The Best Video Game Easter Eggs of All-Time
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(Image credit: CDPR)
The best video game Easter eggs are worth hunting down. Naturally, developers go to great lengths to hide in-jokes and clues throughout their games, so we don’t blame you for coming here for answers. We’ve rounded up what we believe are the 25 best gaming Easter eggs, and we tried to keep a couple of factors in mind.
Some of these made us laugh, others left us bewildered, and there’s a couple in here that are so iconic that they became a part of video game history. That’s the power of a good Easter egg, after all. So let’s get into it, below you’ll find our pick of the best video game Easter eggs of all-time.
25. BioShock – Jack’s picture
(Image credit: 2K)
When you’re looking through the eyes of another person, it’s obviously difficult to see your own face. A lot of first-person game developers seem to get a kick out of teasing what your character’s face might look like without ever revealing their mug, and the same can be said about the original BioShock. That said, you can see surveillance photos of Jack’s face shortly after you enter Andrew Ryan’s office. Just keep checking the walls for the string diagram alongside the famous words, «Would you kindly» scrawled in big red letters.
(Image credit: Nintendo)
Animal Crossing New Horizons was one of the few positive things to come out of 2020, offering gorgeous, customisable worlds for us to explore at a time when real-world exploration was significantly restricted overnight. With customisation in mind, this Easter Egg gives a prominent nod to another of Nintendo’s juggernaut series, The Legend of Zelda, namely its smash hit Ocarina of Time. First launched in 1998 for the N64, Ocarina of Time has since appeared on many other systems – and with ocarinas a craftable item in New Horizons via the DIY Beginners book sold by Timmy in resident services, you can bring OoT to the world of Animal Crossing.
23. GTA 4 – The beating heart of Liberty
(Image credit: Rockstar)
One of the best things about Grand Theft Auto 4 is its faux-NYC Liberty City setting, a sprawling metropolis rooted in realism. That is, until you happen upon the innards of its Statue of Liberty-like, Statue of Happiness. Take a helicopter up there, look for the door sandwiched between two signs that say «no hidden content this way» and walk on in. Inside the statue you’ll find a giant, beating heart. No, we’re not sure either.
22. Pokemon X and Y – The great thing about shorts
(Image credit: Nintendo )
«Hi! I like shorts! They’re comfy and easy to wear!» That’s the undeniably random battle cry of a Youngster in the original Pokemon Red and Blue. And because this bizarre bit of fashion advice was such a memorable, goofy line to many players, it’s stuck with the series as a running joke. Multiple Pokemon games have referenced it, including Pokemon X and Y to great effect.
21.
Resident Evil 2 – Photo of Rebecca Chambers
(Image credit: Capcom)
Some Easter Eggs are a lesson in tedium. This one isn’t quite as tiresome as GTA Online’s illuminati-bathroom situation, but, checking Albert Wesker’s desk — situated in the S.T.A.R.S. office of the Racoon Police Department headquarters — a whopping 50 times uncovers a roll of undeveloped film. Take it to the dark room at the back of the save room downstairs and unveil a photo of Rebecca Chambers, with the word «Recruit» written across the top. After that, you might consider apologizing to the «X» button of your PlayStation controller. Poor thing.
20. GTA: San Andreas – Gordon Freeman was here
(Image credit: Rockstar)
During GTA: San Andreas’ «Black Project» mission, you’ll be tasked with infiltrating Area 69 deep within the Senora Desert (the game’s answer to Area 51 in the Nevada Desert) and stealing a jetpack. The mission is surely one of the most memorable in the entire Grand Theft Auto series as a result of its reward, but, if you pay attention to the rooms housed within the Black Mesa-like facility en route to the prize, one has a crowbar very similar to Half-Life protagonist Gordon Freeman’s sitting idle on a table.
19. Portal – Reconfigure the keys for Half-Life
(Image credit: Valve)
This one is easily missed, overlooked or ignored, but while taking a stroll through any of the office areas in Portal, take a gander at some of the keyboards. On some of them, you’ll notice that the following keys are yellow instead of black: A, S, D, E, R, H, N, I, P. These can be unscrambled to spell Adrian Shepard, the protagonist of Half-Life: Opposing Force. As if Portal wasn’t brain-teasing enough, right?
18. Mortal Kombat — Fight with Reptile
(Image credit: Midway Games)
Syzoth, or Reptile as he’s more commonly known, is one of the Mortal Kombat series’ longest-serving stars, having first appeared in the original game as a secret opponent. Unlocking the battle with him was the only way to fight in the spike pit arena too. In order to do so, players were required to fight an opponent (in single-player mode) on the bridge arena, get two flawless victories back-to-back, and then unleash a Fatality at the end of the second round.
After that, their next fight would be with Reptile down in the spike pit.
17. Metal Gear Solid 3 – The End’s early end
(Image credit: Konami )
The End is the oldest of The Cobra Unit’s assassins, who goes by the pseudonym «Ancient Sniper». At over 100 years old, age is his thing, then, which can ultimately go against him above and beyond the epic jungle battle between the older timer and Naked Snake. One involves sniping the geriatric while resting in his wheelchair immediately after his first appearance at the Ponizovje Warehouse. If the player succeeds in killing him, the explosion from his microbomb will send a wheel of his chair towards Naked Snake which must be dodged. The second involved setting your PS2 console’s date forward by at least one week. When you next returned to the game, a message informed The End had died of old age.
16. Dark Souls 3 – Quelana’s Body in Demon Ruins
(Image credit: FromSoftware)
Space and time in the Dark Souls universe operates on an infinite, doomed-to-repeat itself loop.
Even the late Stephen Hawking would have a job ironing out some of the kinks in the Souls timeline, granted, but, in practice, the cycle manifests by way of reworked locations that span multiple games. Firelink Shrine, for example, appears in Dark Souls and Dark Souls 3, as does Demon Ruins. It’s here that the eagle-eyed among us will spot a mummified Quelana embedded in an otherwise non-descript wall in the bowels of the lava lair. This timeline has not been kind to the queen of pyromancy.
15. Batman Arkham Asylum – Arkham City map in secret room
(Image credit: Rocksteady)
An Easter Egg of superhero proportions – not only did this seemingly innocuous map blueprint appear in a secret room, it only blooming teased Rocksteady Studios’ next instalment of the Arkham series. To find it, head to the warden’s office inside Arkham Mansion, blow up the wall to the left of the fireplace, and uncover a secret room. Head straight in and, voila, the blueprint for an approved Arkham City reconstruction hangs in all its glory.
So well-hidden was this Easter Egg, in fact, that Rocksteady had to unveil it six months after the launch of Arkham Asylum.
14. The Last of Us – Naughty Dog pinatas
(Image credit: Naughty Dog)
Before the zombie apocalypse, it seems developer Naughty Dog will take a run at the pinata business. When searching around the apartment in The Last of Us’ Pittsburgh chapter, you might stumble upon some familiar faces: Nathan Drake, and Jak and Daxter, all in adorable pinata form. Makes sense, given Naughty Dog is responsible for both Uncharted and Jak and Daxter.
13. The Witcher 3 – Siri’s nod to Cyberpunk 2077
(Image credit: CD Projekt Red )
Despite The Witcher 3 having arrived several years before Cyberpunk 2077, one of the former’s central characters, Cirilla Fiona Elen Riannon, aka Ciri, mentions the latter in no uncertain terms. Cyberpunk was first announced way back in 2012, of course, and is also developed by CD Projekt Red. In The Witcher 3, we learn early doors that Ciri can travel through space and time, and in one conversation about evading The Wild Hunt, she mentions a realm where people «had metal in their heads, waged war from a distance, using things similar to megascopes.
And there were no horses, everyone had their own flying ship instead.» In Cyberpunk 2077, Ciri appears on a magazine cover, bringing the Easter ggg full circle.
12. Silent Hill 4: The Room – The all-seeing evil bunny
(Image credit: Konami)
In Silent Hill 3, Heather Mason is at one stage chased through the abandoned Silent Hill Amusement Park by possessed bunny mascots and it is as terrifying as it sounds. While locked inside his apartment in Silent Hill 4: The Room, protagonist Henry Townshend can spy on his neighbour through a crack in his wall. On her bed is a small version of the pink bunny mascots, however, during one random viewing, the bunny can be seen with its head turned to face Henry with a finger extended, pointing back towards the crack. It is, once again, bloody terrifying.
11. Uncharted 3 — The Last of Us exclusive scoop
(Image credit: Naughty Dog)
This Cordyceps-styled Easter egg was almost one of the biggest leaks in video games history.
There’s a long story behind it, but the short version is that Naughty Dog put this reference in Uncharted 3 when it believed The Last of Us would be announced before Nathan Drake’s then latest adventure hit store shelves. It wasn’t, but by leaving this Easter egg in got people talking about a Naughty Dog-inspired zombie game. And the rest, as they say, is history.
10. Silent Hill 2 – Alien and Doggo endings
(Image credit: Konami)
One of Silent Hill 2’s most powerful weapons is symbolism, wherein even the monstrous beasts that stalk James Sutherland around the fog-flooded town are, in fact, figments of his imagination and manifestations of his guilt. It’s all very serious. The survival horror classic’s alien and dog endings, on the other hand, poke fun at itself and show a lighter side to an otherwise sombre and serious game. In order to unlock these tongue-in-cheek endings, players are required to jump through a series of hoops over the course of James’ adventures
(Image credit: Nintendo)
Back in 1990, the now-defunct Nintendo Power held a contest whose winner would get to appear in a future NES game.
Chris Houlihan won, latterly receiving his own fancy room in 1991’s The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past. There were five different ways you could enter the Rupee-filled room, though it had been intended as a crash prevention measure, the game would only send players there when it couldn’t determine Link’s destination when transitioning between maps.
8. Borderlands 2 – Minecraft caves
(Image credit: 2K)
Lots of games make Minecraft references, but Borderlands 2 goes all out. While spelunking through the Caustic Caverns, you may find some unmistakable dirt cubes blocking your way. Bust through them with your melee attack (in classic Minecraft fashion), and you’ll find a cave filled with Creepers on the other side. Killing them may even net you a Minecraft helmet accessory, complete with chunky pixilation.
7. Spider-Man – MCU locations around the city
(Image credit: Insomniac)
Some of the easiest to locate Easter Eggs on this list, in that you’ll pass the headquarters of various other MCU characters on a regular basis as you zip back and forth and up and down Spider-Man’s slant on NYC.
Stark’s Department of Damage Control makes an appearance, for example, whereas Fogwell’s Gym, the gym where Daredevil’s dad trained, can be seen down a side street. The Clinton Mission Shelter, where Daredevil’s mother works is in there too, as is the Avenger’s Tower. The full list of adjacent MCU locations can be ticked off within the game’s Landmarks side-quests, which make for some interesting sightseeing stop offs.
6. Resident Evil Village – Duke’s rare nod to RE4’s Merchant
(Image credit: Capcom)
Resident Evil Village’s resident shopkeeper Duke is, for the most part, a friendly, chatty fellow who appears to specialise in trivial conversation. By interacting with him several times he will randomly asks the player, «What’re ya buying?» in the same fashion as The Merchant from Resident Evil 4 did with Leon S. Kennedy way back when.When he does, the Duke will also mention the fact that an «old friend» of his used to say this. There’s no way of knowing what happened to The Merchant in the end, but Duke’s words suggest they were buddies once upon a time.
5. The Last of Us 2 – Precursor Orbs from lands afar
(Image credit: Naughty Dog)
The so-called ‘Strange Relic’ can be found in the Chinatown Street in Hostile territory, in one of its upstairs rooms. This unusual artefact is, in fact, a ‘Precursor Orb’, a collectible from Naughty Dog’s old Jak and Daxter games. They’ve turned up in every Uncharted game so far as similarly obtrusive pick-ups, however this one is the first, and we believe only, in the entire Last of Us series.
4. Hitman 3 – Get abducted by aliens outside a Berlin nightclub
(Image credit: IO Interactive)
The ravers among us will attest to having had many out-of-body experiences in dimly-lit nightclubs over the years, but it’s not normally something we associate with Agent 47’s elaborate kills. Hitman 3’s UFO Level Exit (the cinematic that details the Bald Butcher’s exit from whichever killzone he’s departing), can be activated by circumventing the line at the front of the Berlin nightclub, locating the ‘Entrance Shortcut Door’ and taking a photograph of the UFO graffiti that’s scrawled prominently on the wall.
Once you’ve offed the five ICA targets on your hitlist, dialling 1-9-9-3 into the Gas Station payphone then sends you skyward in a glowing green light. 1993, of course, being the year the X-Files first aired.
3. GTA Online – Join the illuminati by tipping toilet attendant
(Image credit: Rockstar)
We all like to think we’re generous tippers, but the question is: have you ever tipped a toilet attendant 575 times? If the answer is yes, and the toilet attendant was on-shift in a Los Santos nightclub, then you might be part of the illuminati. At least, that’s what happens when you tip the toilet attendants introduced in the summer of 2018’s After Hours update this number of times. After 10 tips, a message tells the player they are «Seeking The Truth». After 155 times, it’s «Chasing The Truth». And then, after 575 times (around 15 or so minutes after the first tip, assuming you’re spamming the tip prompt), the message becomes «Bearing The Truth», whereafter players receive Epsilon Program robes – GTA 5’s illuminati-aping secret society.
2. Cyberpunk 2077 – Hideo Kojima on a night out
(Image credit: CD Projekt Red)
Esteemed Metal Gear series and Death Stranding mastermind Hideo Kojima makes a cameo appearance in CD Projekt Red’s Cyberpunk 2077 that’s actually quite easy to miss. In fact, Mr Kojima is so easy to miss in Night City that we’ve written a dedicated guide on how to find him. In short: when undertaking the mission titled ‘The Heist’, the Kojima Productions top man can be found regaling his company with stories of trying to «»surpass the expressive limitations of braindances». It’s all very Kojima.
1. Metal Gear Solid – Psycho Mantis reads your memory card
(Image credit: Konami1)
Psycho Mantis wasn’t the toughest nut to crack in the original Metal Gear Solid, but his mental powers make him one of the most terrifying. The psychic operative even reckoned he could read your mind, by way of reading your memory card. It was pretty amazing for the time, when Mantis started telling you what games you were playing away from Metal Gear.
Assuming one of those was another Konami game, he’d go a little deeper in conversation. I do like playing Suikoden Mr Psycho, how did you know?
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Joe is a Features Writer at GamesRadar+. With over five years of experience working in specialist print and online journalism, Joe has written for a number of gaming, sport and entertainment publications including PC Gamer, Edge, Play and FourFourTwo. He is well-versed in all things Grand Theft Auto and spends much of his spare time swapping real-world Glasgow for GTA Online’s Los Santos. Joe is also a mental health advocate and has written a book about video games, mental health and their complex intersections. He is a regular expert contributor on both subjects for BBC radio. Many moons ago, he was a fully-qualified plumber which basically makes him Super Mario.
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90 exzellente Easter Eggs — Überraschung zu Ostern
Wir haben 90 der außergewöhnlichsten Easter Eggs in Spielen für euch zusammengetragen.
Dank Corona-Krise fällt der Oster-Urlaub für viele leider aus, die meisten Menschen verbringen das Wochenende vernünftigerweise daheim: Genau jetzt brauchen wir Kurioses, das uns zum Lachen oder Staunen bringt. Die Suche nach sogenannten Easter Eggs — also gut versteckte Geheimnisse, Witze oder Features, in Spielen ist nicht nur in der Videospielkultur eine Leidenschaft für sich.
Wir haben über 90 der besten Easter Eggs zusammengetragen, quer durch das Spiele-Gemüsebeet und Plattform-übergreifend.
Falls euer Lieblings-Egg nicht dabei ist, verratet es uns doch in den Kommentaren!
Hinweis: Die Osterzeit ist wieder da! (So wie jedes Jahr) Um das zu feiern, haben wir uns erneut auf die Eiersuche begeben und das Special mit den besten Easter Eggs um aktuelle Funde ergänzt. Ursprünglich erschien der Artikel im März 2016.
Welches Ei war zuerst da?
Warren Robinett hat sich mit seinem Namen verewigt — eines der ersten Easter Eggs.
Diese Frage lässt sich nicht eindeutig beantworten, denn in diesem Zusammenhang werden immer wieder zwei Eggs genannt: Erstens das Egg von Atari-Programmierer Warren Robinett aus dem ersten Action-Adventure mit dem bezeichnenden Namen Adventure (1979). Findet der Spieler einen speziellen getarnten Pixel, konnte er damit einen geheimen Raum aufsuchen in dem die Worte »Created by Warren Robinett« durchs Bild laufen.
Die Motivation dahinter: Damals wurden die Designer von Videospielen kaum namentlich genannt und mit dem Egg hat sich Robinett einfach selbst verewigt.
Zweitens: das Egg von Bradley Reid-Selth, das noch einen Tick früher datiert ist.
Auch er »signierte« seinen Pong-Klon Video Whizball (1978 für den Fairchild Channel F) – nach einer speziellen Kombination aus Siegen, Niederlagen und Einstellungen tauchte sein Nachname am Spielfeld auf.
Die Klassiker: Kennen Sie den schon?
Eines der legendärsten Easter Eggs ist der Kuh-Level in Diablo 2. Wer nach dem Endboss zurück im Lager der Jägerinnen Wirrets Bein und einen Stadtfolianten in den Horadrim-Würfel stopft, erschafft ein rotes Portal – und das führt schnurstracks zur höllischen »Moo Moo Farm«. Dort wird man von dutzenden Hellebarden-schwingenden Wiederkäuern empfangen.
Link zum YouTube-Inhalt
Auf Konsolen gilt wohl Chris Houlihans Geheimraum in The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past als einer der bekanntesten Klassiker. Die Vorgeschichte: Das Magazin Nintendo Power verloste anno dazumal unter ihren Lesern einen Platz im kommenden Zelda-Titel für das SNES.
Mister Houlihan gewann und wurde prompt (und gut versteckt) verewigt.
Der Raum von Chris Houlihan in The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past.
Per Speedrun von Kakariko zum Schloss von Hyrule gelangt man in einen Raum voller Silber-Rubine und der Nachricht: »Mein Name ist Chris Houlihan. Das ist mein streng geheimer Raum. Aber das bleibt unter uns, ok?« Tut uns leid Chris, aber die Sache ist wohl doch aufgeflogen.
Wer mit der Konsolengeneration rund um das N64 groß geworden ist, erinnert sich wohl auch an den Gastauftritt von Marios treuem Reittier Yoshi in Super Mario 64: Nur wer sämtliche 120 Sterne des Spiels sammelt, darf sich im Startareal vor Prinzessin Peaches Schloss per Kanone auf das Dach schießen und dort dem grünen Dinosaurier Hallo sagen.
Legendär ist auch die Art und Weise, wie Sony den Spielern in God of War zum Erfolg gratulierte. Nachdem man (Achtung Spoiler!) Ares besiegt hat, erreicht man dessen Thronsaal.
Dort stehen zwei Statuen. Kloppt man mit Kratos geduldig darauf ein, zerbröseln die Kunstwerke irgendwann und enthüllen folgende amerikanische Telefonnummer: 001 888 447 5594 (mit Vorwahl).
Klingelt man durch (beim Selbstversuch bitte an die Gebühren denken!), meldet sich Kratos auf Englisch und schmeichelt dem erfolgreichen Spieler. Im Gott-Modus wartet zudem eine zweite Nummer mit neuer Nachricht. Hier die Easter Eggs zum Nachhören:
Link zum YouTube-Inhalt
Fans des Originals erinnern sich wahrscheinlich, dass es in Resident Evil 2 von 1998 ein Foto von Rebecca Chambers (eine Sanitäterin aus Resi 1) als Easter Egg freizuschalten gab. Den Film dafür fand man im Schreibtisch von Albert Wesker. Ging man anschließend damit ins Fotolabor, durfte man ihn entwickeln und erhielt den Abzug.
Auch im Remake ist das Easter Egg enthalten, läuft aber etwas anders ab: Man erhält im Spielverlauf einen Film, der beim Entwickeln zwei Fotos offenbart. Eines davon zeigt Weskers Schreibtisch.
Begibt man sich anschließend dorthin, lässt sich eine neue Schublade öffnen. Dort findet man ein Waffen-Upgrade und einen weiteren Film vor. Diesen kann man (auch ohne Interaktionspunkt) mitnehmen und für das gleiche Rebecca-Foto wie oben entwickeln.
Link zum YouTube-Inhalt
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