Most Well-Hidden Secrets In Open-World Games

The video game industry has a proud tradition of featuring Easter eggs and secret content in certain titles, stretching back to some of the earliest games ever made. The feeling of accomplishment that comes from finding a well-hidden bit of secret content in a game is unparalleled, whether that content is a secret boss fight, a reference to another game, or even a whole new level.

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But few game genres do secrets quite like open-world games do. These vast and sprawling game worlds are rich with secrets waiting for inquisitive players to discover. With the help of the internet, secret content in a game never stays hidden for long, but in a vacuum, these are some of the most remarkable and well-hidden secrets in open-world video games.

10 Ciri Magazine (Cyberpunk 2077)

An Easy-To-Miss Reference To An Iconic CD PROJEKT RED Character

Cyberpunk 2077 is one of the most high-profile video games in recent memory. Its long struggle from a virtually unplayable release to one of the most popular open-world RPGs on the market is well-known, but the game is now considered comparable to No Man's Sky in terms of video game redemption stories.

On the topic of rocky beginnings, though, players who choose the Corpo origin path in Cyberpunk 2077 have a chance to catch a special Easter egg. Hidden in V's desk at the very beginning of the game is a magazine cover featuring Ciri, one of the main characters from developer CD Projekt RED's other major success, The Witcher 3. In addition to being a sneaky reference, this magazine also calls back a scene from The Witcher 3, where Ciri describes a glimpse she's had of a strange alternate world that bears a more than passing resemblance to the neon streets of Night City.

9 Weeping Angels (The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt)

An Unsettling Doctor Who Easter Egg

The Weeping Angels, sinister stone monsters from Doctor Who that can only move when they're not being looked at, are some of the most memorable creatures in pop culture. While many video games have creatures that operate by similar rules, The Witcher 3 was bold enough to include the terrifying statues themselves.

The cemetery in Lindenvale, a town in The Witcher 3, features a small collection of crying angel statues surrounding the church. These ornaments don't look too out of place in Witcher 3's dark fantasy world, but they come with a terrifying secret. After Geralt passes them on the way into the chapel, they will move, and players will be unsettled to find them facing the church when Geralt exits. While these Weeping Angels aren't as dangerous as the ones from Doctor Who, they remain a disturbing element of The Witcher 3 that's all too easy to miss.

8 The Heart Of Liberty City (Grand Theft Auto 4)

A Functioning Organ Hidden Inside A Giant Statue

Grand Theft Auto 4's Liberty City is a deeply immersive open world city, as can be expected from Rockstar's legendary crime franchise. The city is bursting with missions, vehicles, and secrets to discover. The most sinister secret of them all, however, is buried deep inside the Statue of Happiness, Liberty City's version of the Statue of Liberty.

While exploring the exterior of the statue, players can find a sign that reads "No hidden content this way." Past this sign is a closed door with no collision that the player can simply walk through, revealing that the Statue of Happiness contains a massive beating heart, bound with chains to the center of the structure. The reason for this gruesome inclusion is unknown, but it's a very jarring discovery for unwary players.

7 Dima (Marvel's Spider-Man 2)

A Tiger That Can Be Found In The World After Certain Events Transpire

One particularly memorable sequence in Marvel's Spider-Man 2 comes when Peter Parker infiltrates a feast for Kraven's murderous hunter minions. In his attempts to gather intel, he comes face to face with Kraven's lieutenant, Dima, a large tiger who he must drug with a tranquilizer.

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After Kraven's defeat later in the game, many fans were naturally concerned for the fate of his companion. But Dima can actually be found in Spider-Man 2's open world. By heading to the Prospect Park Zoo in Downtown Brooklyn, players can find Dima relaxing in an exhibit.

6 Secret Mario Level (Dying Light)

A Hidden Area That Can Be Accessed Via A Green Pipe

Dying Light presents a much more mobile apocalypse than most other zombie games, with a heavy emphasis on jumping, climbing, and parkour. This gives it at least one thing in common with the otherwise wildly different Super Mario franchise. Players who thoroughly explore Old Town, however, can find another commonality.

Hidden atop an otherwise unremarkable brick building is a green chimney pipe that players can enter to find themselves in a reproduction of World 1-1 from the original Super Mario Bros. Game. All the hallmarks are here, and there's even a limping zombie to serve in place of the original's Goombas.

5 Ghost Train (Red Dead Redemption 2)

A Haunting Encounter That Isn't Always Guaranteed

Red Dead Redemption 2 has more than its fair share of Easter eggs scattered across its immense map. Many of these take the game straight into horror territory, like the infamous man-pig mutant hidden in a shack in the woods. But one of the most well-hidden horror encounters in the game is the infamous Lemoyne ghost train.

Players can find the ghost train by heading to Lemoyne and riding around the tracks northwest of the town, near the sign. The train has a chance of spawning at 3 AM, but it doesn't always show up. In addition to being a spooky encounter in its own right, the ghost train also bears an uncanny resemblance to the Phantom Train from Final Fantasy 6.

4 Black Cellphones (Grand Theft Auto 5)

A Phone Call That Has Explosive Consequences

Like all of Rockstar's open-world games, Grand Theft Auto 5 features a wide array of Easter eggs and secrets for players to uncover. One of the strangest is the Black Cellphone number. By calling 1-999-367-3767 on their in-game phone, players can contact a mysterious figure known as Black Cellphones, who will trigger a small explosion above the character's head. After the dust clears, the player will be left with a slightly larger, all-black cellphone.

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The mystery surrounding this surreal event has fascinated fans for years. Theories abound as to the nature of the explosion and its possible links to some of the other Easter eggs and secrets scattered throughout GTA 5. In lieu of any official confirmation from Rockstar, however, the Black Cellphone mystery will likely endure for many more years.

3 Dragon Lord Placidusax (Elden Ring)

A Massive Hidden Foe

Elden Ring's map is infamous for its vast scope and countless secrets. It often seems like there's a dungeon or secret boss hiding behind every twist, turn, and illusory wall in the Lands Between. But one of the hardest bosses to find in Elden Ring is also one of its most significant. Only the most persistent players will be able to track down Dragonlord Placidusax, one of the earliest Elden Lords.

This legendary figure can only be accessed by climbing down a nondescript cliff in the floating city of Farum Azula, the resting place of dragons. At the base of the cliff is a floating piece of temple rubble with a row of alcoves containing mummified beastmen. These walls are a rather common sight in Farum Azula, but this one has an empty alcove that the player can occupy in order to reverse time and battle Dragonlord Placidusax in the ancient past. This legendary creature is a formidable foe, wielding devastating fire and lightning, and many players are likely to go through the whole game without knowing he exists.

2 "It's Dangerous To Go Alone" (The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild)

A Reference To An Iconic Legend Of Zelda Quote

Breath of the Wild's secret reference to the very first game in the series is particularly impressive. Not only is it hiding in plain sight, but it's hiding in something the player is actively encouraged to look at. Players will likely spend a lot of time staring at this Easter egg without knowing it's there.

Early in the game, Link gains the ability to place pins on the map in order to help him navigate the massive open world of Hyrule. These pins manifest in the world as tall columns of glowing light, dotted with symbols in the mysterious ancient Sheikah text. What many players may not realize is that this text is fully translatable; the text in these columns reads "It's dangerous to go alone," which is, of course, a reference to the first words ever spoken in the original Legend of Zelda game back in 1986.

1 The Headless Horseman (The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim)

A Truly Elusive Legend

Players can sink hundreds of hours into Skyrim, travel the entire length of the game's titular open world, and still not encounter this secret. The Headless Horseman has a very low chance of spawning anywhere in the world. Like the legendary horror monster he's named after, this ghostly apparition appears on horseback and is completely headless.

If a player is lucky enough to find the Headless Horseman, they can follow him across the map to Hamvir's Rest, a small Nordic tomb, which is where he is presumably interred. A popular online theory identifies him as the ghost of Ragnar the Red, a character from a popular in-game tavern song who was beheaded by the shieldmaiden Matilda. This has not been confirmed, however, leaving the Headless Horseman as a mysterious character that players will be very lucky to meet.

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By  Elizabeth Orchard