Secrets and Easter Eggs in GTA V

The following is a list of secrets, easter eggs, and hidden trivia references in Grand Theft Auto V.

General

 * In Ludendorff, North Yankton, underneath the train bridge the gang passes in Prologue, there is a frozen creek. The player is able to drive down an embankment and onto the ice. Frozen under the ice lies an alien.
 * Additionally, the player may also see this same secret during the mission Bury the Hatchet.
 * 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 on the bottom right, it appears to be Bigfoot standing still. Shooting it does nothing and it abruptly disappears after a few seconds. This references a longstanding myth involving Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas and also foreshadows the post-game mission The Last One.
 * There is a wrecked pickup truck bed in Stab City with a real-life California license plate.
 * Multiple UFOs can be seen, most of them only after 100% Completion is obtained. Three appear in the sky and one appears underwater.
 * One of the UFOs appears above Fort Zancudo. The words "segregate and rearrange" are written on the side. Segregate being an anagram, when rearranged, it spells out "easter egg". On the bottom of the ship, an unknown device can be seen rotating around. From 3AM to 4AM, a spinning green light will be projected on top of one of the fort's buildings, marking the UFO's location.
 * Another UFO appears above the Beam Me Up area in Sandy Shores. This craft appears to have "FIB" written on the side, a likely reference to the conspiracy theory of government surveillance.
 * A second UFO with "FIB" markings appears above Mount Chiliad. This UFO can only be seen at 3AM in stormy weather.
 * A third UFO, the same model as the previous two, though without the "FIB" markings, is located underwater, north of Paleto Bay and Procopio Beach, covered in plants. Unlike the previously mentioned UFOs, this is the only "real" one that the player can see without having to 100% complete the game.
 * Another UFO, presumed to be a mock-up, though it makes similar sounds to the "real" UFOs, can be seen embedded in the roof of Bishop's WTF?! on Vinewood Boulevard.
 * 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 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 Grand Senora Desert, and at the Altruist Camp.
 * In the Xbox 360 and PS3 editions, a face 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.
 * 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'.
 * 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.
 * If the player puts up their phone in game and then dials 948-555-0100, 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.
 * Once the player gets access to the Submersible, they can explore the seabed and discover a crashed jet airplane, north-east of the peninsula in Paleto Forest, somewhat close to the parachute jump activity. Another sunken jet can be found just south of the Murrieta Oil Field.
 * 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 Space Ship Parts are also shown in the map.
 * There is also a blueprint map on a wall inside Franklin's safehouse.
 * Whether by accident or design, the map vaguely resembles a human skull.
 * 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 who's car was stolen.
 * In Strawberry, it is possible to find a pathway on the side of the highway. If the player continues going down that path, they will see the words "Turn Back". If going down the pathway on the pathway behind them, there will be the words "Nothing Here" in red paint on the wall.
 * In East Los Santos, a Snowman can be seen inside a Fridgit warehouse, behind boxes. The room cannot be entered, but can be seen and fired into.
 * In the original versions of the game, on the Lucky Plucker menu boards, stickers for the real life beverages, and  could be seen. These were removed in the enhanced edition.
 * 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.
 * 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.
 * The Beast is a reference to 's character, Scott Howard, from the movie, .

References to the GTA series

 * In many of the vehicles in original release version of the game, the GPS also shows a map of Liberty City. Possibly the interior reused from GTA IV.
 * 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 & 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.


 * In Chamberlain Hills, close to Franklin's house, there is graffiti that reads "Welcome Back - We missed you last time", welcoming players back to San Andreas.
 * On the most recent San Andreas license plates, the month-of-manufacture sticker says 'MAY'. This could be the original release date for the game which was confirmed to be in Spring 2013, making May a plausible release date, or the month in which GTA V entered development. It could also, albeit less likely be a nod to the Houser brothers' birth month.
 * 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 a similar sign in Grand Theft Auto III.
 * A pedestrian can be heard saying when pulled out of a car: "I'm moving to Vice City!".
 * In the Yellow Jack Inn, to the left of the entrance is a coat hanger with a jacket that closely resembles Niko Bellic's first brown jacket from behind.
 * 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 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.
 * In Franklin's house in Vinewood Hills on one of the bookshelves, there is a book entitled "The Liberty King" with the face of Donald Love from Grand Theft Auto III. (picture of book on shelf) . This easter egg appeared in previous GTA games too.
 * There are multiple newspapers scattered around the map with pictures of Johnny Klebitz from The Lost and Damned appearing on the front, along with the headline "LOVE'S HATE RELATIONSHIP WITH THE TAXES". Some can be found on Merle Abrahams' house in Sandy Shores.
 * The Los Santos Country Club was established in 1992, a nod to the year of the setting of GTA San Andreas.
 * In I Fought the Law..., Michael and Trevor, dressed as police officers on motorcycles, throw their half eaten donuts to the ground. This is another reference to Reuniting the Families, as during this mission, two motorcycle cops drop their donuts and begin to chase CJ, Sweet, Ryder, and Big Smoke in their car.
 * The San Andreas Flight School was established in 2004, the same year GTA San Andreas was released.
 * 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 would also reference the Los Angeles Riots in 1992.
 * Writing on the side of trains reads "LS2004", possibly a nod to Los Santos and the year GTA San Andreas was released.
 * 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.Honkers-GTAV-Sticker.jpg
 * During the mission Hood Safari, on the last turn before arriving in Grove Street, there are three people riding BMXs down Grove Street away from the cul-de-sac. They closely resemble C.J., Sweet and Big Smoke in the events of the Sweet & Kendl mission.
 * There is a billboard of Toni, a radio DJ from the 3D Universe under the Vinewood Sports LS store in Hawick.
 * 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!"
 * 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.
 * 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.
 * 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).
 * There is also a LCC Hexer in the same location with "LUISLOPZ" - a reference to Grand Theft Auto: The Ballad of Gay Tony protagonist Luis Fernando Lopez.
 * In a random event, the player can help two people get away from a robbery or kill the two and take the money. If the player decides to help them one of the robbers keeps saying that Liberty City was easier to rob. This robber turns out to be Packie from GTA IV. After this encounter he becomes a possible crew member for a heist. During one of the heists Packie mentions that Niko Bellic is most likely dead but he does not know for a fact.
 * There is an advert featuring the artwork of one of The Twins painted on a building.
 * 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.
 * Multiple QUB3D arcade machines from GTA IV can be found.
 * If listening to Trevor's radio in his Bodhi, the player could hear a conversation between a truck driver and another who goes by the name Eddie Low, who was a serial killer that could be found in Alderney by Niko in GTA IV.
 * 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.
 * 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.
 * During the mission Derailed, a requirement 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.
 * 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.
 * One of the businesses available to purchase, Pitchers, has a partial sample of the logo of Tony Prince's Hercules club.
 * 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 on the heist mission planned at the Malibu Club in GTA Vice City.
 * Among the buyable clothes for Michael, it is possible to give him the appearance of the default attire of Tommy Vercetti.
 * Along the water on Vespucci Beach and the motel railing, some beach towels have "I ♥ VC" on them, which is a reference to Grand Theft Auto: Vice City.
 * Two of the in-game movies, Capolavoro and Meltdown, utilize recognizable locations from GTA IV, such as the Heart of Liberty City, 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.
 * There's a wholesale & retail store in Textile City called Broker, a reference to the borough of Broker in Liberty City from GTA IV. The shop also features a picture of Broker's skyline on its logo.
 * BJ Smith, minor character in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, is referenced a couple of times: in the name of a recreation center and park in Chamberlain Hills (BJ Smith Recreational Center), and in the name of a convenience store in East Vinewood (BJ's Market).
 * In Lester's House, there is a book called 'Surveillance' on the bookshelf. A picture of CJ can be seen on it.
 * In Yellow Jack Inn, a picture can be spotted which features a Tow Truck and a man who appears to be Niko Bellic.
 * There is a homeless man in Vespucci Beach that holds up a sign saying "Serbian bad guy stole all my money." A possible reference to Niko Bellic.
 * Sometimes, when Trevor hits a pedestrian in a vehicle, Trevor will shout "ten points!", a reference to the scoring system in Grand Theft Auto.
 * Part 1 of the Ill-Gotten Gains update added the "Yusuf Amir Luxury Finish" skin to a number of weapons, a reference to the character from The Ballad of Gay Tony.
 * More Yusuf Amir finishes have been added to different guns in later updates.

Rockstar video games

 * The in-game film Capolavoro uses locations from Red Dead Redemption.
 * At Vespucci Movie Masks in Vespucci Beach, there is a pig mask which similarly resembles Piggsy from Manhunt which is also made by Rockstar. In GTA Online a hockey mask which resembles those worn by members of the Skins and carnival masks resembling those worn by members of the Smilies can be purchased by the player.
 * In the Vanilla Unicorn strip club, an NPC will occasionally wear a blue jersey with the last name "Hopkins" referring to the Rockstar game Bully.
 * A movie can be seen advertised called Sequel II, this is a nod to a movie in Bully, Sequel: The Movie
 * 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 is the protagonist of the game Red Dead Redemption, another game developed and published by Rockstar.
 * 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.
 * There are two roads in Sandy Shores referencing towns in Red Dead Redemption, Cholla Springs Avenue and Armadillo Avenue. Algonquin Boulevard, a nod to the Algonquin borough of Liberty City, cuts through both.
 * The ground based Arms Race 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.
 * The Elysian Fields Freeway in the game is a reference to the Elysian Fields Development company from L.A. Noire.
 * 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.
 * 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".G2998.png
 * 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. This is a reference to Rockstar's game, Manhunt.
 * 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.
 * The Dignity is extremely similar, almost directly copied, to the boat present in the beginning of the mission Sun Tan Oil, Stale Margaritas and Greed in Max Payne 3.
 * Sometimes when Michael enters his house, he will say "Honey, I'm Home!" This is the same line spoken by Max Payne during a cutscene as he enters his home before realizing it has been attacked. Similarly, Michael also has his home and family attacked during the mission Meltdown, though Michael saved them in this case.
 * There is a Rent-A-Car agency named "Escalera". Escalera was a town in Red Dead Redemption.
 * The surname "De Santa" that the FIB gave to Michael Townley and his family is a reference to Vincente De Santa, a major Red Dead Redemption antagonist.
 * Café Redemption is likely a reference to Red Dead Redemption.
 * 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.

Other video games

 * There are numerous billboards scattered around the game for the TV Show "Rehab Island". The commercial for the TV shows can also be found on TV. The logo in the middle looks similar to the logo from the game "Dead Island", with a marijuana leaf replacing the palm tree.
 * 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).
 * In Paleto Bay, there is a junkyard that contains some sort of machine with paint art that resembles Claptrap from the game Borderlands.
 * In Debra's condo There's a mural which says: "Live, Love, Laugh", over which Trevor writes "Eat, Shit, Die". This is an obvious reference to Duke Nukem's signature phrase "Eat shit and Die". Furthermore, this can be a reference to the Gears of War series, where it is possible hear this phrase when executing a Locust. Or it could just be Trevor's way of saying 'life'.
 * In the same condo, in one of the bedrooms is a picture of a vintage map that looks strikingly similar to the one included in the special edition of Assassins Creed IV.
 * The Crowbar is similarly painted to the one used by Gordon Freeman in the Valve video game-series Half-Life.
 * 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 appears to be another reference to Valve.
 * 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.
 * Zombrex from the Dead Rising series can be heard on Weazel News.
 * 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.
 * 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 Dark Souls, a fantasy RPG, which features this line which has since attained meme-like popularity among Dark Souls fans.
 * 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.
 * 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 series, along with Street Fighter in Japan).
 * 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.

References to cinema

 * During the mission Father/Son and 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.
 * 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.
 * 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.
 * There's an airline called MyFly. This could be a reference to Marty McFly, one of the main characters in Back To The Future.
 * When Michael hangs out with his son Jimmy, he mentions on how he wants to be a comedian. This is probably a reference to his voice actor Danny Tamberelli, who was a cast member during the original run of the Nickelodeon comedy sketch show All That.
 * 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.
 * There is a customized JB 700 armed with machine guns, tire spikes and a passenger ejector seat in one of Devin Weston's car jobs. 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.
 * There are advertisements that mention a company called, "J's Bonds". This is a reference to the main protagonist of the 007 franchise, James Bond.
 * 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.
 * If the player goes to Chiliad Mountain State Wilderness, there will be drug deal that has gone bad. If the player goes down a small slope, a guy on the ground will be seen, telling the player "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.
 * 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.
 * The mission Predator is a reference to the movie Predator, in which the predator hunts humans with the use of thermal vision.
 * In Los Santos, it is possible to find a museum called Bishop's WTF?!, an obvious parody of the famous Ripley's Believe It Or Not! museums. Ripley and Bishop are both central characters in the 1986 film Aliens.
 * 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.
 * 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.
 * In the desert in Sandy Shores, on a few rocks, a lot of the number 8 are inscribed. There is also an inscription which writes: " 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 and this may have been written by a serial killer or rapist, possibly Merle Abrahams.
 * The subtle approach of the heist mission The Big Score is a reference to the film 'The Italian Job' where 3 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 armoured trucks.
 * 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, he/she see a vehicle similar to the one from the movie. A few feet behind the vehicle are a few 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, he/she see the vehicle crash and it is possible that it can land on the player.
 * 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.
 * 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.
 * In GTA Online, the award for sub-machine gun kills, "SMG Head", is likely a reference to the British sci-fi sitcom Red Dwarf and its frequent use of the term "smeghead".
 * 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.
 * A set of "Sack Slasher" masks were added in the Halloween Surprise update. These resemble the sack mask used by Jason Voorhees in the first two Friday the 13th movies, before acquiring his iconic hockey mask.
 * NormanBatesEasterEgg-GTAV.jpg the Sonar Collections Dock near Paleto Bay, there is a notice-board showing multiple adds with one of them saying "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.  
 * 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.
 * The Valkyrie helicopter, included in the Heists Update, is named in reference to the beach attack sequence from Apocalypse Now, where the US Air Cavalry attacks a Vietcong village in a fleet of helicopters (mostly Bell UH-1 helicopters, the predecessor of the helicopter on which the Valkyrie is based) while listening to Richard Wagner's "Ride of the Valkyries".
 * A clown mask introduced in the Heists Update bears a resemblance to the mask worn by The Joker in The Dark Knight, during the bank robbery in the opening scene.
 * Additionally it may be a reference to the clown mask worn by some of the characters in Payday: The Heist and Payday 2.
 * 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 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.
 * The appearance of the aliens that abduct Michael and often appear recurrently throughout the storyline bear similarities to the xenomorphs from the Aliens films.
 * All these references, in addition to the fact that Michael is watching a vintage movie in the initial cutscene of the mission, further emphasis his passion for cinema and how it reflects in the way he sees his life, even later influencing some of the heists he plans.
 * 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.
 * A book named "American History Y" can be seen in 3671 Whispymound Drive. This is a reference to the 1998 movie American History X.
 * The design of the Shotaro is heavily influenced by the light cycles from the Tron movies, more specifically the redesigned version featured in Tron: Legacy. The description also makes a reference to the films, stating that the bike had its "energy trail" decommissioned.
 * 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.
 * The previously mentioned Shotaro bike also references Akira, with its name being derived from protagonist Shotaro Kaneda.
 * The "Hypnotic Alien" masks added in the Halloween Surprise are designed after the aliens in the John Carpenter cult fim They Live.
 * The Digiscanner bears a strong resemblance, both in appearance and function, to the P.K.E. Meter, a device in the Ghostbusters movies.
 * 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.
 * Sometimes, when Trevor kills someone, he will say "You're out of your element!". This is a reference to a line from The Big Lebowski.
 * 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.
 * 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.
 * The use of horses as recurrent symbolism is likely a nod to Tarkovsky's Andrei Rublev
 * There could be a reference to the Movie Red Dog. South-West of the Sonar Collections Dock, is a Dust-Red dog next to a pickup truck, this might be a nod towards Red Dog, a dog whose master was killed in a car accident, and the dog traveled the world looking for him.
 * In Floyd's apartment, a stuffed frog somewhat resembling Kermit the Frog can be seen sitting on a shelf.
 * When asking a taxi driver to go faster, he may reply with "Hold on to your butt!", a line from Jurassic Park.
 * 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 Blues Brothers.

References to television

 * 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.
 * In Blaine County, a purple dinosaur that can be seen next to a diner looks like Barney from the childrens' show Barney & Friends.
 * XFiles-GTAV.jpg 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 X-Files.
 * 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 on the design used his car, a Toyota Corolla "Sprinter" Trueno AE86, used in the series.
 * The 'RB26-32R' and '4AG-86' decals on the Los Santos Fire Department and Los Santos Medical Center variants of the Ambulance may also be references to Initial D, as both the Nissan Skyline GT-R (R32) and Toyota AE86 were featured in the series.
 * 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). This is the second Brass Eye reference in the series, after the racehorse named Shatner's Bassoon on the Inside Track betting machines in GTA San Andreas.
 * 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 series The Walking Dead.
 * There is a car tuning garage close to the Vanilla Unicorn called Car Tune Network. This is a reference to the TV station Cartoon Network.
 * 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.
 * Sometimes a person can be found outside the Vanilla Unicorn at night texting. When passing near him, one of the lines he might say is "I sent that bitch a smiley face, bitches love smiley faces!", referencing the popular line from the show The Boondocks.
 * 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.
 * 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.

References to music and musicians

 * 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).
 * 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.
 * 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.
 * The town of Sandy Shores is a reference to the English singer Sandie Shaw.
 * The Palmer-Taylor Power Station is a reference to the 1980s supergroup The Power Station, which featured members Robert Palmer, John and Andy Taylor.
 * The "Purple Haze" filter in the Rockstar Editor is a reference to the eponymous Jimi Hendrix song.
 * In Vinewood, graffiti written on a wall that states "Karma - it's a chameleon" can be found. This is a reference to the Culture Club's song, Karma Chameleon.
 * 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

 * Marlowe Vineyards and Marlowe Drive's name is probably a nod to the character Phillip Marlowe, a famous fictional private eye from Raymond Chandler's novels. The novels were mostly set in Los Angeles.
 * The Intimacy trilogy, written by Terry Bolan, is a parody of the E.L. James Fifty Shades trilogy.
 * A book named "Twelve Hungry Women" can be seen in 3671 Whispymound Drive. This is a reference to the 1954 drama Twelve Angry Men.
 * 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.
 * A mural can be found in Textile City containing the Grantland Rice poem "Alumnus Football" written around it.
 * The name of the Online mission War and Pieces is a reference to the title of the Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy novel War and Peace.
 * Another Online mission, Method in the Madness, is named after the Hamlet quote "Though this be madness, yet there's method in it".
 * 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.

References to other media

 * Among piles of trash is an edition of the Daily Rag newspaper. The title reads "Narwal? Bacon?", which is a reference to the saying "The Narwhal bacons at midnight". This is a reference to the popular website Reddit.
 * The "Deep Five" wheels resembles the Ando 5-spoke V2 wheels from the mobile game Fast and Furious 6: The Game.
 * 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).
 * A new cap was included in the Cunning Stunts update, referencing the 4PP scooter brothers video.
 * In Strawberry, there is a graffiti in an alleyway that resembles Nyan Cat.
 * 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.

Adult humor

 * In the Los Santos Country Club, there is a golf sign saying, "169 Yards."
 * "69" is graffitied on the back of the Vinewood Sign.
 * The name of the shop Liquor Ace sounds like "lick her ass" when said aloud.
 * There is another shop called Liquor Hole and when said aloud, it sounds like "Lick Her Hole."
 * Another shop is named "Boutique Hall". It is a reference to "Booty Call".
 * There is another shop named "Lettuce Be". Prounounced "Let Us Be" (homosexuality / to authority)
 * The two tires used as the Tire Nutz logo line up with a silo behind them to form male genitals from a certain angle.
 * GTA V has 69 storyline missions. This is most likely unintentional.
 * In Vinewood Hills, there is a house (near the runaway bride's home) with a garden gnome leaning forward with his pants down, as if he is ready for anal sex/mooning.
 * In Michael's bedroom, there's a copy of the Kama Sutra on the night table.
 * After switching to Michael in his home, sometimes when he suddenly enters his room and his wife is on the bed, Amanda says that thought she had locked the door, and throws away a dildo, then goes to sleep.
 * Wiwang (wee wang) is the brand of various air conditioning units installed on building rooftops and the dispatch radio in police cars.
 * Cunning Stunt Academy, seen as TV commercials, is a spoonerism. Switching around the C in cunning and St in stunt makes the phrase "Stunning Cunt Academy."
 * This is also a reference to the Carmageddon video game series, in which a Cunning Stunt bonus is granted after landing the car on all four wheels after spinning through the air.
 * The route layout for the "Freeway" street race resembles a crude drawing of a penis and testicles when viewed from above (best seen on the Rockstar Social Club page ).
 * On a billboard at 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 is shown on MeTV.
 * 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.
 * In the construction site assassination mission, a factory who developes the sites building materials is named Fap, which is a slang term for masturbation.
 * Fabien's Yoga positions represent the Kama Sutra.
 * In Exercising Demons - Franklin, when approaching Mary-Ann, she starts her counting at 69, and refers to the triathlon as a threeway.
 * Having sex with a prostitute will increase the player's stamina skill.
 * When seen from high above, the roller coaster's tracks resemble male genitalia.
 * In all Rob's liquor stores there's an advertisement for Pisswasser featuring a girl with a bottle of Pißwasser in her mouth.
 * If the player goes to any fruit stand in Blaine County or Sandy Shores, on a table there are two oranges together with a banana on top of it, resembling a penis.Lol.jpg
 * Three rocks forming a shape of a penis can be found in Grand Theft Auto V in the Great Ocean Highway in Chiliad Mountain State Wilderness.
 * In West Vinewood, near the Hardcore Comic Store, there's a clothing store called Surface with two signs who advertise something (probably a fashion brand) called Bocchino, which is Italian for blowjob; the logo of the brand features an opened woman's mouth.
 * In Del Perro Pier there's a souvenir shop called The Sea Word which sounds like "the c word", a way to say "cunt".
 * One of the colors that can be picked for neon lights is called Golden Shower, a term for urinating over someone.
 * If the player equips an unbuttoned sports jacket with the "Happiness is Land" T-shirt introduced through the Independence Day Update, part of the word "Happiness" is cut out and "piness" is left, a word that sounds similar to "penis" is taken how it's pronounced normally into account. It's unknown if this is intentional or not.
 * At Los Santos International Airport, the intercom can occasionally say "Paging Michael Hunt". This is because Mike is short for Michael, and the name "Mike Hunt" sounds similar to the words "my cunt".

References to real life people and events

 * There is a real life assassin called Michael Townley who carried out many political assassinations.
 * The 2011 London riots in the UK are mentioned on the LS Benders radio commercial.
 * The character Poppy Mitchell possibly mocks Lindsay Lohan.
 * A hurricane flooding Liberty City is mentioned on Weazel News, Radio Mirror Park, Bless Your Heart, and Michael's TV during the Mr. Philips mission, referring to Hurricane Sandy, which devastated parts of New York City and New Jersey.
 * The Syrian uprising mentioned by the host of Non Stop Pop 100.7.
 * The Cold War is mentioned on the radio.
 * 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.
 * In Vinewood, there is a large mural featuring the heads of Marilyn Monroe, Charles Chaplin, John Wayne and Elvis Presley.
 * 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.
 * Mosley Auto Service on Strawberry Avenue is a reference to Max Mosley, former FIA President.
 * 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".
 * Weazel News occasionally references the poor state of the healthcare program in the United States.
 * 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.
 * The new hundred dollar bill is mentioned in Radio Los Santos.
 * According to Curtis Weaver, there was a sit-in demonstration outside The Exchange in Algonquin, Liberty City. Which is a reference of the Occupy Wall Street protest movement that started in New York City in 2011.
 * The Valentine's Day Massacre Special content pack is named after the Saint Valentine's Day Massacre - a gangland shooting which occurred on February 14, 1929.
 * The Gusenberg Sweeper is named after hitman Frank Gusenberg who was shot and killed by a Thompson submachine gun in the shooting.
 * There is a character model that looks exactly like Vin Diesel.
 * The Truffade Adder on Portola Drive refers to the well-known Bijan's Bugatti Veyron commonly seen in Rodeo Drive in the exact same parking space.
 * The wreck of the T-34 tank can be found in the scrapyard called Rogers Salvage and Scrap. The design of this wrecked tank looked exactly like its real life counterpart, the T-34-85. Also, the name comes from its real life counterpart.
 * 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.
 * In Franklin's house, there is a baseball jersey which has the number 3 with the surname being "Palmer". This may very well be a reference to current NFL quarterback Carson Palmer, who has worn number 3 for the Oakland Raiders and Arizona Cardinals.
 * A book named "The Black" can be seen in 3671 Whispymound Drive. This is a reference to the 1954 drama Twelve Angry Men.
 * Rednecks in Sandy Shores can be heard saying "You done goofed" when provoked. This is likely a reference to a 2010 video made by Jessi Slaughter, in which her father yells the phrase on camera as a result of Jessi being cyberbullied.
 * The chicken statue in front of the 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.
 * 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.

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.