As we are now seven years removed from the initial release ofGrand Theft Auto V, there are now loads ofopen world games bigger thanGTAVat this point. But despite the size, few of those games feature as many hidden details and secret references asGTA Vdoes.
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Rockstar is influenced by movies and TV just as much as they are by video games, if not more so, as the series has been very narrative focused for twenty years. And withGrand Theft Auto V, storytelling had clearly become Rockstar’s bread and butter. So, as classy as the developer is, it has given subtle (and not so subtle) nods to some of the most classic movies and TV shows in popular culture.
10Die Hard
There are tons ofreal life locationsinGTA V, but nothing beats the Nakatomi plaza. In what is one of the greatest Christmas movies of all time, John McClane takes on a group of terrorists in one of the top floors of the oddly designed but iconic building. As the fifth installment ofGTAis all about heists, and gamers play as (mostly) ordinary characters, it only makes sense for the series to give a nod toDie Hard, a movie about an out-of-his-element NYC cop taking on a bunch of criminals trying to rob the place.
9Lost
Located off the east coast of the state of San Andreas, a hatch can be found at the bottom of the ocean. InLostthere is a hatch that is an entrance to a large underground bunker, which looks identical to the hatch found at the bottom of the ocean. It seems like there is more to be discovered of this, as players are unable to gain entry to what might be behind the hatch, and the reference toLostis ominous, as the show and the game have very little in common.
8Drive
Though Trevor might be one ofthe best characters inGTA Vdue to his mannerisms and psychotic behavior, he is far from the coolest. Being a redneck hillbilly who lives in a trailer cooking crystal meth and assaulting people for fun ain’t cool, kids.
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However, as Trevor is the only playable character who is able to purchase the iconic jacket worn by Ryan Gosling inDrive, the redneck has the freshest threads out of all of them. Not only that, but the jacket hilariously replaces the golden scorpion with a crab.
7Star Trek
As theGTAseries is theonly franchise that can pull off hilarious thingslike this, the franchise has glowingly invested in the existence of aliens. Though the game might be more grounded in reality thanSaints RowandInFAMOUS, the fifth entry in the series has referenced aliens to no end. And one of the subtlest ways they’ve done that is by referencing a line that was said inStar Trekin every episode, “Beam Me Up,” which has been spray painted on a van in the desert.
6Breaking Bad
It’s no surprise that the developers over at Rockstar were so influenced by the remarkable and envelope pushing TV showBreaking Bad. Both the TV show andGTAare extremely violent, contain similar subject matter, and both are at the top of their game in their respective mediums. And though they go about the same themes in a different way, they have a surprisingly similar sense of humor. As there are clear caps doffed toBreaking Badthroughout the entire game, especially throughout Trevor’s arc, none are more clear than actor Aaron Paul’s likeness literally etched in to the side of a cliff face.
5Lethal Weapon 2
One of the most fun levels with no stakes is when Michael drives to a tennis instructor’s house to tear him apart after he had been sleeping with Michael’s wife. The end result sees Michael pulling down the tennis instructor’s house by attaching a hitch to the beams that hold it up with his pick-up truck, and then driving away. Though the reference might have passed most people by, this scene is a direct nod toLethal Weapon 2, in which the same thing happens almost beat for beat.
4James Bond
It might not be one ofthe fastest carsinGTA V,but owning not just James Bond’s car, butSean Connery’sJames Bond’s car is one of the most thrilling aspects to the game. Though it isn’t a car that would be suited to Trevor, the classy vehicle would look great sitting in front of Michael’s mansion.
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However, there is a lost opportunity in not having Connery’s iconic suit available to purchase, as that and the Aston Martin go hand in hand.
3No Country For Old Men
If any players have seenNo Country For Old Men, they’ll know that it’s quite messy, not riddled with plot holes messy, butbloodymessy. If players head to the western base of Mount Chiliad, they can find a set of cars full of bullet holes and loads of bloody bodies lying on the ground, presumed to be drug dealers. And with the setting, it looks exactly like the Coen brothers classic.
2Back To The Future
This reference is one of the most low-key and least outlandish of them all, which might not sound veryGrand Theft Autolike, but it just goes to show that there could be a hidden reference on any wall or door. On most power boxes along the railroad, it says 1.21 gigawatts, which is the voltage that is required for Doc to time travel in the classic 1980s movie,Back To The Future.
1Heat
WithHeatbeing the ultimate heist movie, being three hours in length, starring Al Pacino and Robert DeNiro, and directed by Michael Mann, Every dad’s favorite movie director,GTA Vis thebest crime based video gamedue to being the movie’s the spiritual video game successor. And with that in mind, there isn’t just one reference toHeat, but dozens. Besides the fact that there are entire missions that replicate the action scenes from the movie, Michael’s get-up and appearance is identical to Robert DeNiro’s character of Neil McCauley.
