Summary
- Open-world games hide secrets waiting to be found, from subtle Easter eggs to entire hidden areas.
- Finding Easter eggs in games like Batman: Arkham City, Zelda, and GTA 4 can add depth and intrigue to gameplay.
- Games like Elden Ring and The Witcher 3 offer expansive, visually stunning hidden areas for players to uncover and explore.
Open-world games have always been known for the expansive environments and sprawling landscapes that are ready to be explored, many of which contain plenty of secrets to find along the way. There is no better feeling than finding a hidden passage or unlocking a concealed door to reveal an entirely new area that would otherwise have stayed hidden.
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Many games excel at cramming every corner of the world with secret content that, for many players, will go undiscovered for their entire playthrough, while others keep it subtle, adding in one or two Easter egg sections for keen-eyed players to enjoy in the midst of all the action and chaos.
8 Scarecrow's Boat
A Hint At The Evil To Come
Batman: Arkham City
- Released
- October 18, 2011
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- T for Teen: Alcohol Reference, Blood, Mild Language, Suggestive Themes, Use of Tobacco, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Rocksteady Studios
- Platform(s)
- PS3, PC, Xbox One, PS4, Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii U, Nintendo Switch
- Location: Industrial District, below the North Gotham Dock sign
The Batman trilogy is well-known for its expansive open world full of secrets, ranging from in-game bonuses to subtle nods, and one of the best examples is a secret location in the Industrial District that hides more than a few objects of interest.
After unlocking the door with the code "CityOfTerror", players are forced into a first-person perspective in a dimly lit environment. There are a few crates, some dead cockroaches, but most importantly, a man in a chair that gives the player quite the fright when zooming in. The whole scene is a clear reference to Scarecrow and his return in the next game, foreshadowing the iconic villain far before he is ever even seen.
7 Eventide Island
Never Count Out A Normal Looking Rock
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
- Released
- March 3, 2017
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- E for Everyone: Fantasy Violence, Use of Alcohol, Mild Suggestive Themes
- Developer(s)
- Nintendo EPD
- Platform(s)
- Nintendo Wii U, Switch
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
- Location: A small island in the southeastern portion of the Necluda Sea
Breath of the Wild is full of secrets across the world and gives players plenty of reasons to continue exploring well after any actual quests. Many of the locations around the landscape are ruined areas with a few interesting items, but the best of the bunch has to be Eventide Island.
Located just off the shore in the Necluda sea is a strange little island that poses a pretty tricky challenge to the player that strips them of their gear and tasks them with escaping the island. It's a fun little side quest that involves a bit of thinking and gives players even more to explore in an already expansive world.
6 Statue Of Happiness
Lady Liberty Beats On
Grand Theft Auto 4
- Released
- April 29, 2008
WHERE TO PLAY
- Location: Statue of Happiness, Happiness Island
GTA has always been known for hiding a few little extra Easter eggs in their games, some small, some that actually impact gameplay, and others like this that are just straight up strange.
If players are eagle-eyed, they might have noticed a small entrance located on the upper level of the Statue of Happiness that can only be accessed with a helicopter. Landing on the ledge and entering the Statue leads players into a small room, containing a beating heart strung up in chains. It is easily one of the strangest Easter eggs in the series and is a funny little secret area that is well worth the rough landing.
5 UFO Crash Site
From A Whole Other Planet
Fallout 4
- Released
- November 10, 2015
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M FOR MATURE: BLOOD AND GORE, INTENSE VIOLENCE, STRONG LANGUAGE, USE OF DRUGS
- Developer(s)
- Bethesda
- Platform(s)
- PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
- Location: East of Oberland Station
Bethesda is no stranger to adding hidden details and locations to their games for the most adventurous fans to uncover. There are plenty of iconic places that serve as subtle nods, but one of the coolest secrets comes from Fallout 4, where an alien crash can be witnessed and then found with more than just debris to be found.
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Not only can players grab a special weapon to add to their arsenal, but they can also fight a few extraterrestrial creatures that can only be found at the site. The fact that the area only spawns in after the crash, which can also be witnessed if the player is paying attention, makes it one of the coolest secrets in the game and a place that is worth a visit.
4 Miquella's Haligtree
The Biggest Challenge Hides Far In The North
Elden Ring
- Released
- February 25, 2022
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Language, Suggestive Themes, Violence
- Developer(s)
- From Software
- Publisher(s)
- Bandai Namco Entertainment, From Software
- Engine
- Proprietary
- Multiplayer
- Online Co-Op, Online Multiplayer
- Cross-Platform Play
- PS4 & PS5 and Xbox One & Xbox Series X|S
- Cross Save
- no
- Steam Deck Compatibility
- yes
- Platform(s)
- PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series S, Xbox Series X
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
- How Long To Beat
- 58 Hours
- X|S Optimized
- yes
- PS Plus Availability
- N/A
- Location: North of the Concecrated Snowfield
Elden Ring could fill a whole book with the amount of secrets and hidden areas, and even after 100s of hours, players will still be finding new things they have never seen before. One of the largest and most interesting secret areas lies right at the top of the map, which in itself is a secret area that requires two specific items to unlock.
The Haligtree is an expansive legacy dungeon that stretches all the way into the clouds and deep into the roots of the tree, containing plenty of unique enemies from ants to knights, and, of course, the infamous Malenia, Blade of Miquella. To have such a large area that is actually visible on the map, being hidden so far at the edge, makes the exploration all the more rewarding once it is finally cleared.
3 Aeramas' Abandoned Manor
A Smelly Quest Indeed
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
- Released
- May 19, 2015
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Use of Alcohol, Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Nudity, Strong Language, Strong Sexual Content
- Developer(s)
- CD Projekt Red
- Platform(s)
- Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
- Location: Novograd, Aeramas' Abandoned Manor
The Witcher 3 is a great example of an open-world game that does secret areas well. Many locations will be completely overlooked due to the lack of markers or questlines, and some of the strangest content lies just out of sight at all times.
The questline "Of Dairy and Darkness" is a secondary quest that transports players to a hidden location full of statues holding cheese and puzzles to solve. At the end of it, players are rewarded with The Emmentaler sword, a pun on the cheese Emmental, a fitting prize for a very cheesy yet fun secret.
2 Super Mario Level
Strange Yet Oddly Charming
Dying Light
- Released
- January 27, 2015
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ // Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language
- Developer(s)
- Techland
- Genre(s)
- Open-World, Survival Horror
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PC
- OpenCritic Rating
- Fair
- Location: Southwest of Old Town
Dying Light is a delightful departure from the traditional zombie-killing games, which brings in some satisfying movement options and rooftop traversals that often lead to hidden locations. But one of the most unexpected areas is a tiny green pipe on top of a roof in Old Town that leads to a replica of the World 1-1 level from Super Mario.
It isn't the only example of a game that included a Mario level, but it is certainly one of the funniest, as the perspective remains in first-person and the area looks more like a child's imagination than a big-budget level. At the end, players are gifted with the Pyza Suit blueprint, which functions as a wingsuit, a nice extra bonus for finding such a charming location.
1 Siofra River/Nokron/Nokstella, Eternal Cities
Just When You Thought You Had Seen It All
Elden Ring
- Released
- February 25, 2022
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Language, Suggestive Themes, Violence
- Developer(s)
- From Software
- Publisher(s)
- Bandai Namco Entertainment, From Software
- Engine
- Proprietary
- Multiplayer
- Online Co-Op, Online Multiplayer
- Cross-Platform Play
- PS4 & PS5 and Xbox One & Xbox Series X|S
- Cross Save
- no
- Steam Deck Compatibility
- yes
- Platform(s)
- PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series S, Xbox Series X
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
- How Long To Beat
- 58 Hours
- X|S Optimized
- yes
- PS Plus Availability
- N/A
- Location: Lift in Limgrave/Below a crater in Limgrave/below Siofra River
It is very easy to call Elden Ring one of the most visually stunning games out there, and part of why it's so beautiful is its ability to repeatedly surprise the player with gorgeous scenery no matter where they are. So, when players find themselves deep underground and are suddenly presented with a sprawling city with a glorious night sky, it is pretty hard to keep that jaw shut.
Under the map lie plenty of hidden areas, but the most impressive of the bunch are the Eternal Cities, alongside the Siofra River. The locations are simply massive and redefine the level of scale that players initially had about the world, and hide plenty of bosses and items, all with a backdrop straight out of a blockbuster movie. Every moment spent below the surface is pure joy thanks to the sheer beauty of the landscapes, and players will surely make a few return trips just to take in the sights once more.
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