Hidden levels are a mixed bag. On one hand, it draws the chagrin of players to find out a game has several hidden locations or items that aren’t clear as day. On the other, it’s fair to imagine why developers choose to leave concealed levels in their games. The added intrigue of an as-of-yet unknown level gives games certain boosts in popularity. The most famous games created always have missions that aren’t handed out to every player. Grand Theft Auto is without doubt the most popular game at the time, and the series is well-known for leaving out more than half of the game for players with a ravenous hunger for secret solving.
As the PlayStation brand has been the apex console home system for quarter of a century, most of the famous games (with Mario or Legend of Zelda being the only true exceptions) are available for PlayStation consoles. In fact, the PS consoles’ popularity can be attributed for this level concealment affinity that developers have. Knowing players will spend hundreds of hours anyway on the game, and with the majority of consumers owning a PS console, it’s a safe bet to hide away certain levels for the players to find.
However, some hidden levels are so well concealed that it’s been literally decades and still people haven’t found them, or never will. With the internet taking off in popularity during the mid-2000s, the knowledge of these levels was finally disclosed to the public at large. Taking advantage of this, we’ve compiled a list of games available on PlayStation consoles with hidden levels yet to be discovered.
Some are also available on other consoles, but affiliation with the PS brand is what’s made them popular.
25 True Final Boss - Prince Of Persia: Warrior Within
The intro to Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones left a majority of the players baffled to see Kaileena, the Empress of Time, alive and sailing into Babylon with the Prince. Warrior Within’s straight forward ending had them believe Kaileena had been defeated by the Prince; however, what players didn’t know was that ending was non-canonical.
In order to unlock the true ending, players needed to acquire all the life upgrades. Having done so, the Prince would gain possession of the legendary Water sword. This sword allowed the Prince to finally harm the Dahaka. Due to this, the Prince realized he could save Kaileena and himself. A boss fight with the Dahaka ensued and the player would play out the canonical ending.
24 Agent 47's Survival - Hitman: Blood Money
This one was staring at you in your face the whole time without you realizing it. Hitman: Blood Money had led the players believe Agent 47 was deceased in the present day setting of the game and was building toward the circumstances of his demise.
You most likely watched 47's end when you could’ve saved him.
The end credits had a funeral playing out and had the appearance of a cutscene; in actuality, player could trigger 47’s revival and initiate the final level. Here, 47 needed to take each and everyone present at the funeral to keep his identity concealed. After the mission, the true ending of the game plays out.
23 Underground Military - Grand Theft Auto V
In GTA, anything can count as a mission. Every area triggers either a cutscene or event that can be completed. In this instance, this hidden location can be found in one of the tiny islands of the Pacific Ocean. Obviously you can’t very well walk on water, so you’ll need to pick up some sort of transport to reach an area with two trees next to one another.
Once there, you’ll be taken to an underground base filled with agents and mercenaries keeping watch. It’s quite the surprise to happen upon a slew of guards in this incognito location. Venturing further, you’ll interrupt a meeting that is clearly confidential, which sparks a fight.
22 Secret Garden - Shadow Of The Colossus
Shadow of the Colossus’ end was one worthy of reflection. The protagonist, Wander, was consumed by darkness and left in his place was a baby with horns. The object of Wander’s affection, Mono-, and Wander’s horse, along with the baby, traverse up the castle into a secret garden.
Of all the land explored in the game, this one was there just to gaze at through a cutscene - or so it seemed. There’s a way around the castle that will get you into the secret garden. It’s a long process, requiring sincere commitment. Just remember, should you brave a trip to the secret garden, don’t consume any of the fruit as it will drain Wander’s health and stamina.
21 Inside The Throne Room - God Of War
Does this qualify as a level? We figure it does as it’s too awesome to overlook. The ending of the original God of War requires the player to ascend at the top of the throne room and take the seat, thereby completing the game.
Don’t be so quick, though.
There are two massive statues in the room just before the throne. Upon slashing at these statues, it appears they are unbreakable; but that’s not the case. You’ll need to hack and slash at both these status about 500 times before they break, revealing a phone number. Upon calling said number, director David Jaffe and Kratos himself have a neat conversation with you on the other line.
20 All The Secret Levels - Crash Bandicoot Series
There are just way too many secret levels in the Crash Bandicoot series to list down or write in detail about. Just be aware that every Crash Bandicoot game has multiple secret levels waiting to be unlocked.
This was in fact a popular feature in Crash Bandicoot games when they were still running hot in fame back when Naughty Dog was at the helm of the IP. Players would purchase the latest Crash Bandicoot game and search for the secret levels contained within. With Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy out now, don’t waste your time and go find these levels.
19 Revelation - Saints Row 2
Not taking a dig at Saints Row developers, but the series has been largely unnoticed thanks to the huge success Grand Theft Auto has had. Still, if you happen to have Saints Row 2 with you and are jonesing for a reason to play it, then this secret mission is all yours.
To activate the mission, you need to go to Saints Row Police Headquarters. Once inside, head over to the detectives branch. There, you’ll find three 3rd Street Saints mission markers; listen to all of them. After that, head over to Troy Bradshaw’s office nearby and a mission marker there will reveal a phone number to you. As soon as this number is dialed up, Revelations begin.
18 Retro Level - Doom (2016)
Keeping up with the tradition of naming newest entries in long-running series with simply the title of the first game, Doom (2016) is a reboot of the franchise. The gameplay and feel, however, are all next-gen entertainment. The developers didn’t forget to pay homage to the original game that brought the series so many fans.
While the game has many secret levels, they all feel very familiar.
These are scattered through the game; so chances are you came across a couple. For those who didn’t, the game sends players back in time to the original Doom, literally. The secret levels are those that formed part of the original game, complete with the same outdated graphics.
17 True Final Boss - Sonic Mania
Much like the case of Prince of Persia: Warrior Within, Sonic Mania also had a hidden final boss players didn’t come across. Although the boss character remained the same character of Dr. Robotnik, players could fight against him as Super Sonic instead.
In order to get this fight, players need to collect all seven Chaos Emeralds. It’s not all fun, though, as Dr. Robotnik has tricks to contend with Super Sonic as well. The antagonist can take away Sonic’s rings, thereby causing damage. This boss fight might be more difficult, but it does unlock the real ending for the game and that should be reason enough to partake in this challenge.
16 Albert Wesker's Desk - Resident Evil 2
Albert Wesker has got some secrets. As evidenced in Resident Evil 2, where you can do a little snooping into Wesker’s desk, the player can come across a certain picture the antagonist has kept with him, a picture of Rebecca Chambers.
Locating this picture is easier said than done.
Upon first investigation, the result will be nothing, but the player needs to search it 48 more times to finally get their hands on the picture! Even then it’s not the actual picture that you’ll have; it’s a roll of film. In the safe room, you’ll need to develop it and then have before you the sight of Rebecca Chambers in a basketball outfit...for some reason.
15 Fighting Jester - Devil May Cry 3: Dante's Awakening
This one is impossible to find in the original copy of Devil May Cry 3: Dante’s Awakening, due to the boss battle not being in the game at all. Jester, the annoying clown you might remember to be the alter ego of Arkham, antagonizes Dante for the better part of the game and players would love to put the joker in his place.
You can do this if you get a copy of Devil May Cry 3: Special Edition. In this version, Jester is a playable boss, albeit only optional, and will pop up more than a couple of times for the player to fight at to their hearts’ content. Those who never got the special edition went by without ever knowing they could have taken on Jester.
14 Different Scenarios - Silent Hill: Shattered Memories
Silent Hill: Shattered Memories gets a bad rap due to its position as a later entry in the Silent Hill series, at a time when the franchise had gone downhill. The game has splendid replay value though. Players can go back and replay the game numerous times and have it feel brand new.
There are dozens of possible scenarios for players to enjoy].
Those who played the game once and never went back have no idea what they’re missing. If you do have an intention to play the game again, all you need to do to change the scenarios in the story is select different options in the personality test that the psychiatrist gives you at various points in the game. Based on these answers, each character, and the endings, will be different.
13 Insomniac Museum - Ratchet & Clank Series
The Insomniac Museum is available in Ratchet and Clank games; Going Commando, Up Your Arsenal, Quest For Booty and A Crack In Time. This museum is a showcase of all the features that were cut during production of the particular game the player is going through.
In the original trilogy, the locations of the museums could either only be accessed after one hundred percent completion or, uniquely, between 3 AM and 4 AM (according to the PS2’s internal clock). The planet where the museum is located is known as Burbank, which has the shape of the Insomniac Games logo.
12 Different Realms - God Of War (2018)
2018’s God of War had the player circumventing the Norse mythology globe, travelling through different realms to complete the main quest. Once the storyline is done with, you can still locate other realms.
This is where Atreus’ gift of language comes in.
To unlock Muspelheim and Niflheim, you’ll need to find Ciphers that will allow you to gain access to these realms. Fortunately, you only need to find four such Ciphers for both realms. These can be located at various points during the story or separately in other realms. Once you’ve found them, Muspelheim (the realm of fire) and Niflheim (the realm of fog) are yours to enter.
11 Cloth Of Desperation - Shadow Of The Colossus
It gets annoying to fall off a colossus due to the slightest mistake and then having to scale the massive beings once more isn’t any less frustrating. To stave off some of this frustration, the developers have put in the “Cloth of Desperation”, in what is essentially a parachute.
To acquire this, you’ll need to finish the game once on Normal mode, then play it back again on Hard difficulty. Once you’ve defeated fourteen colossi, you’ll have to play on Hard Time Attack mode and defeat fourteen colossi again (almost not worth it, right?), but after accomplishing this feat, the parachute is yours to use as you see fit. Unfortunately, it’s not all that useful.
10 Retro Level Remastered - Prince Of Persia : The Sands Of Time
Those of us old enough to have played the classic Prince of Persia on our computers, when we were children, will remember hardly ever progressing farther than the first level. The developers knew this all too well and in Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, they discreetly inserted a remastered version of the classic game.
It plays out the same way, except there’s no ending.
You’ll run though the same pathway you did in the 2D version, except this time it’s 3D and end up in a hallway containing a large portrait of the entire team that worked on the game. Kind of pointless, but fun nonetheless.
9 Hadouken - Mega Man X
This game is no Street Fighter, but there can be Hadouken fireballs thrown left and right. After all, both Mega Man and Street Fighter are made by Capcom, so whatever they say goes. However, for you to enjoy flaming up these fireballs, you’ll need to undergo a lot of grief and live with the fact that no one would believe you even if you accomplished it.
You need to get all the upgrades, hearts and subtanks, head over to the Armed Armadillos level and then time your jump off the last cart to locate a hidden pellet. It doesn’t stop there – do this again about five more times and then you’re good to go. Unfortunately, the Hadouken can’t be saved, so you’ll need to do this all over again.
8 Painted World Of Ariamis - Dark Souls
The Dark Souls series isn’t exactly known for its easy level setting and so the idea of fighting an unknown boss will probably sound daunting. However, the sound of a hidden area known as the Painted World of Ariamis does have a certain allure to it.
For you to enter this world, you need to return to the prison cell and pick the Peculiar Doll, and then touch a certain painting. An optional boss is available should you feel the need for combat. For those who don’t feel too excited at having to face off against this boss, don’t worry as the Crossbreed Priscilla won’t attack unless provoked. But let it be known that the Priscilla Dagger won’t be yours.
7 Unlocking Reptile - Mortal Kombat II
New levels aren’t really much of a thing in fighting games. A new character, however, feels just about as satisfactory as a new level to play through. In Mortal Kombat II, you’ll find the character of Reptile continually taunt you by claiming you need to find him to beat him (as if it weren’t obvious).
He doesn’t make it any easy by throwing lackluster clues such as “look to luna” at you. These cryptic clues culminate in a bizarre method of fighting in The Pit, where you’ll need to do a double flawless fatality just when something is passing by the moon.
6 Saving Shadow - Final Fantasy VI
Final Fantasy VI is probably a faint vestige in the minds of gamers today. Final Fantasy VII’s popularity has caused other titles in the series to take a backseat. However, if you’re a Final Fantasy VI loyalist, you’ll remember Shadow’s end.
The 10 second countdown had all believing there was no saving him.
With the dialogue box offering “wait” and “jump” options, everyone bailed without giving a second thought; however, had you stuck around you’d have the opportunity to save Shadow and played through another story featuring a girl called Relm. Shadow would then join you in your journey. Next time, how about having a bigger heart rather than leaving your friend to perish?