20 GTA Easter Eggs in OTHER Games

“Minecraft” (2011)

Upon booting up “Minecraft”, you will (or should) notice that the yellow text displayed on the main menu changes every time you boot up the game. This text will often reference memes, jokes, and other quotes from various forms of entertainment. Oddly enough, one of these little messages does make a reference to “Grand Theft Auto”, specifically “San Andreas”. The text will read “Follow the train, CJ”, referencing the notorious mission, “Wrong Side of the Tracks”, which those who’ve played will be all too familiar with that “Mission Failed” screen.

“Goat Simulator 3” (2022)

There is a chance this may not be a direct reference to GTA V, but honestly, we can’t think of any other game or even movie or TV show that this could be. One of your tasks in “Goat Simulator 3” is to use a tow truck to dismantle and demolish a two-story house. Unsurprisingly, it takes quite a bit of effort to yank the house off of its foundation. But it was almost impossible not to think back to GTA V when Michael tore down the home of his wife’s tennis instructor. Easily one of the best missions in GTA V!

“The Henry Stickmin Collection” (2020)

Before making “Among Us”, Innersloth developed this short series of goofy games surrounding one particular stick man, Henry Stickmin. In the “Stealing the Diamond” episode, the police chase is essentially one long parody of “Grand Theft Auto” in general with the ever-increasing Wanted stars. Then, you have “Completing the Mission” where it is possible to get caught by a character named Byeah #503, who is a reference to the GTA IV “Byeah meeting” meme that went viral in 2013.

“Watch Dogs 2” (2016)

Admittedly, this one may not be super obvious at the start. In “Watch Dogs 2”, you are given almost free reign in exploring this virtual version of San Francisco, California. However, there is one area that feels all too familiar. Near one of the highways, you’ll find a cul-de-sac that is assembled in such a way it’s impossible to call it a coincidence. Yep, there is no denying that this is supposed to be Grove Street from “GTA: San Andreas”, which San Andreas itself is partially inspired by San Francisco. You can even find green, yellow, and purple Sabres inspired by the Grove Street Gang, the Ballas, and the Los Aztecas.

“Goat Simulator: Remastered” (2024)

We might be cheating with this one here, especially since we already covered “Goat Simulator 3”. Regardless, there is one GTA reference we cannot ignore that we all saw in the announcement trailer for “Goat Simulator: Remastered”. We see a man visiting a prison called Cash Grab Penitentiary where games are imprisoned for ripping off gamers. As the man walks past different cell blocks referencing bad games, one cell in particular is obscured in heavy rain with stars getting added to the screen. This was clearly a nasty jab towards Rockstar Games for the botched release of “Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy - Definitive Edition” in 2021, the obscuring rain being one of the most prolific bugs of that collection.

“Another Case Solved” (2014)

In case you have never heard of this game, “Another Case Solved” is a match-3 puzzle game where you match clues together in order to solve mysteries. One suspect you’ll encounter is named Carl Johnson, obviously named after the protagonist of “San Andreas”. But this won’t be the only time you’ll encounter him. Later on, you’ll have another case involving Carl where you learn that he is the leader of a gang that specializes specifically in vehicle robberies. How appropriate.

“Left 4 Dead” (2008)

The “San Andreas” references just keep on coming, and “Left 4 Dead” was one of the more surprising games to give GTA a shoutout. Most of the time, “Left 4 Dead” is paying tribute to horror icons across movies, TV, and gaming. But Francis was probably playing too much GTA before the events of Dead Air. In this mission, there is one moment where Francis will utter CJ’s classic line, the same one from when CJ gets thrown out of Officer Tenpenny’s car.

“Silent Hill: Downpour” (2012)

Yet another horror game paying tribute to GTA, but this time, this was in a way that might have gone over many people’s heads. If you look inside Murphy’s cell, you’ll find that he has a handful of photos posted on the wall across from his bed. Although, one of these pictures is not from any location we’ve seen in the franchise. It is actually one of the earliest screenshots for “Grand Theft Auto IV” from back when the game was making the marketing rounds. Could he have been reminiscing about Liberty City? Or maybe he was thinking about the hype he had for the game.

“The Simpsons: Hit & Run” (2003)

Some would easily label “Hit & Run” as one big tribute to “Grand Theft Auto”, but that isn’t exactly the case. “Hit & Run” does stand on its own with its own Wanted system, locations, story, and more vehicle-focused gameplay. Even so, it does have one joke aimed at the more successful game. Should you try to enter a cop car while Chief Wiggum is at the wheel, the dimwitted officer will say, “What is this, ‘Grand Theft Auto’? Get outta here!” And that’s really the only shoutout GTA gets out of the entire game.

“Midnight Fight Express” (2022)

Whereas most of our entries are fairly on the nose with its references, “Midnight Fight Express” is a little more subtle with its nod to GTA. And once again, the love for “San Andreas” is loud and proud here. At some point, you’ll come across two rival gangs known as The Warriors and The Earth Smashers, both dressed in similar fashion as the Grove Street Gang and the Ballas. Not only that, one of the Earth Smashers looks remarkably similar to Big Smoke and is even given the name “Large Soda” before he defects to the Warriors! Dude’s a traitor through and through no matter which game he’s in!

“Marvel’s Spider-Man” (2018)

“Bully” (2006)

“Mass Effect 2” (2011)

“Cyberpunk 2077” (2020)

“Tom Clancy’s The Division” (2015)

“DRIV3R” (2004)

“Max Payne 3” (2012)

“Burnout Paradise” (2008)

“Manhunt” (2003)

“Red Dead Redemption 2” (2018)

Were you able to spot any of these GTA references yourself? Let us know down in the comments, and don’t forget to subscribe to MojoPlays for more great videos everyday!