Grand Theft Auto V is an absolute masterpiece of video game design. The series has been redefining the open world genre ever since its jump to 3D with Grand Theft Auto III, and the latest iteration in the series is no slouch. The details present in this game reach astronomical levels. A player that wishes to find each and every little secret that's present in the game has to put a fair bit of effort in if they want to gloat about having found everything. (Of course, doing so will also mean that you pretty much have no life outside of video games).

Speaking of secrets, there are a ton of hidden messages and scattered across the world of Los Santos which the player can find if they put a lot — and we do mean a lot — of effort. Some of these include the trademark Rockstar humor, while others hint at something totally sinister present in the game that might not be apparent at first glance. Whatever the nature of these messages might be, it's clear that Rockstar has put in a lot of time and effort into crafting this open world and providing gamers with the best experience one can offer. Here are 15 hidden messages in Grand Theft Auto V that you probably haven't noticed — which Rockstar kinda counts on so your mind can be blown when you read about it on this list).

15 Welcoming You Back To Los Santos Rather Creatively

Grand Theft Auto V lets you visit the city of Los Santos for the second time in the franchise. The first time you get to visit this place is in San Andreas, which was another landmark title for the series. The dark green colors of the Grove Street Families will be familiar to any person who's played the game, and a callback to the times gone by is present in the latest iteration of the series.

To be more specific, there's a certain place in Chamberlain Hills that has a rather interesting piece of graffiti on a wall. The artwork features the iconic green colors of the Grove Street Families and reads out, "Welcome back! We missed you since last time."

14 A Subtle 'Back To The Future' Reference

Back To The Future is one of the most iconic movies of all time, and it's no wonder why the trilogy has become a pop culture icon that pretty much everyone knows about. Apparently, Rockstar is no stranger to these movies either, and they've referenced it in a pretty clever fashion as well.

There's a satellite tower present in Sandy Shores, where players can find a circuit box. While this might sound boring, the power mentioned on this circuit box is 1.21 GW, which is a really subtle — and pretty clever — nod to the iconic power measurement by Doc Brown while he's testing out his time machine.

13 The Special Edition Map Reveals Hidden Messages Under UV Light

The special edition of Grand Theft Auto V was a pleasant surprise that showcased just how much power is present in the engine that the game is made on. A person's experience of the game is completely altered with the shift to first-person, and that honestly would've been enough... but after all, we're talking about Rockstar. They always have to take the extra step when it comes to stuff like this.

So (along with a bunch of extra features), when Rockstar shipped out the copies of the special edition, they also packaged a map along with it that seems rather innocent at a first glance — that is, until you decide to shine a UV light at it. This action will reveal a bunch of secrets that are marked on the map which you can actually find in the game.

12 'Dock' Your LifeInvader To Any Device

Grand Theft Auto V is a game that has a bunch of satirical aspects that parody real life in more ways than one. Obviously, Facebook won't be spared by Rockstar when it comes to this scathing satire, and they're parodied in the form of LifeInvader, a social media site that exists within the game.

One of the advertisements that appear on the television involves a docking feature that LifeInvader boasts about. Basically, in order to stay connected at all times, LifeInvader wants people to dock their account to the device... with something on you.

No, don't ask us how that works. We're not experts on this subject.

11 A Subtle Nod To The Reddit Community

Subtle messages have become a staple in the Grand Theft Auto series, and nothing gets more subtle than this.

There are various newspaper clippings scattered across the city of Los Santos, and one of them happens to have a rather interesting heading, which might not make any sense at first glance if you aren't familiar with Reddit.

However, the saying, "When does a Narwhal Bacon," will certainly ring a bell with Redditors all over the world. The answer to this perplexing question is "midnight," and is meant to a be a secret code for Redditors to identify themselves in real life. Yes — it's pretty freaking cringy, but that's just the power of the hive mind.

10 A Callback To Grove Street Families

We've already talked before about the significance of Los Santos in the Grand Theft Auto Franchise. San Andreas was the first game to utilize this setting, and Grove Street has become a neighborhood that most gamers now know by heart. In order to pay homage to the days gone by, Rockstar decided to add a hidden message in Grand Theft Auto V referencing the Grove Street Families.

This message can be found on the eastern side of the Del Pierro Pier, where the words "Nothing to see here! Groove along" can be seen, accompanied with a smiley face. This sign can be interpreted as either a subtle reference to the Grove Street Families, or a callback to a similar sign that was present in Grand Theft Auto III.

9 Rockstar Troll Gamers In Typical Rockstar Fashion

Rockstar's known for including a bunch of humorous signs in their games, and this one's no different.

These pair of signs can be found in Strawberry, in a path present on the side of the highway. These messages are written out in graffiti, and the first one signals the player to "turn back." Of course, since gamers are inquisitive in nature, it's pretty obvious that most of them didn't turn back and continued onwards.

Unfortunately for these players, it seems that Rockstar was actually telling the truth in the first place. For all their efforts, players are simply told that there's "nothing here." It's a trademark joke from Rockstar... although players who were expecting a payoff might not find it to be all that funny.

8 Writing On The Train's Side Spells 'LS2004'

The developers at Rockstar always find creative ways to display secrets in the game, and this is just one of these numerous instances.

The trains roaming around Los Santos have a rather interesting inscription written on their side, and it takes a rather keen mind to make the connection once they witness this particular message.

The inscription reads out 'LS2004', and to the normal eye it might just be reading out Los Santos 2004. However, veterans of the series will realize that 2004 was the release year of San Andreas, and a game that we've already talked about multiple times on this list. It's just of the many intelligent nods towards a great game that everyone should experience.

7 The Game Itself Has 69 Missions In Total

The obsessions of Rockstar and the Grand Theft Auto franchise with the number 69 has been well documented. The infamous 'Area 69' in San Andreas is perhaps the most notable example of this, but the cheeky inclusion of this number in Grand Theft Auto V is also rather glaring as well.

Attaining 100% completion is no simple task, and in order to do so, one of the important criteria is to complete all the main missions in the game. While this might be rather obvious, the reason why we've chosen to specify this fact is because the total number of main missions that must be completed to achieve total completion is — you guessed it — 69.

6 Some Cars Have 'GOATSE' Written On Their Number Plates

If you don't know what Goatse is, then — no matter how curious you might be — don't try googling it. Sometimes, ignorance is bliss.

For those of you who do know about this disgusting fad that had taken over the internet (albeit for a short period of time), Goatse truly was one of the evilest pranks you could bait your friends with.

It seems that the staff of Rockstar were also the victims of this prank (or maybe the pranksters themselves) since they decided to pay tribute to this short-lived trend by imprinting 'GOATSE' on some of the number plates of various cars in and around Los Santos.

5 Space Invaders Merchandise In Lester's Home

Lester is one of the major side characters in Grand Theft Auto V, and helps you in setting up each and every heist that you perform in the game. In a way, he functions as the voice of reason to quell the crazy nature of the protagonists in the game, and even serves as a huge help in GTA Online as well.

Lester's also a pretty big nerd, and this can be witnessed in the tons of geeky merchandise that the player can see scattered around his home. While most of these are fake, there's one solitary reference to real life present on the wall that players can witness. This reference happens to revolve around the popular arcade game of Space Invaders.

4 The Messages Of The Infinity Killer

Merle Abrahams is a name that most Grand Theft Auto V veterans would be familiar with. The legend of the Infinity Killer is well-known around the Grand Theft Auto rumor mill, and this has been crafted meticulously by Rockstar with their immaculate attention-to-detail that their company is synonymous with.

This can be seen in the eerie poems scattered across the open-world of the game, which is crafted in the manner of a nursery rhyme to provide that extra creepy effect. This is just one of the many secrets scattered across Los Santos that hint towards the existence of a deranged serial killer in the game, which includes his burnt-down house and a newspaper clipping detailing his death in prison.

3 'JOCK' Written In Blood Near The Ghost Of Mt. Gordo

The Ghost of Mt. Gordo is perhaps the most famous easter egg present in the game. This ghost is the spirit of the deceased Jolene-Cranley Evans, a woman who was married to Jock Cranley. The legend goes that Jock wanted to move into the big city, whereas Jolene wanted to stay in the countryside. So, in order to further his own career, Jack pushed his wife off the side of Mt. Gordo's cliff.

However, her spirit still lingered on, and around the hours of midnight players can actually witness a floating apparition around the peak of Mt. Gordo. The ghost disappears once the player gets close, leaving behind the name of her husband in blood near the rocks where she appeared.

2 The Famous Mt. Chiliad Mural

The mural present at the top of Mt. Chiliad in Grand Theft Auto V was one of the most famous secrets present in the game that took almost three years to uncover after the game was originally released. The mural looks unbelievably cryptic at first glance, but a closer look shows that the mural actually details out a number of valuable secrets present in the game.

It's a testament to Rockstar that they managed to craft a secret that took almost three years to properly uncover. Even now, the debate about the significance of some aspects of this mural is still hotly contested, but after what seemed like ages players finally managed to at least witness the UFO that appears at the peak after achieving true 100% completion in the game.

1 Garden Gnomes In A Rather... 'Interesting' Pose

Vinewood Hills is a pretty on-the-nose parody of Hollywood (which can be seen in the rather obvious 'Vinewood' sign present in the game). The area is one of the poshest places in Los Santos, and you'd expect a touch of class in this area for sure. But in the end, this is a Grand Theft Auto game after all, and there's bound to be some shenanigans here.

And Rockstar certainly didn't let up when it came to showcasing their silly sense of humor. In front of one of the houses in the area, a bunch of garden gnomes can be seen. One such gnome is actually leaning forward with their pants down... or — to sum it up in one crass word — mooning.