Secrets and Easter Eggs in GTA Online


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

This page holds information regarding many secrets and easter eggs in Grand Theft Auto Online.

General
--- Note: Most of these secrets and easter eggs in Grand Theft Auto Online are shared with Grand Theft Auto V. ---
 * 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, Jolene Cranley-Evans.
 * A sunken UFO can be found in Procopio Beach, underwater, with sea plants growing on it.
 * A mysterious mural inside the tramway station atop Mount Chiliad includes a drawing of what appears to be a jetpack, a UFO, and an Alien Egg. This was later revealed to reference a singleplayer dlc that was scrapped and somewhat reused for GTA Online. The UFO and Alien Egg were featured in a Bunker Resupply mission, and the jetpack was added in the Doomsday Heist Update as the Thruster.
 * Although the flying UFO on top of the mountain cannot be seen in GTA Online, as it is exclusive to story mode, 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.
 * This mysterious mural can be seen on the artwork inside of the Mount Chiliad Launch Facility.
 * On another mural, Bigfoot and the number 27 appear, referencing that in story mode the player needs to collect all 27 regular peyote plants before the golden ones can appear, which allow the player to transform into Bigfoot.
 * In Vinewood Hills, there is a juice stand with a big orange ball attached to the top. Shooting or walking into this ball will cause it to detach and roll off down the hill. A similar juice stand can be found at the northwest corner of East Joshua Road and Route 13 (Senora Freeway) in Grapeseed.
 * 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'.
 * In Strawberry, it is possible to find a pathway on the side of the highway. If the player continues going down that path, he/she will see the words "Turn Back". If going down the pathway on the pathway behind him/her, there will be the words "Nothing Here" in red paint on the wall. In the Enhanced Version, a Monkey Mosaic was placed here and the words "Sorry, I lied". (although it serves as an collectible only in GTA V).
 * In East Los Santos, a Snowman can be seen inside the Fridgit warehouse, behind boxes. The room cannot be entered, but can be seen and fired into.
 * In Blaine County, a purple dinosaur that can be seen next to a diner looks like Barney from the children's show Barney & Friends.
 * In the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions, on the Lucky Plucker menu boards, stickers for the real life beverages, and  could be seen. These were removed in the enhanced editions.
 * 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.
 * When renovating an office garage's custom auto shop, there is a floor design that gives the illusion of pockets and hills. This is strikingly similar to the flooring of a game store in Paris, France that gives the same illusion.
 * In some apartments, a toothpaste named CJ's Toothpaste can be found near the sink, which is a reference to the recurring prop artist of the GTA series C-J Dick.
 * This is also present in De Santa Residence and the Denise Clinton's House.

References to the GTA Series
--- Note: Most of these secrets and easter eggs in Grand Theft Auto Online are shared with Grand Theft Auto V. ---
 * In the GTA Online character creation menu, it is possible to select Claude, the protagonist from Grand Theft Auto III, Niko Bellic, the protagonist from Grand Theft Auto IV, and John Marston, the protagonist from Red Dead Redemption, as the GTA Online Protagonist's father.
 * It is also possible to select Misty as the protagonist's mother.
 * 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.
 * 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 GTA III.
 * There is an advert featuring the artwork of one of The Twins from Grand Theft Auto: Vice City painted on a building.
 * In Forum Drive in Chamberlain Hills, there is graffiti that reads "Welcome Back - We missed you last time", welcoming players back to San Andreas.
 * The San Andreas Flight School was established in 2004, the same year GTA: San Andreas was released.
 * This is also referenced by writing on the side of trains that reads "LS2004".
 * In Lester's House, there is a book called 'Surveillance' on the bookshelf. A picture of CJ can be seen on it.
 * There is a billboard of Toni, a radio DJ from the 3D Universe under the Vinewood Sports LS store in Hawick.
 * 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.
 * At 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 the blonde woman 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.
 * Also 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. A GTA IV screenshot of Niko driving a Tow Truck can also be found in the bar, as a portrait on the wall.
 * Also at the Yellow Jack Inn, to the left of the fridge 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 its DLC 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.
 * During the Finale for the The Humane Labs Raid, Karen Daniels, a character from GTA IV references Niko Bellic when she states how when she was a field agent, she was required to "trap and cajole" criminals into helping her, and how now she only has to offer them money.
 * During Setup: Rescue ULP, when the players are required to rescue Agent ULP, also a character from GTA IV, Lester mentions how ULP ran "some poor bank robber in Liberty City", an obvious reference to Niko Bellic.
 * 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" from Donald Love's newspaper in GTA IV. Some can be found on Merle Abrahams' house in Sandy Shores.
 * In the purchasable 2-car garages, a Liberty City license plate can be seen on a car bumper sitting on a shelf.
 * Near the O'Neil Ranch, a yellow-green car bumper (probably that of a last-gen Cavalcade) is seen in a barn with a 2008 Liberty City license plate.
 * Shirts, glasses, and hats featuring the skyline of Broker, from the brand of the same name can be bought. Additionally, this brand, a parody of the real life Brooklyn Industries, owns several stores around the map, featuring the same logo.
 * Two of GTA V ' s 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.
 * Multiple QUB3D arcade machines from GTA IV can be found.
 * In the Los Santos Summer Special update, a QUB3D arcade machine was made available for purchase in the player's arcade.
 * The ending cutscene of the Series A Funding heist is likely a reference to the GTA IV mission, Blow Your Cover, and the Lost and Damned mission, Buyer's Market, where a nervous undercover cop participates in a drug deal but gives away their undercover status, resulting in a shootout.
 * The Vamos is based on the 1974 Chevrolet Nova, which is featured in Tarantino's movie . The player is able to customize the car with the same rollcage and a similar hood decal, the latter named "is it safe?" as a reference to one of the lines said in the movie.

Rockstar video games

 * 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.
 * There is a Rent-A-Car agency named "Escalera". Escalera was a town in Red Dead Redemption.
 * 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.
 * Café Redemption is likely a reference to Red Dead Redemption.
 * 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.
 * The Dignity uses the same model as the yacht present in the beginning of the mission Sun Tan Oil, Stale Margaritas and Greed in Max Payne 3.
 * In the Vanilla Unicorn strip club, an NPC will occasionally wear a blue jersey with the last name "Hopkins" referring to Jimmy Hopkins, the protagonist of Rockstar's game Bully.
 * A movie can be seen advertised called Sequel II, this is a nod to a movie in Bully, "Sequel: The Movie".
 * The Crate Drops were perhaps a reference to Rockstar's Smuggler's Run. The red smoke rising from them and the Arms Smugglers (who pick up if no one claims it) could add to this.

Other video games
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.
 * 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.
 * Righteous Slaughter 7, a game advertised on billboards and radio commercials, 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.
 * 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, among 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.
 * 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

 * 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.
 * The JB 700 is a reference to James Bond's specially modified Aston Martin DB5 from the 1964 movie Goldfinger. JB is James Bond initials and 700 is 007 backwards.
 * 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.
 * 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.
 * 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 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.
 * 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.
 * At 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 "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.
 * 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.
 * 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.

References to television

 * 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 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.
 * Inside the Los Santos County Coroner Office, 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

 * 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.
 * 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.
 * 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 "Waves Top" on the Off Shoulders Tops clothing category for female characters seems to be a reference to the cover of the album, albeit painted green and black instead of black and white. The top was added on the I'm Not a Hipster Update, probably referencing the praise given to the band by the hipster subculture.
 * The unlockable "Can't Touch This Top" is a reference to the song U Can't Touch This by MC Hammer.
 * The town of Sandy Shores is a reference to the English singer.
 * The Palmer-Taylor Power Station is a reference to the 1980s supergroup The Power Station, which featured members Robert Palmer, John and Andy Taylor.

References to literature

 * Marlowe Vineyards and Marlowe Drive's name is probably a nod to the character, a famous fictional private eye from Raymond Chandler's novels. The novels were mostly set in.
 * Referencing the bible is the Leviathan roller coaster at Del Perro Pier, named after from the Old Testament.
 * In the end of the Scope Out setup for the Fleeca Job, Lester asks Paige Harris if "they gonna charge us with thought crime?". This is a reference to George Orwell's, which coined the term "".
 * A mural can be found in Textile City containing the poem "Alumnus Football" written around it.
 * The name of the mission War and Pieces is a reference to the title of the novel.
 * Another mission, Method in the Madness, is named after the 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 book series by.

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.
 * In Strawberry, there is a graffiti in an alleyway that resembles.
 * Inside Lester's house, to the right of his bedroom, there are some action figures that closely resemble from,  and  from the DC Universe, presumably  from  and two other figures. Below the figures is a replica of the  sword.
 * The description for the X80 Proto in the loading screen for Online features the quote "Has science gone too far?", referencing a parody of clickbait advertisements which has since attained a meme-like spread.

References to Real-Life People and Events

 * Just outside of Sandy Shores is a small hill painted and engraved with many words and pictures relating to aliens and UFOs, called the Beam Me Up area. One of the engravings is '6EQUJ5'. This is a reference to the famous, a mysterious and controversial radio signal from space detected in 1977 that many believe originated from an artificial interstellar source.
 * These letters and numbers can be seen written in the sand next to a small silo in Grand Senora Desert, next to one of the Mount Chiliad Mural symbols.
 * In Storm Drain LTS, it's stated in the description that there's a drought in San Andreas, a reference to the drought in real-life California over the summer of 2014.
 * Mosley Auto Service on Strawberry Avenue is a reference to, former FIA President.
 * The Valentine's Day Massacre Special content pack is named after the - a gangland shooting which occurred on February 14, 1929.
 * The Gusenberg Sweeper is named after hitman who was shot and killed by a Thompson submachine gun in the shooting.
 * 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 . Also, the name comes from its real-life counterpart.
 * In Vinewood, there is a large mural featuring the heads of, , and.
 * 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.

Heists Update

 * The Valkyrie helicopter, included in the Heists Update, is named in reference to the beach attack sequence from , 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 , 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.
 * There is a green-ish filter in the Rockstar Editor named "Morpheus". This could be a reference to the 1999 movie , in which Morpheus was a major character, reflecting the movie's distinctive green-filtered aesthetics.

Ill-Gotten Gains Part 1

 * 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 and his Gold SMG. More Yusuf Amir finishes have been added to different guns in later updates.

Ill-Gotten Gains Part 2

 * 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.

Bikers

 * 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. It also references Akira animation, with its name being derived from protagonist Shotaro Kaneda.

Gunrunning

 * Once the player has completed at least 600 resupply missions, a new supply run will be available between 21:00 and 23:00, which requires the player to pick up an Alien Egg from a crashed UFO at the Zancudo Trail, and take it back to the lab. After the Alien Egg has been picked up, several Aliens will be spawned. They pose no threat to the player and disappear shortly after.
 * Several bodies of scientists and military personnel will be scattered around the crashed UFO with blood seeping through their clothes around their anal areas. This is a reference to the joke that aliens anal probe the people that they capture.

After Hours

 * Once the aforementioned UFO mission is completed, the UFO tattoo can be awarded randomly when the player drinks Macbeth whisky at a Nightclub during stormy, rainy or snowy weather between 1am and 4am, and passes out. There is a chance the player respawns on top of Mount Chiliad seeing a UFO flying away and having the tattoo applied on their back.
 * One of the names that the player can choose for their nightclub is Maisonette Los Santos, a reference to Tony Prince's nightclub in The Ballad of Gay Tony, Maisonette 9.

Arena War

 * A secret Epsilon Program outfit was added as part of the Arena War update and can be acquired by tipping the Nightclub restroom attendant a total of 575 times ($575 dollars worth of $1 tips) in a single session. If the player enters any store while wearing the Epsilon Robes, the employee will say "Kifflom!".

The Diamond Casino & Resort

 * The character of Avery Duggan, a Texan real estate developer, may be a reference to Avery Carrington, a Texan real estate developer from Grand Theft Auto: Vice City.
 * At the Thomson Scrapyard, two Action Figures (Beast and Bigfoot) can be found facing each other. This references the Golden Peyote hidden bonus event in Grand Theft Auto V.

Decorations
The Master Penthouse decorations references both Grand Theft Auto series and other Rockstar Games.

Paintings
The casino vault paintings references both Grand Theft Auto series and other Rockstar Games.

Arcades
Nazar Speaks
 * The machine features the character, a character from . There are multiple fortunes the player can receive from Madam Nazar, many of which are references to locations, characters, and objects from both the Grand Theft Auto and Red Dead Redemption series. See Nazar Speaks.

Street Crimes: Gang Wars Edition
 * The game's theme is a 8-bit version of the original Grand Theft Auto theme song.
 * The character sprites used in the game are the same used for Mike in Grand Theft Auto Advance, with different colors for each gang.

Race and Chase series
 * Each game's boxart references easter eggs from previous games.
 * Race And Chase: Street Legal's boxart features the Bigfoot crossing a road in Los Santos.
 * Race And Chase: Get Truckin's boxart features a UFO passing by Bone County, outside Las Venturas.
 * Race And Chase: Crotch Rockets' boxart features the infamous Ratman myth in GTA IV, and Jolene Cranley-Evans' ghost.
 * Bigfoot and Joelene Cranley-Evans both appear as obstacles for the player to dodge in the Los Santos section.
 * When driving through Las Venturas, a UFO will fly across the top of the screen.
 * When driving through Vice City, the Gash Blimp can be seen in the background.
 * Some of the game's 16-bit music tracks are based on the main titles of several GTA games.
 * Undercover is based on Grand Theft Auto III ' s theme song.
 * Vice Lights is based on Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas ' s theme song, Theme from San Andreas.
 * Turbo Boost is based on Grand Theft Auto IV ' s theme song, Soviet Connection.
 * LS Nights is based on Grand Theft Auto V ' s theme song, Welcome to Los Santos.

The Cayo Perico Heist

 * In the Kosatka/Pavel introduction cutscene, the coordinates for Cayo Perico are shown on the Heist Planning Table as 55.9533° N, 3.1883° W. When entered into Google Earth however, it's revealed that these are actually the coordinates for Edinburgh, Scotland where Rockstar North is headquartered. Their offices at Barclay House as of 2021 are several streets over to the southeast of direct coordinate point.

Paintings
The compound paintings references both  and real-life paintings.

Caribbean Sea
Some secrets require a scuba gear to be reached. The player can create a custom outfit with it and select it during the scoping prep mission, so they can explore the depths of the sea.

Los Santos Tuners

 * The "Delivery Boy" livery that can be applied to the Futo GTX is based on the Toyota AE86 driven by Takumi Fujiwara, a tofu delivery driver, in the Japanese street racing manga series and anime . The new livery changes the car's badge name from "Futo" to "Tofu".
 * The Japanese sign on the livery reads "Stance Andreas", contrary to the manga sign which reads "Fujiwara Tofu Shop".
 * Futo GTX's default rims are also called "Fujiwara", which is the surname of the protagonist from Initial D.
 * During the raid at the IAA Facility in The Agency Deal finale, behind a locked door, the player can spot one of Avon's Juggernaut clones from The Doomsday Heist.


 * In the mission Planning Work: Access Point for The Prison Contract, the player must steal a stunt ramp from a movie set. The movie scene can be at Richards Majestic Productions in Backlot City or on location at the LS River and is a recreation of a scene from .PlanningWorkAccessPoint-GTAO-TerminatorSceneLSRiver.png
 * The Unnamed British Director represents.
 * A generic NPC dressed as 's will be armed with a Sawed-Off Shotgun. This NPC is virtually unkillable, returning to life a few moments after any normally fatal injury.
 * Two or three Haulers and two Wolfsbane motorcycles will be present.
 * This was also previously referenced in the Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas mission Just Business.
 * Camhedz is a in-universe of the Badlands Revenge II arcade machine that will be added in Grand Theft Auto Online. It replaces all sprites and scenarios from Badlands Revenge II with Manhunt characters and references.
 * The arcade's name is a reference to the, a gang of secret agents (wearing security cameras on their heads) that was originally planned to appear in Manhunt, but was later dropped in the final version.
 * The character in the arcade's menu is the Manhunt protagonist holding a . The camera on his head is also a reference to the cut Camheds gang.

LS Car Meet
The LS Car Meet takes place in a abandoned Pißwasser warehouse building that resembles the Alameda Square buildings in Los Angeles, where the street racer gethering takes place in the first  movie. Some famous vehicles from movies and TV series can appear randomly at the LS Car Meet.
 * Vapid Ellie - Eleanor from .
 * Vapid Hustler - Ford 5-Window Coupe from .
 * Dinka Jester Classic - Toyota Supra from .
 * Vapid Flash GT - Ford Focus RS from Ken Block's Gymkhana video series.

The Contract

 * Many of Franklin's items, pictures and memorabilia from Grand Theft Auto V can now be found in his office at the Agency, including his "Los Santos Owns You" poster which has been cut and re-arranged into "You Own Los Santos".
 * The Agency Security Guard and Receptionist use a wallpaper on their computers from Red Dead Redemption 2.
 * Gold and platinum records presented by OG Loc, Madd Dogg, Rochell'le and Love Fist can be found on the walls of the Agency and Record A Studios.
 * After starting the mission Short Trip - Fire It Up, Franklin will say CJ's famous line from Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (Oh, shit. Here we go again...). Furthermore in the same mission, when burning the Vagos weed farm, Franklin will mention Flint County and make a cross-universe reference to the mission Are You Going to San Fierro? from GTA San Andreas, where CJ must burn The Truth's weed farm.
 * The in-game time in this mission freezes at pm.
 * In the mission Short Trip - OG Kush, Lamar drives a Youga Custom made entirely of weed. This is a clear reference to the 1978 movie "" starring, two stoners who unknowingly smuggle a similar stepvan that has Cadillac quarter panels on its rear and it's entirely made of "fiberweed".
 * While smoking weed in the Smoking Room at the Record A Studios, Franklin and Lamar will refer to many events from GTA V, and mention Simeon Yetarian, Denise Clinton, Tonya Wiggins.
 * In one of their conversations, Lamar will make a meta-joke about Franklin's and the GTA Online Protagonist's role as a protagonist in GTA V and GTA Online respectively, and Lamar's role as a "sidekick" for Franklin in GTA V and being the comic relief in both games.