Having launched in 2013, Grand Theft Auto V quickly become the highest selling entertainment product in history by surpassing over one billion dollars in sales over the course of just three days. After only six weeks, Rockstar were able to sell over 29 million copies of GTA V – with the rate continuing to grow even after almost four years since its release. Grand Theft Auto V is currently sitting at over 75 million copies sold worldwide - across all platforms.

One thing that Rockstar should be commended on is their continual support that they offer to the game in the form of free updates on a monthly basis. Due to this reason, the Grand Theft Auto community continues to thrive in not only the online aspect, but also within the single player as millions of players are still dedicated to finding ever last remaining secret the game has to offer. I think we can all agree that Grand Theft Auto V has one of the largest – most detailed – collections of easter eggs, myths, hidden references and cameo appearances than any other game on the market.

With that being said – and the numbers being acknowledged – it is extremely surprising that despite the amount of players within the community, more and more easter eggs and secrets are continually being found and exposed on a regular basis. Whether this is due to Rockstar being very good at hiding their secrets or simply the result of them adding more into the game as part of their continual updates is uncertain.

Without further ado, here are 20 of the craziest easters eggs and myths that you can currently find within the game!

Do you happen to have a favourite easter egg or simply know of one that should be added to our list? Be sure to share your thoughts in the comment section below.

20 Golden Tree

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Found on the eastern coast of San Andreas, not far from the Braddock Pass on Mount Gordo is a golden tree. While the tree appears to be normal during the day, at night its texture changes to a bright yellow that looks as if it is almost glowing. The tree is also so noticeably bright, that it can be easily seen from the highway.

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via igta5.com

The golden tree plays no role in the game’s story-line; leaving many to believe that it may in fact be related to another easter egg within the game. The most common connection that players have found has been the Mount Chiliad Mystery - although nothing can be official confirmed until the mystery is solved. Other players in the community have even suggested that the tree may be a glitch as areas such as the Grand Senora desert have bushes that appear gold at night.

Until we have a break through on the Mount Chiliad Mystery or an official comment from Rockstar, the reasoning behind the trees golden glow will remain unknown.

19 North Yankton Frozen Alien

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Rockstar wasted no time in dropping easter eggs in Grand Theft Auto V, as the first one can be found during the first mission of the game. Shortly after escaping the bank - that Michael and Trevor rob - you will find yourself traveling down a snow covered road in the getaway car. This easter egg can be found as you begin to near the sharp right turn just before the bridge, however, in this case you will want to veer off the road and down to the river on your right.

Located directly under the bridge, you will find an alien encased in the frozen river. You will need to be extra quick though, as checking out this easter egg will mean you fail the mission – but let's be honest, it's completely worth it. If you want to check out the alien up close, you will only have approximately five to six seconds to get a good look before the mission will fail– for longer viewing, simply stay closer to the road.

18 The Ghost Of Mount Gordo

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Found not long after the launch of the game in 2013, the Jolene Cranley-Evans’ Ghost is by far one of the creepiest easter eggs to come out of GTA 5. Jolene’s ghost can be found near the peak of Mount Gordo upon a large flat rock that bears the word JOCK - in what appears to be blood. Jolene will only appear between the time of 23:00 and 0:00, where she is dressed in a large white dress with long dark black hair.

Getting a good glimpse of the ghost of Mount Gordo is a little challenging as she does appear somewhat transparent and will disappear completely should you get too close to her. Many players have combated this issue by using a sniper sight or the phone's camera to get a closer look.

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via igta5.com

The GTA Franchise is no stranger to creepy and scary easter eggs as the ghost of Jolene Cranley Evans’ shows many eerie similarities to the Ghost Town Figure from Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, as they are both not only female, but they also appear at the exact same time. If things couldn’t get any creepier, this particular myth is based off of a real life murder that occurred within the Midwestern United States. The Ghost of Jolene Cranley Evans’ remains one of the few myths to be actually proven true, as many are still awaiting enough hardened facts to be given the final tick of approval.

17 Zombies

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When visiting the Vinewood Hills, you can find an easter egg where you encounter a rather friendly zombie. The Vinewood Zombie, also known as Graham, usually frequents a corner on the Vinewood Boulevard near the Cinema and can be found wearing zombie make-up and tattered clothes.

One of the best things about this easter egg is that fact that you can interact with him and have a conversation. If you are to watch Graham, you will see that his act consists of speaking about zombies as a cultural obsession and offering those that pass him by the opportunity to take a picture for $10. During the performance, he will also take a phone call from his mother, where he feels the need to – once again – justify his actions as a cosplayer by defining his performance as a post-modern statement on the proliferation of zombie’s in culture.

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via igta5.com

The most interesting aspects of this easter egg is that your conversations change with Graham if you play as Trevor Philips, as he will explain to Graham that he reminds him of his dead brother, Ryan. Trevor goes on to explain that he wasn’t too fond of Ryan and that he died in an “accident.”

In typical Trevor fashion, he will also mentions that he doesn’t understand the whole zombie situation and begins to question why they have such a fascination in the taste of the brain compare to other body parts. Graham then has to remind Trevor that he isn’t a real zombie, but instead just simply a cosplayer.

16 CJ, Ryder & Big Smoke Make A Cameo

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When Grand Theft Auto V was first announced, fans had hoped that CJ would make a triumphant return in some form – whether it was a minor reference, cameo or an encounter. While some minor references were made throughout the story-line, the mission "Hood Safari" was what really got the fans excited as Rockstar managed to bring a wave of nostalgia that no one saw coming. During the mission, the player is required to take Franklin, Lamar, Trevor and Chop to Grove Street in order to conduct a drug deal.

As the player approaches the Grove Street circle, you will notice three people on bicycles riding away from the street. These three riders are none other than a perfect representation of CJ, Ryder and Big Smoke. This is where the nostalgia begins to hit as the player is taken all the way back to the good ol’ days of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas as the scene seems to fit in with the game’s second mission “Sweet and Kendl,” as CJ, Big Smoke, and Ryder are force to ride their bikes safely back to Grove Street after being chased by a group of Ballers.

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via igta5.com

To further this easter egg, Rockstar has even dressed the three riders in very similar clothing, with the main rider even rocking the icon white tank top that CJ was wearing when first starting in San Andreas. The riders are also wearing hats with Old Gen sewn onto the sides, which is clearly a reference to the past generation of Grand Theft Auto games.

15 Big Foot

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The myth of Bigfoot has existed since the launch of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas all the way back in 2004 - with many fans still speculating whether or not the myth is actually true in the game's universe. This, however, has all changed in GTA V as Bigfoot has been proven to exist on not one, but two different occasions.

During the mission “Predator,” Michael is tasked with finding the O’Neil brothers in the woods at night. In order to see the Bigfoot easter egg, the player must use a sniper rifle fitted with a thermal scope to effectively see him. When the player is zoomed in with the thermal scope, they will notice number of animals and also a strange looking figure standing upright. This figure very closely resembles the shape and overall look of Bigfoot.

If you do happen to try and get a glimpse of Bigfoot, you will need to be quick as after a few seconds of watching – or simply looking away – Bigfoot will disappear.

Bigfoot can also be encountered during the Strangers and Freaks mission "The Last One," where Franklin meets a hunter that has been tracking Bigfoot for over nine years – a reference to Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. The player will then begin to search the woods and will eventually find Bigfoot. Once found, a chase will break out in which Franklin will chase Bigfoot through the woods. When finally caught, Bigfoot will collapse from exhaustion and reveal that he is indeed a human.

14 Abandoned Mine Shaft

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Hidden in the area of Great Chaparral - near Mount Josiah - players will find an old mine shaft entrance that can be opened by using explosives on the door. Once opened, players will be able to explore the old abandoned mine shaft that is full of railroads, dead ends and several different mining tools. Before you enter though, be sure to grab your flash light as the shaft is not only dark, but also haunted!

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via igta5.com

Hidden within the old mine shaft on the first rail track, players will find a body of a dead man wearing a classic 1940s pinstripe suit. The body is believed to be that of an animated cartoon maker called Isaac, that Solomon Richards killed. This body is based around the Murder Mystery side quest. Upon completing the side quest, players will unlock the Vantage Noir filters, which led many players to believe that the body was an easter egg referring to officer Cole Phelps, who drowned at the end of L.A Noire – a game also made by Rockstar Games.

To make the easter egg even more creepy, footsteps can be heard when passing the body, even when the player is at a dead stop and not moving in any way.

13 Jesus Makes An Appearance

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It wouldn't be a Grand Theft Auto game without a parody character making an appearance! Just like other games in the series, GTA V is no exception as Jesse, a Jesus impersonator, can be found at the Del Perro Pier. Jesse, a bearded man wearing blue jeans, a white shirt, and a crucifix around his neck, can be found entertaining on the pier where he shares his Biblical stories from his personal experiences. You will also find that if you speak to Jesse, he will tell you just how much he loves everyone, and also how his dad loves everyone as well.

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Jesse is only mentioned once throughout the game’s story-line by Jimmy De Santa during the mission "Reuniting the Family." Ultimately though, Jesse serves no purpose to the game’s story-line and is merely just an easter egg for players to find.

12 Black Cellphones

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After more than three years of being out, Grand Theft Auto V is still hiding secrets that players are yet to discover. While this may not be on the top list of easter eggs within GTA V, it is still exciting to hear that players are uncovering new easter eggs and secrets within the game – even after three years.

To access this hidden easter egg, the player will need to use their cell phone to dial the number 1-999-367-3767. As soon as the player hits the call button, a small explosion will appear nearby. You will also notice that the next time you use your phone; it will now have an all-black theme.

Now this easter egg is rather strange as players have previously data-mined GTA V for all of the possible phone numbers within the game, but this one did not appear. This has led to many players to believing that Rockstar have only recently added the number into the game. Why you ask? Nobody knows, but that hasn’t stopped players from searching for any connections that it may have to other easter eggs within the game.

11 The Infinity Killer

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If you are one for cryptic murder mysteries, you are going to be in for a treat with this easter egg as it is definitely one of the more challenging, yet interesting easter eggs within GTA V. The Infinity Killer easter egg follows the story of Merle Abrahams, a psychotic serial killer with an obsession for the number eight and infinity.

Merle Abrahams was convicted of a string of disappearances, where it was believed that he had murdered eight male joggers and hid their bodies somewhere across the state of San Andreas. While Merle was captured and incarcerated in the Bolingbroke Penitentiary, he never revealed the location of his victims. However, a series of clues can be found throughout the game in the form of short phrases written across varies walls, usually describing his motivations behind the murders.

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To solve this mystery, the player will need to gather clues left by Merle from his house at Sandy Shores, rocks close by to his home and the prision – where Merle left the most important clue yet. While I won’t spoil all of the details about this easter egg, the player is able to piece together the series of clues left behind by Merle to reveal the exact location of all eight bodies.

10 Big Orange Ball

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I’m sure you have all seen the large orange ball that sit atop of a juice stand in the Vinewood Hills, but did you know that you can detach it? This easter egg is one of the fun ones as it can easily give the player hours of entertainment with countless possibilities. Detaching the giant orange ball is extremely easy - simply shoot at it, punch it or walk into it to send it rolling. Many fans have turned this easter egg into a series of challenges, played a game of giant football with their cars or even placing it in the back of a pickup truck and driving it all around town. Don’t limit your possibilities though, as the giant orange ball is virtually indestructible.

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Similar juice stands can even be found in three different locations across the map - starting from East Joshua Road, Route 13 (Senora Freeway) in Grapeseed and the San Chianski Mountain Range.

9 Giant Whale Bones

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Are the stories true, does Megalodon really exist or is there some kind of giant sea monster lurking off the coast of Los Santos? Every GTA has been plagued with rumors and myths of these giant sharks and sea monsters – let’s be honest, I wouldn’t put it past Rockstar – but they have all sadly turned up as either fake or untrue.

When players were given the opportunity to search the ocean floor with scuba gear or a submersible, the rumors of such creatures were quick to resurface as two very large skeletons were found embedded into the sand just off the shore of both the east and west coast. However, after much debate within the community, the two skeletons were proven too closely resemble that of a Humpback Whale – which commonly frequent the California coast.

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The whale skeletons can only be found when using scuba gear or the submersible, making it quite the rewarding easter egg for those that actively enjoy searching and hunting for hidden features within the game.

8 Thelma & Louise

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The Grand Theft Auto series is full of movie and television references as the series - especially GTA V - is mostly based around a parody representation of the era's latest pop culture. In saying that, Rockstar has managed to include an awesome easter egg that plays out almost identically to the 1991 classic film, Thelma and Louise. The easter egg can be found in the Chiliad Mountain State Wilderness, near Raton Canyon during the time period of 7 pm and 8 pm.

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via igta5.com

To witnessing this easter egg play out, you will need a helicopter to gain access to the location. Much the same as the Thelma and Louise ending, you will notice – should you be able to get close enough – a group of law enforcement officers in a stand-off with two females inside a convertible Tornado that contains two guitars and a large sombrero on the back seat. As the officers begin to move in on the vehicle, it will begin to accelerate and drive off the cliff.

Should you or any other object get in the way of the car, the female driver will begin to honk the horn until you move. This easter egg is definitely by far one of the cooler easter eggs you will encounter during the game as more often than not, easter eggs are generally inanimate objects or simply drawings on a wall.

7 No Country For Old Men

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The Deal Gone Wrong easter egg can be found in the Chiliad Mountain State Wilderness, where players can find a replicated scene from the 2007 film No Country For Old Men. The easter eggs presents the player with a scene that looks as if a drug deal had gone wrong – just like the movie – as the player will stumble upon a group of cars that are riddled with bullet holes and screeching horns. Various dead bodies lay scattered across the ground with only a small number of survivors remaining.

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Now this is where the easter egg gets exciting, as the player can travel down past the hill and find one last drug dealer sitting by a silver briefcase. This briefcase is loaded with $25,000. The player has the option to steal this case, but you must be warned that if you do, a gang of drug dealers will pursue you and demand it back. The only way to successfully keep the money is to kill them.

I think we can all agree that Rockstar has certainly outdone themselves with the level of detail that has been put into these hidden easter eggs.

6 Goatman

It wouldn’t be a Grand Theft Auto game without some kind of easter egg making reference to a creepy humanoid creature. Hidden in the area of Catfish View bridge, many players believe a humanoid creature under the name of Goatman frequents the area. Goatman is said to stand upright, with hair covering his entire body and two large horns that protrude from the top of his head.

Goatman is believed to be based off of a creature known in southern Texas under the same name, which also frequents a bridge known as the Old Alton Bridge. If things couldn’t get any stranger, the bridge shows striking resemblance to an in-game bridge where Goatman is usually encountered. The local legend also states that should a car drive across the bridge with no headlights on, Goatman will take this as a sign and make himself visible – very much similar to his behaviour in-game.

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Encounters with Goatman are very rare, with only a few sightings being caught on camera. One lucky player was able to capture of photo of Goatman standing in the middle of the road – right before the bridge. Straight after capturing the photo, Goatman fled the area by running underneath the bridge. Another encounter was seen via a YouTube video, where Goatman can be seen standing just off the side of the road, among a few bushes.

The Goatman easter egg has been long debated among the community, but I think we can all safely say that either way, we don’t want to encounter him any time soon!

5 Face On Mount Chiliad

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This particular easter egg is one of the more stranger ones to be featured in Grand Theft Auto V as it contains no purpose to the game’s story-line or any characters within the game. Found on the northern slop of Mount Chiliad - near the cable car station - players with the PS3 or Xbox 360 version of the game will find a strange face spray painted onto the side of the mountains slope.

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The face bears no resemblance to any in game character, but many fans believe it is a close representation of the Breaking Bad star, Jesse Pinkman. Others simply believe that the face belongs to one of the games developers.

For those that happen to own the enhanced version of GTA on PS4, Xbox One or PC, you are sadly out of luck, as it has since been replaced with a rather inappropriate graffiti tag - a penis.

The meaning behind this easter egg looks to remain unsolved as Rockstar has made no official comment on who the face belongs to. You will need to think again before jumping to any conclusions of the face having some kind of connection to the Mount Chiliad Mystery, as it has been confirmed that it has no connection to the mystery in any way.

4 UFOs

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Grand Theft Auto V is the first game in the series to feature UFOs. In order to see this easter egg, the player must have completed the game 100% or else they will not appear. Once the game has been completed, UFOs can be found in three different locations – Beam Me Up, Fort Zancudo and Mount Chiliad. However, one more UFO can be found sunken off the northern coast of San Andreas, just north of Procopio Beach. This is the only UFO that can be found without completing the game.

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While you may think it is fun to mess around with the UFOs, you may find that it isn’t that great of an idea. Not only are they indestructible to all damage inflicted by firearms and vehicles, they may also abduct you. All abductions will only take place during late dusk, at night or during the very early morning and always in remote areas. The three areas in which the abductions can occur are The Grand Senora Desert, the Tongva Triangle, and also the Oceanside of Palomino Highlands. If the player is being actively hunted, they must find civilization as quickly as possible.

If the player has been abducted they will wake up a few hours later – usually in the morning - in their last known location and have lost a significant amount of health. If you haven’t yet completed the game to 100%, you better get started, as the UFO easter egg is definitely among the coolest within the game.

3 Underwater Hatch

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Located deep underwater off the eastern coast of San Andreas, players will find a small circular structure on the bottom of the ocean floor. The circular structure has a small rectangular window on top, with a light that will turn on as you near it. While the structure isn’t found on land, it does, however, closely resembles The Hatch from the television show Lost.

The purpose of this structure – whether it was made for future DLC or simply an easter egg – remains unknown as it does not play a part in the game’s storyline. Players are also not able to get close enough to The Hatch to inspect it, as the pressure from the oceans depths will crush you. However, you are able to get close enough to the structure to hear an odd tapping noise that is similar to Morse code.

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via wikia.com

After finding this easter egg, the community quickly banded together and later discovered that the strange tapping noise and was in fact Tap Code – a form of short taps and pauses. From there, a few players were able to decipher the code as ‘Hey, you never call, how’d you fancy going bowling?’. This line is an easter egg that references to Roman Bellic, the cousin of Grand Theft Auto IV’s Niko Bellic.

2 Big Foot VS The Beast

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To successfully unlock this easter egg, the player will need to have completed the game 100% - including "The Last One" side mission– and found all 27 Peyote plants. Once everything is completed, golden Peyote plants will begin to appear each day of the week during 5:30 am and 8:00 am. There’s one catch though, they will need to be collected only when there is snowy or foggy weather.

Each time the player eats one of the golden Peyotes, they will be rewarded with the ability to play as a Sasquatch. For the Beast to be spawned, the golden Peyote plants will need to be eaten in the correct order – starting from Sunday and ending on Saturday. After eating the last golden Peyote, each time the player growls, a howl can be heard from the distance - which the player will need to follow.

After following the howling noise – and a trail of dead bodies – the player will arrive at Thomson Scrapyard. Upon finding the last body within the scrapyard, the camera will focus onto the top of one of the plane wreckage, where the Beast can be seen jumping down from. If the player is to win the fight, the Beast will be unlocked as a character in the directors mode.

The way Rockstar handled this particular easter egg was very strange as it was added into the game during the Freemode Events Update in 2015 as an add-on to the golden Peyote plant spawnings. As this easter egg was added into the game as a result of a number of players successfully collecting all of the golden Peyotes, it makes us wonder just how many more easter eggs are yet to be released from Rockstar’s vault?

1 Mount Chiliad Mystery

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The Mount Chiliad Mystery is one of the game's longest running easter eggs and myths that is yet to be solved. The Mount Chiliad Mystery all came about when players found a large painted map on the wall of the Cable Car Station. The map consists of a number of strange symbols that seem to be depicting hidden objects found within the map.

Map Location: 

via igta5.com

Many members of the community believe that when the map is aligned correctly, all of the major diagrams on the map perfectly match up with one another. However, no further details or links can be found on the process to unlock – what is assumed to be – the much sought after jetpack.

It has been almost four years since the launch of GTA V and the mystery of the Mount Chiliad Diagram still remains. Due to the hefty time period, the mystery has quickly become very detailed and complicated, with hundreds – if not thousands - of legitimate theories available. Will Rockstar ever reveal the true meaning of the diagram or will someone eventually solve the mystery? That’s something we are just going to have wait to find out.