10 Easter eggs in GTA 5 story mode: UFOs, Max Payne 3, and more

There are plenty of Easter eggs in GTA 5 story mode, and you can find them in both freeroam and during missions. While some of them are easier to recognize, others require thorough knowledge and observation. Nonetheless, finding Easter eggs in GTA games is always fun and intriguing.

Here are 10 Easter eggs in GTA 5 that are worth exploring for.

UFOs, Max Payne 3, and eight other interesting Easter eggs in GTA 5

1) UFO sightings

UFOs are among the well-known Easter eggs in GTA 5. Multiple units spawn across the map, but the most popular ones include Bishop's WTF?! Store UFO, underwater FIB UFO north of Paleto Bay, and the Fort Zancudo UFO.

2) Aliens

Along with the UFOs, aliens are a part of Easter eggs in GTA 5. However, they only appear during missions. The first one can be spotted during the Prologue mission in North Yankton, frozen under the rail bridge. The others appear during the Did Somebody Say Yoga? mission.

3) Max Payne 3 references

There are two Max Payne 3 Easter eggs in GTA 5. You can make Michael look like Max by acquiring a Hawaiian shirt, bald head, and full beard. Moreover, the Dignity yacht is highly similar to the one that appears in the Sun Tan Oil, Stale Margaritas and Greed mission in Max Payne 3.

4) Bigfoot sightings

Bigfoot continues to be one of the Easter eggs in GTA 5 (Image via Rockstar Games)

Bigfoot is one of the popular mysteries of the Grand Theft Auto series, and it appears during two missions in GTA 5. The first one can be seen during the Predator mission through the thermal scope. However, it disappears after a split second. The second one appears during The Last One mission, where Franklin kills him.

5) References to Niko Bellic

Niko is mentioned in multiple Easter eggs (Image via Rockstar Games)

References to Niko can be found inside the Yellow Jack Inn in Sandy Shores. The protagonist’s wanted posters are also scattered around the map in various places. Occasionally, you can find Jimmy browsing through the LifeInvader page of the GTA 4 character.

6) CJ and Sweet lookalikes

Two San Andreas characters lookalikes appear as GTA 5 Easter eggs (Image via Rockstar Games)

During the Hood Safari mission, you can spot characters similar to CJ and Sweet from GTA San Andreas. They’ll spawn cycling from the opposite direction. However, you must follow the exact route given by the game for them to appear.

7) Other references to CJ

CJ is a popular name in GTA 5 (Image via Rockstar Games)

CJ can be seen in various other Easter eggs in GTA 5. For example, Michael’s household toothpaste is named CJ’s Toothpaste, the mission Derailed has a medal called “Better than CJ," and Lester has a book named Surveillance with an image of the popular protagonist on the cover.

8) Three wise monkeys

The three wise monkeys are subtly represented in GTA 5 (Image via Rockstar Games)

During the Blitz Play mission in GTA 5, Michael, Trevor, and Franklin recreate the Three Wise Monkeys pose after hearing Dave Norton’s statement. This is a comic situation where Dave (a crooked FIB agent) says some of the government employees are corrupt. As a response, the protagonists make the poses.

9) Vice City characters

Vice City characters are mentioned as Easter eggs in GTA 5 (Image via Rockstar Games)

Rockstar namedropped various GTA Vice City characters in GTA 5. You can find references to Candy Suxxx, BJ Smith, DJ Toni, The Twins, and other characters from the 3D Universe game. However, they do not appear physically in the game.

10) Yusuf Amir’s products

Yusuf sells products in GTA 5 (Image via Rockstar Games)

The Yusuf Amir Luxury Finish is one of the most underrated Easter eggs in GTA 5. Yusuf is a character from The Ballad of Gay Tony, and he sells weapon skins in the 2013 title. These skins are usually costlier than the regular ones and are primarily golden in color.

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About the author

Mridul completed his post-graduation in Mass Communication, Journalism, and Media Studies. His career as a journalist began at Sportskeeda, and he has been associated with the Esports & Gaming division for over 1.5 years. He has produced 1600+ articles on Grand Theft Auto, his favorite gaming franchise of all time.

Mridul writes detailed and well-researched articles, relying solely on official sources and reputable insiders for credible information. His immense love for the GTA series shines through in his work, which resonates with readers, with five of his articles having crossed the 100,000 reads mark each. Overall, his reads count stands at close to 8 million.

GTA: Vice City served as Mridul's introduction to Rockstar Games, and he has dedicatedly made his way through the publisher's catalog since then. If given a chance, he would love to drop into the world of Bully and relive his school days. However, he would like to recommend Grand Theft Auto 4 to beginners due to the depth of its narrative and in-game mechanics.

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Edited by Angad Sharma