur at Rex's Diner resembles Barney from the childrens' show Barney & Friends. | |
Brass Eye Good Aids Pharmacy is a reference to the British satirical show Brass Eye, where the host in one episode speaks out in support of people with "good AIDS" (who caught the virus 'through no fault of their own') and condemning those who have "bad AIDS" (who caught it through having gay sex or drug abuse). | |
Breaking Bad Trevor's calculator watch is a nod to Walter White from Breaking Bad, as both wear the exact same watch and both are in the methamphetamine business. Another possible reference to Breaking Bad is the usage of the Journey (a vehicle partially based on the Fleetwood Bounder) in the online mission Meth'd Up, in which the player must steal a Journey containing a unspecified quantity of meth, to deal to a Hispanic gang. An RV was used to cook and store meth in the first 3 seasons of Breaking Bad, with the protagonist's dealing it to members of a cartel. The description of the RV on Cashfordeaddreams.com is another reference to this. | |
Cartoon Network There is a car tuning garage close to the Vanilla Unicorn called Car Tune Network. This is a reference to the Cartoon Network TV channel. | |
Dexter In the mission "Dead Man Walking", there is a paper on a corkboard on the top floor with two names on it: Dexter Fisher and Morgan Price, possibly a reference to Dexter Morgan. Fisher-Price is also a major American toy manufacturer. | |
Digimon On the radio station West Coast Classics, DJ Pooh talks about a new smartphone app called Digipun. This may be a reference to the animated series Digimon. | |
Initial D In the Tuner section of the available wheels in Los Santos Customs, there is a design called "Fujiwara" - a clear nod to the Initial D manga/anime protagonist Takumi Fujiwara. The wheel design is also identical to the design used his car, a Toyota Corolla "Sprinter" Trueno AE86, used in the series. | |
Magnum, P.I. The Tropical Shirt that can be bought by Michael in Sub Urban is similar looking to the one worn by Magnum on the show Magnum, P.I. | |
The Boondocks Random pedestrians can sometimes be heard saying "I sent that bitch a smiley face, bitches love smiley faces!", referencing the popular line from the show The Boondocks. | |
The Walking Dead Two of the deputy sheriffs that appear in the mission "The Paleto Score", are named Grimes and Kirkman, with is a reference to Rick Grimes and Robert Kirkman, both respectively, the protagonist and author of the popular comic book and TV series The Walking Dead. Additionally, in the Fire Crew approach of The Bureau Raid, an FIB agent can refer to Michael disguised as a janitor as the "mopping dead". | |
X-Files A poster can be found inside Lester's House, depicting a flying saucer and the phrase "Accept the truth", a reference to Fox Mulder's "I Want to Believe" poster in The X-Files. |
References to Music and Musicians[]
Image | Description |
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American Idiot The design used for the Organ Farm billboard depicts a clutched bleeding heart similar to the one depicted on the cover of the Green Day album, American Idiot. | |
"I'm on a Boat" There is a calendar featured in multiple locations, namely inside the Merryweather base in Elysian Island (seen over the safe in "Stocks and Scares"), with a picture of a Reefer and a caption saying "I'm on a boat!", referencing the Lonely Island song "I'm on a Boat". | |
"Karma Chameleon" In Vinewood, graffiti written on a wall that states "Karma - it's a chameleon" can be found. This is a reference to the song "Karma Chameleon" by Culture Club. | |
Matt Monro The Monroe is likely named after the singer Matt Monro, who sang the song at the beginning of the movie The Italian Job, which featured an orange Lamborghini Miura (the car on which the Monroe mostly takes inspiration from). | |
"Purple Haze" The "Purple Haze" filter in the Rockstar Editor is a reference to the eponymous Jimi Hendrix song. | |
Sandie Shaw The town of Sandy Shores could be a reference to the English singer Sandie Shaw. | |
The Power Station The Palmer-Taylor Power Station is a reference to the 1980s supergroup The Power Station, which featured members Robert Palmer, John Taylor and Andy Taylor. | |
"The Revolution Will Not Be Televised" During the shootout at the Altruist Camp, one of the cult members will yell "The new boom will not be televised!", referencing the song by Gil Scott-Heron, "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised". | |
Twelve Angry Men A book named "Twelve Hungry Women" can be seen in 3671 Whispymound Drive. This is a reference to the 1954 drama Twelve Angry Men. | |
"U Can't Touch This" The gold medal requirement called "Can't Touch This" for the mission "Complications" is a reference to the song "U Can't Touch This" by MC Hammer. |
References to Literature[]
Image | Description |
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A Song of Ice and Fire In certain situations, a female pedestrian can be heard shouting "Seven hells!", which is a common saying in the A Song of Ice and Fire book series by George R. R. Martin. | |
Fifty Shades The Intimacy trilogy, written by Terry Bolan, is a parody of the E.L. James Fifty Shades trilogy. | |
Grantland Rice A mural can be found in Textile City containing the Grantland Rice poem "Alumnus Football" written around it. | |
Philip Marlowe Marlowe Vineyards and Marlowe Drive's names are probably a nod to the character Philip Marlowe, a famous fictional private eye from Raymond Chandler's novels. The novels were mostly set in Los Angeles. | |
The Bible In "Marriage Counseling", Michael quotes the biblical verse "It's a foolish man who builds his house in sand", which Franklin recognizes as belonging to the Gospel of Matthew. Another biblical reference is the Leviathan, named after the eponymous sea monster from the Old Testament. | |
Three wise monkeys In the setup for "Blitz Play", upon Dave Norton stating that some of the government is corrupt, Michael, Franklin, and Trevor perform the Three wise monkeys pose (see, hear, speak no evil). |
References to Other Media[]
Image | Description |
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4PlayerPodcast Sometimes when switching to Trevor while not on a mission, he and another man in front of him will be riding a Faggio and Trevor will say, "We are scooter brothers! Scooooter brothers!" This is a reference to 4PP (4PlayerPodcast). | |
Action Figures Inside Lester's safehouse, to the right of his bedroom, there are some action figures that closely resemble Master Chief from Halo, Superman and Black Adam from the DC Universe, presumably Han Solo from Star Wars and two other figures. Below the figures is a replica of the Excalibur sword. | |
Reddit The article title "Narwhal Bacon?" can be seen on several trash and newspaper box copies of the Daily Rag and Las Mentiras newspapers. This is a reference to the phrase "The Narwhal bacons at midnight", a phrase coined by Redditors to identify each other[5]. |
Adult Humor/Innuendos[]
References to the number 69[]
Main article: 69
Image | Description |
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Los Santos Golf Club In the Los Santos Golf Club, the sign for hole 3 states that it is a "169 Yard" hole. | |
Vinewood Sign "69" is graffitied on the back of the Vinewood Sign. | |
Number of story missions GTA V has 69 storyline missions. This is most likely unintentional. | |
Exercising Demons - Franklin In Exercising Demons - Franklin, when approaching Mary-Ann, she starts her counting at 69, and refers to the triathlon as a three-way. | |
69 Brand 69 Brand cigarettes can be seen for sale in 24/7s. | |
Route 68 Route 68 was likely named as such due to it mentally computing to 69 in the minds of players, while still maintaining the trend of east-to-west highways being even-numbered. |
References to genitalia[]
Image | Description |
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"Freeway" street race The route layout for the "Freeway" street race resembles a crude drawing of a penis and testicles when viewed from above. | |
Fruit stands If the player goes to any fruit stand in Blaine County, on a table there are two oranges together with a banana on top of it, resembling a penis. | |
Cock rock Three rocks forming the shape of a penis can be found on the Great Ocean Highway in Chiliad Mountain State Wilderness. | |
Welcome to Ludendorff sign A penis can be seen crudely drawn on the back of the Welcome to Ludendorff sign. | |
The Ludendorff Beaver The Ludendorff Beaver is likely meant to reference the term "beaver", which is slang for "vagina". | |
Lost Cock fliers Throughout the map, various "lost cock" fliers pertaining to a lost rooster can be seen. | |
Morningwood The neighborhood Morningwood shares its name with slang for waking up with an erection. | |
Trashmaster One side of the Trashmaster has an advertisement reading "Little Pricks", while the other has an advertisement reading "Butt Lovers". | |
Bawsaq The stock exchange BAWSAQ, when said aloud, sounds similar to "ballsack". | |
Wiwang The name of the electronics company Wiwang is pronounced "wee wang". Additionally, one of its logos is shaped like a penis. | |
Penris Penris, a bank, is an obvious play on the word "penis". | |
Schlongberg Sachs Schlongberg Sachs, an investment company, contains "Schlong" in its name, which is a Yiddish term relating to male genitalia. | |
The Sea Word On Del Perro Pier, there is a souvenir shop called The Sea Word, which sounds like "the c word", a way to say "cunt". | |
Tire Nutz The "nutz" in Tire Nutz is a clear reference to slang for "testicles". Furthermore, the two tires used as the logo line up with a silo behind them to form male genitals from a certain angle. | |
Cunning Stunt Academy Cunning Stunt Academy, seen on TV commercials, is a spoonerism. Switching around the letters C in cunning and St in stunt makes the phrase "Stunning Cunt Academy." | |
Enus/Annis The names of car manufacturers Enus and Annis, when said out loud, sound similar to "anus". | |
Camel Towing The name of the company Camel Towing references the term "camel toe". | |
Hi-Men The name of the nightclub, Hi-Men, is an obvious play on the word "hymen". | |
Bean Machine The logo for the coffeehouse chain Bean Machine resembles a labia. | |
CNT The acronym for the television company, CNT, is CNT, which is a reference to the word "cunt". | |
Click Lovers The name of the electronics store Click Lovers is an obvious play on "dick lovers". Additionally, in its logo, specifically in the word "click", the letter "c" is lowercase and very close to the letter "l", forming the letter "d". The logo also features a computer mouse, which is similar looking in design to a penis. | |
Backside Skateboards The "Backside" in Backside Skateboards likely refers to a person's posterior. Additionally, one appears to be depicted in the company's logo. | |
Crevis The name of the clothing company, Crevis, is a play on "crevice", and likely refers to a vagina or a butt crack. This is further supported by the design of its logo bearing resemblance to the former. | |
Derriere The high fashion clothing brand, Derriere, shares its name with the French word for "buttocks". This is further supported by the design of its logo. | |
Dickies Bagels The name of Dickies Bagels is a clear reference to a penis. | |
Guido Zenitalia The name of the Italian fashion house Guido Zenitalia is a spoonerism. Switching the letters "G" and "Z" results in the word "genitalia". | |
Surano billboard A billboard advertisement for the Benefactor Surano describes it as having a "detachable manhood". The word "manhood" is slang for a man's genitals. | |
Hardwood & Lumber Supply The "Hardwood" in Hardwood & Lumber Supply is an obvious reference to an erection. | |
Peckerwood Both components to the name of the clothing company, Peckerwood, "Pecker" and "wood", are slang for "penis". | |
Rooster The sports brand, Rooster, is likely a reference to the word "cock". | |
Sebastian Dix The "Dix" in Sebastian Dix is likely referencing the word "dicks". This is supported by one of its advertisements featuring a woman holding a bottle of perfume suggestively shaped like a pair of testicles, appearing to be about to kiss it. | |
Snr. Buns The name of the fast food restaurant, Snr. Buns, can be heard as "seen your buns" when said out loud, and its slogan is "Don't be a chump, taste our rump!". "Buns" and "rump" are both slang for "buttocks". Additionally, the restaurant sells pastries under the name "Snr. Muffin". "Muffin" can be slang for a woman's genitalia. | |
Talkin' Balls! The "Balls" in the name of the sports magazine, Talkin' Balls!, is an obvious reference to "testicles". | |
The 'C'* Bomb The 'C'* Bomb is a reference to the word "cunt". | |
The Mighty Bush "Bush" in the name of the gardening company, The Mighty Bush, and its suggestively shaped logo, are obvious references to pubic hair. | |
The Well Hung Gallery The "Well Hung" in The Well Hung Gallery references slang for a large penis. | |
TW@ The internet café, TW@, is pronounced "twat", which is slang for "vagina". In a promotional image, TW@'s Vespucci Boulevard location was named Wan Ka Internet Cafe. "Wan Ka", when said out loud, sounds similar to "wanker", which is British slang for someone who enjoys masturbation, or is considered to be an idiot. | |
Tatas on Portola The "Tatas" in Tatas on Portola is slang for "breasts". | |
The Nut House The Nut House is a play on both mental institutions and testicles. | |
The Split Kipper The logo of The Split Kipper features a topless mermaid spreading her fins apart. | |
Post OP The name of the shipping company Post OP is short for the term "post operation", which itself is referring to a male-to-female gender reassignment operation. The company's slogans, "No longer just mail" and "Your package is safe in our hands", also reference this, with "mail" in the former meant to sound like "male" when spoken out loud, and "package" in the latter being slang for male genitalia. Furthermore, the postal box flag above the white line in the company's logo are references to the terms "hatchet/axe wound" and "gash", both of which are slang for "vagina". | |
Los Santos Shrimps The Los Santos Shrimps are a reference to slang for a small penis. | |
Republican Space Rangers logo The rocket ship featured in the logo of the Republican Space Rangers is stylized to look like a penis. | |
Impotent Rage The "Impotent" in Impotent Rage references slang for erectile dysfunction. Additionally, the top of the lightning bolt located on the crotch area of Impotent Rage's suit appears to be slightly detached from the body and drooping forward, referencing a penis unable to get fully erect. | |
Nutsaki The Japanese restaurant Nutsaki is a play on the term "nutsack", which itself is slang for "scrotum". Additionally, the restaurant's logo resembles a penis. | |
iFruit logo The fruit appearing in the IFruit logo somewhat resembles a penis. | |
Pendulus logo The two letter Us in the Pendulus logo features a dot underneath each of them, possibly representing hanging breasts. This is supported by the company's name roughly translating to "hanging" in Latin. | |
Beaver Bush Ranger Station The Beaver Bush Ranger Station references slang for "vagina" and "pubic hair", respectively. |
References to sex[]
Image | Description |
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Gnome In Vinewood Hills, there is a house with a garden gnome leaning forward with his pants down, as if he is ready for anal sex/mooning. | |
The Kama Sutra In Michael's bedroom, there's a copy of The Kama Sutra on the night table, a reference to the real life book of the same name. | |
Amanda De Santa masturbating Occasionally, when walking into the master bedroom of Michael's house, Amanda De Santa can be seen lying on the bed, masturbating with a vibrating dildo. She will comment on the situation, before throwing away the dildo and going to sleep. | |
Jimmy De Santa watching porn On occasion, Jimmy De Santa can be heard watching porn through his bedroom door. Michael can optionally knock to check on him, which annoys Jimmy. | |
Tracey De Santa having sex Tracey De Santa can sometimes be seen in her room with a man. Upon spotting the player, she will slam the door, after which sexual sounds can be heard. | |
Foxymama21 On the Hush Smush dating website, a profile with the username "Foxymama21" can be found. Judging by the information posted to it, it can be deduced that the account belongs to Amanda De Santa, and that she is actively cheating on Michael. An unused profile picture clearly showing Amanda confirms the account is hers. | |
Amanda's stripper picture In Beeker's Garage, a picture of Amanda De Santa when she was a stripper can be found. | |
Prison Bitches On a billboard along San Andreas Avenue, there's an advertisement for a show called Prison Bitches, with the subtitle "break out before they break you in", which is a crude reference to prison rape. The show can be watched on MeTV. | |
Mile High Club The under construction building, Mile High Club, shares its name with a slang term applying to individuals who have sex aboard an in-flight aircraft. The contractors constructing the building are also called STD Contractors, a reference to contracting a sexually transmitted disease. Additionally, in the mission, "The Construction Assassination", a factory who develops the site's building materials is named "Fap", which is a slang term for masturbation. | |
Bocchino In West Vinewood, there is a clothing store called Surface with two signs advertising something (likely a fashion brand) called Bocchino, which is Italian for blowjob; the logo of the brand features an opened woman's mouth. | |
Golden Shower One of the colors that can be picked for neon car headlights is called Golden Shower, a term for urinating over someone, sexually. Additionally, the alcoholic beverage, Dusche Gold, is German for Golden Shower. | |
Ace Liquor The name of Ace Liquor sounds similar to "ass licker". | |
Liquor Hole The name of Liquor Hole when said out loud, sounds similar to "lick her hole". | |
Boutique Hall The store Boutique Hall is meant to sound like "booty call". | |
Pfister Design The "Pfister" in Pfister Design is a play on "fister" or "fist her". | |
Yellow Jack Inn The "Jack Inn" in Yellow Jack Inn sounds similar to "jacking". | |
Lettuce Be The store Lettuce Be is a play on the term "let us be", referring to homosexuality or to authority. | |
ProLaps The sports equipment company ProLaps is a play on the word "prolapse", which is further backed up by an advertisement with the words "destroy the ring". | |
Big O Fruit Juice The "Big O" in Big O Fruit Juice is a reference to slang for "orgasm". | |
Horny's Burgers The "Horny" in the name of the restaurant Horny's Burgers is a reference to slang for being sexually aroused. | |
Hardcore Comic Store The "Hardcore" in Hardcore Comic Store is likely a reference to hardcore porn. | |
Innocence Boulevard The "innocence" in Innocence Boulevard references slang for having little to no knowledge about sex. | |
Chihuahua Hotdogs slogan A Chihuahua Hotdogs slogan is "you can't beat our meat". Beating meat is slang for masturbation. | |
Docking In "Friend Request", Jay Norris claims that the ability to share info with the Lifeinvader Phone is called "docking", which is also slang for a homosexual act where a man sticks the head of his penis into the foreskin of another man's penis. | |
Cream Pie The dessert company Cream Pie is a clear play on slang for ejaculating inside a person during sex. | |
The Cherry Popper Ice Cream Company The Cherry Popper Ice Cream Company is a reference to slang for bleeding while having sex for the first time. This is further backed up by one of the company's slogans, "you'll always remember your first". | |
Gruppe Sechs The name of the security company, Gruppe Sechs, when said aloud sounds similar to "group sex". | |
Butch The male fitness & beauty clinic, Butch, shares its name with slang for a lesbian woman with masculine traits. | |
Speedophile The name of the vehicle manufacturer, Speedophile, is an obvious reference to the word "pedophile". | |
DockTease The watercraft retailer, DockTease, is a reference to the terms "dick tease" and "cock tease", which is slang for a woman who uses the promise of sexual relations to elicit favors from a man, without ever actually engaging in such relations. | |
BJ's Market The "BJ" in the name of the convenience store, BJ's Market, references a "blowjob", a sex act which is often just referred to as a "BJ". | |
Mile High Organics The name of Mile High Organics references both getting high on drugs and having sex on an in-flight airplane. | |
Better Oral The dental clinic, Better Oral, is likely a reference to oral sex. | |
DP The electronics company, DP, is a reference to the sex act of "double penetration", which is often referred to as a "DP". | |
On the Bone The name of the butcher shop, On the Bone, is a reference to the "cowgirl" sex position. | |
Swallow The clothing company, Swallow, is a reference to the act of ingesting semen during sex, often known as "swallowing". | |
The Molarstation Dentistry The Molarstation Dentistry is a play on the word "molestation". | |
Sprunk The name of the soft drink company, Sprunk, is a play on the word "spunk", which is slang for semen. This is further reinforced by their motto, "The Essence of Life", and a phrase appearing on a Sprunk umbrella, "Put some Sprunk in yer Trunk", the latter being a reference to ejaculating in someone's anus. | |
Squeeze One Out The name of Squeeze One Out shares its name with slang for ejaculating. | |
The Lust Resort The "Lust" in The Lust Resort is a reference to a word which means having a strong sexual desire. | |
WNKA International The "WNKA" in WNKA International Newspaper references the word "wanker", which is British slang for someone who masturbates. | |
Three-way jackets Two jackets Franklin can buy in suburban, the Three-Way Jacket and Gray Three-Way Jacket, are references to the term "three way", which is slang for three people engaging in sex simultaneously. | |
Pounder and LS Pounders The MTL Pounder and the LS Pounders, both reference slang for powerful thrusting during sex. | |
Liberty Penetrators The Liberty Penetrators are a reference to the term "penetration", which is the act of sticking an object inside a vagina or anus. | |
Pleasure Pier The name of the Pleasure Pier is possibly referring to the act of pleasuring someone during a sexual encounter. | |
Bang-A-Beaver The Bang-A-Beaver carnival game on the Pleasure Pier is a reference to vaginal sex. | |
St. Fiacre Hospital St. Fiacre Hospital is named after Saint Fiacre, a 7th century healer and holy man. He is the Patron Saint for those suffering from venereal diseases. | |
Yogarishima The logo of the Japanese fashion brand Yogarishima is meant to look like a man performing auto-fellatio on himself. Additionally, the word "yogaru" (良がる) in Japanese is a slang for moaning during intercourse. | |
Saul Tires The tire company Saul Tires is possibly a play on the word Saltire, also known as a Saint Andrew's Cross, which is a popular BDSM tool. | |
Bona XL The electronics company Bona XL is an obvious play on "boner", a slang term for an erection, with the "XL" in the name likely referencing an "extra large" erection. "Spasmodic" is an adjective that refers to a spasm, or sudden involuntary muscular contraction. Bona XL's parent company name, General Spasmodic, may therefore allude to the fact that the company manufactures medical equipment – "spasmodic" being a medical term – but may also be a double entendre for ejaculation or orgasm, as both involve spasmodic contractions of certain muscles. This is further supported by Bona's logo appearing to depict white liquid being sprayed. | |
Rimmers The clothing and sunglasses manufacturer Rimmers is a reference to the sex act "rimming", which involves a person licking someone else's anus. | |
Beat Off The headphone brand Beat Off is an obviously reference to slang for masturbation. |
Miscellaneous[]
Image | Description |
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Lucky Plucker The name of the fast food chain Lucky Plucker is a play on the term "lucky fucker". Additionally, their menu boards in the Enhanced Edition have the word "cock" throughout them. | |
Whiz/Tinkle Both Whiz and Tinkle are cellphone companies with names referencing urinating. This is further supported by Whiz's logo appearing to feature a drop of urine, and an advertisement saying "take a Whiz anywhere". | |
Pop's Pills The name of the pharmaceutical company Pop's Pills is meant to reference "popping pills", which is slang for consuming ecstasy. | |
Pißwasser The name of the alcohol company Pißwasser is German for "piss water". | |
Biglogs Corp. The name of the cereal company, Biglogs, is a reference to feces. | |
ECola The soft drink ECola is a reference to both E. coli bacteria and the Ebola virus. This is further backed up by their slogan, "deliciously infectious", and a subway advertisement depicting bacteria coming out of an ECola bottle. | |
Bullshot Dartboards The "Bullshot" in Bullshot Dartboards is likely a play on the term "bullshit". | |
Enema The high-end fashion store, Enema, is an obvious reference to the act of the same name, which involves one cleaning their colon by pumping water into it. | |
Flickers Comics The "Flickers" in Flickers Comics can be read as "Fuckers" in certain fonts. | |
Fuque The name of the store, Fuque, is a clear play on the word "fuck". | |
Bull Emic and Anna Rex The clothing companies, Bull Emic and Anna Rex, are plays on "bulimic" and "anorexia", which are eating disorders. | |
Krapea Krapea, a furniture manufacturer, is a play on the word "crap". | |
Caca The name of the fashion brand, Caca, translates to "poop" in Portuguese, Spanish, French, Romanian, Russian, and French. Additionally, the words "cherish it" appear in an advertisement for the brand, but are stylized to also read as "cheri shit". | |
Sod Off The name of the agrochemical manufacturing company, Sod Off, is British slang meaning "piss off". | |
With a Paddle White Water Activity Center The name of With a Paddle White Water Activity Center is a reference to the idiom, "being up Shit Creek without a paddle". Additionally, an advertisement near the business contains the words, "Head Up The Creek". | |
LS Benders The LS Benders reference the term "bender", meaning when a person goes on a nonstop binge of drugs or alcohol, lasting for a full day or more. | |
Shitzu The Japanese vehicle company Shitzu is a reference to feces, due to the word "shit" appearing in its name and the company's logo appearing to depict a pile of it. | |
Hawaiian Snow The clothing store Hawaiian Snow shares its name with slang for marijuana seeds. |
References to Real Life People and Events[]
Image | Description |
---|---|
Academi The private military company Merryweather Security is based off of Academi, formerly known as Blackwater and Xe Services, which is infamously responsible for several alleged human rights violations during the Second Gulf War. Both companies changed their names due to negative reputation, and Merryweather's logo is similar in styling to Academi's former Blackwater logo. The owl in Merryweather's emblem is a reference to the Illuminati and Bohemian Grove conspiracies. | |
Bijan's Bugatti The Truffade Adder that spawns on Portola Drive refers to the well-known Bijan's Bugatti Veyron commonly seen on Rodeo Drive in the exact same parking space. | |
Black Dahlia Leonora Johnson's murder is a clear reference to the Black Dahlia murder: the victim, Elizabeth Short, was found murdered and severely mutilated on January 15, 1947 in Leimert Park, Los Angeles. Some of her wounds, like cuts on her breasts and portions of flesh removed, are similar to Leonora's. The murder was also referenced in L.A. Noire. | |
Carson Palmer In Franklin's house, there is a baseball jersey which has the number 3 with the surname "Palmer". This may very well be a reference to former NFL quarterback Carson Palmer, who wore number 3 for the Oakland Raiders and Arizona Cardinals. | |
Celebrity Mural At Vinewood Wax Haven, there is a large mural featuring the heads of John Wayne, James Dean, Marilyn Monroe, and Charlie Chaplin. | |
Chris Edwards A bench dedicated to the memory of late Rockstar Leeds artist Chris Edwards was placed in the Hill Valley Church graveyard in the next-gen release of GTA V. | |
Greyfriars Bobby Sometimes, a dog can be seen walking into the Hill Valley Church cemetery. It will eventually stop in front of a headstone with a bouquet of flowers laid next to it. This is a reference to Greyfriars Bobby, a Skye Terrier from 19th century Edinburgh that spent 14 years guarding his master's grave, until he died in 1872. | |
Duke of Wellington Statue The chicken statue located in front of Clucking Bell Farms has a traffic cone on top of it. This is possibly a reference to the Equestrian statue of the Duke of Wellington in Glasgow, as it has become a tradition to place a traffic cone on top of its head. | |
Frank Gusenberg The Gusenberg Sweeper is named after hitman Frank Gusenberg who was shot and killed by a Thompson submachine gun in the Valentine's Day Massacre. | |
Giorgio Del Vecchio The name of Del Vecchio Liquor is possibly a reference to the famous Italian Law philosopher, Giorgio Del Vecchio. | |
Hurricane Sandy A hurricane flooding Liberty City is mentioned on Weazel News, Radio Mirror Park, Bless Your Heart, and Michael's TV during the mission "Mr. Philips", referencing Hurricane Sandy, which devastated parts of New York City and New Jersey. | |
Jesco White On the north shore of the Alamo Sea, north of the westernmost dock is a run down house with a tapdancing hillbilly outside. He is marked on your radar as a friend, while a woman sits nearby and watches on. This is a reference to Jesco White from the documentary The Wild and Wonderful Whites of West Virginia. | |
Paris Hilton The character Jill Von Crastenburg parodies many young female celebrities known for being overly sexualized while under the age of consent, though she takes heavy inspiration from Paris Hilton, as both of them have an extreme party lifestyle and belong to a family known for a hotel chain named after them. | |
Lindsay Lohan The characters Poppy Mitchell and Lacey Jonas possibly mock Lindsay Lohan. Lohan sued Rockstar Games in July of 2014, alleging Jonas was based off of her likeness, though the lawsuit was ultimately thrown out in 2016, with a ruling on September 1 of that year stating: “ Even if we accept plaintiffs’ contentions that the video game depictions are close enough to be considered representations of the respective plaintiffs, plaintiffs’ claims should be dismissed because this video game does not fall under the statutory definitions of “advertising” or “trade.”… This video game’s unique story, characters, dialogue, and environment, combined with the player’s ability to choose how to proceed in the game, render it a work of fiction and satire. ”
— {abridged}[6] | |
London Riots The 2011 London riots in the UK are mentioned on the LS Benders radio commercial. | |
Miami Cannibal Bath Salts and cannibalism were mentioned in a radio segment advertising toilet cleaner, which is a reference to the Miami cannibal attack, in which a man suspected to be on bath salts attacked a man and bit off most of his face. | |
Michael Townley There is a real life assassin called Michael Townley who carried out many political assassinations. | |
Occupy Wall Street According to Curtis Weaver, there was a sit-in demonstration outside The Exchange in Algonquin, Liberty City. Which is a reference to the Occupy Wall Street protest movement that started in New York City in 2011. | |
Playboy Mansion The Richman Mansion, located immediately west of the golf club, is a recreation of two real-life mansions: the Greystone Mansion in Beverly Hills and the Playboy Mansion in Holmby Hills. The front contains the entryway, porte cochere, and fountain area of the Greystone. The building architecture, window locations, etc. are all near-matches. Behind the house is the Playboy Mansion's famous grotto, and each night the grounds host a party that the characters can visit. Although the mansion is featured in a GTA Online mission, it is not featured in any single-player storyline missions, making its existence a bit of an Easter egg for players who explore the residential areas of Los Santos. | |
Politics The political race between Sue Murry and Jock Cranley is a reference to a stereotypical election between far-left and far-right politicians. Jock Cranley's personality and background is a reference to Republican politicians such as Ronald Reagan, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Donald Trump (though Trump did not run for office as a Republican until after GTA V's release) who were formerly Hollywood actors. President Joe Lawton appears to be partially influenced by former President Barack Obama, as an "Impeach the Socialist" sign in South Los Santos is a reference to a claim about him. | |
Scientology The Epsilon Program heavily parodies the Scientology cult. | |
Syrian Uprising The Syrian revolution is mentioned by the host of Non-Stop-Pop FM. | |
Wow! Signal Just outside of Sandy Shores is a small hill painted and engraved with many words and pictures relating to aliens and UFOs. One of the engravings is '6EQUJ5'. This is a reference to the famous Wow! signal, a mysterious and controversial radio signal from space detected in 1977 that many believe originated from an artificial interstellar source. |
References to Real-World Vehicles[]
- In the Sports section of the available wheels, there is a design called "Duper 7". This wheel design is based on base Nissan GT-R models produced between 2007 and 2010.
- "Lozspeed Mk.V" is based on the wheels of the Ferrari 458 Italia.
- "Diamond Cut" is based on the wheels of the pre-facelift Porsche 997 Turbo. The real life wheels are known by the same name in the game.
- "Mercie" resembles the wheels on the Bentley Continental GT Supersports.
- "Synthetic Z" resembles the aftermarket wheel; BBS RK.
- "Endo v.1" and "Endo v.2" resembles the Volk TE37 series. "Endo" is also a Japanese surname.
- "Uzer" resembles the aftermarket wheel; Volk CE28.
- "Dash VIP" resembles the aftermarket wheel; Hamann Edition RACE.
- "Super Five" resembles the aftermarket wheel; Vossen CV3.
- In the SUV section of the available wheels, there is a wheel named "VIP". The name refers to a culture famous in Japan, and this wheel is one of the most popular designs in the specified market. It is based on an aftermarket wheel; the Lowenhart LD1.
- "Bippu" is the nickname and unofficial pronunciation for "VIP" in Japanese. There is also a wheel in the SUV section in this name, designed after another popular wheel.
- "LozSpeed Baller" is based on the optional "Neptune" wheels of the Maserati Granturismo.
- "Royal Six" is based on the wheels of the 2011 Nissan GT-R Egoist
- In the High-End section of wheels, there are more wheels based on real-life luxury cars and aftermarket manufactured wheels:-
- "Shadow" is based on the wheels of the Lamborghini Reventón.
- "Hypher" is based on the wheels of the Aston Martin V12 Zagato.
- "Blade" is based on the wheels of the Lamborghini Murciélago LP640.
- "Split Ten" is based on the wheels of the BMW M3 E92.
- The Bullet occasionally spawns painted in light blue with orange lateral stripes as a secondary color. This is a reference to the distinctive Gulf Oil racing livery applied to several real-life GT40 race cars in the 1960s, the Bullet being based on the modern-day version of the GT40, the Ford GT.
- The Los Santos Medical Center and Los Santos Fire Department variants of the Ambulance have small decals on the bottoms of their front doors that read '4AG-86' and 'RB26-32R', respectively, referring to the Nissan Skyline GT-R (R32) and Toyota AE86 along with their engines, the RB26DETT and 4A-GE.