Grand Theft Auto 5 is widely considered one of the greatest games ever made, still going strong to this day due to a masterful online component that has kept things fresh for the past eight years. Critics have lauded the game across the board, praising the open world and the wealth of content.
A big part of what made Grand Theft Auto 5 special was the little details scattered all across the game. These little things made it all the more awe-inspiring to explore the map and see what the game had to offer. Here are ten of the rarest encounters in Grand Theft Auto 5 that were an absolute treat for fans of this title to discover.
Updated on November 27th, 2021 by Ritwik Mitra: Grand Theft Auto 5 is one of the greatest games ever made, with the title being full to the brim with amazing content and a massive open world that is jam-packed with detail for players who want to explore every nook and cranny of this game. Given the sheer number of secrets present in this game, there are bound to be certain encounters that people will miss out on. Here are some of the most notable examples in this regard.
15 Messing Around With The Houses Of The Other Protagonists
Grand Theft Auto 5 has a bunch of unique dialogue that most people have probably never triggered. The most entertaining one that players can experience is when they start shooting up the houses of other protagonists.
Michael is especially hilarious in this regard, with his outburst making it clear as to how annoying it is for his house to be pelted with rockets and bullets. It's a surprising moment that will make players laugh till their lungs burst.
14 Encountering The Dreaded "Beast"
GTA Online is one of the most addictive multiplayer experiences players can subject themselves to. It helps that the game mode is consistently updated with new content to keep events fresh for the longest time.
A particular encounter requires that players consume all the regular and Golden Peyote Plants so that they can start hearing growls. If they follow these growls all the way to the Thomson Scrapyard, then head towards a small shack, a cutscene will trigger where the "Beast" will appear.
Of course, this "Beast" is just a man with a wolf head, and makes for one of the weirder encounters on this list.
13 A Submerged Hatch With A Message In Morse Code
Players who delve into the eastern depths of the Pacific Ocean will find a hatch in the ground that is similar to the one found in Lost. However, this secret doesn't end here.
Keen players will notice a message in morse code that is emanating from this hatch. The message spells out "Hey, you never call, how'd you fancy going bowling?", which is an obvious reference to Grand Theft Auto 4.
12 The Legendary Grove Street Trio Appearing During A Mission
Hood Safari is one of the many missions in Grand Theft Auto 5 that will keep players engaged all the way through. However, they might be so busy completing the events of the mission that they'll never notice a small yet amazing secret added near the end of the level.
While nearing the turn to Grove Street, players can notice three people on a bicycle exiting the area. These three NPCs only appear for a brief moment but share a noticeable resemblance to Carl, Sweet, and Big Smoke from Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.
11 Meeting Packie From Grand Theft Auto 4
Packie is a great character from Grand Theft Auto 4 who plays a major role in the game's story. What most people don't realize is that he's present in the sequel as well... even though his role might be severely diminished.
Players can find Patrick McCreary during the events of Getaway Driver, a random event that can be triggered by any character. If players decide to help these bank robbers, then they'll find out that one of the characters is Packie himself! He becomes a valuable asset to a heist if the player wishes it.
10 Hunting Down "Bigfoot"
While players might be familiar with the Bigfoot sighting that occurs during the mission "Predator", there's actually another Sasquatch sighting. This one occurs a fair way into the game — specifically, after achieving 100% completion. A new Strangers and Freaks mission titled "The Last One" will open up for Franklin, who can help a Sasquatch hunter track down the legendary Bigfoot.
In fact, this monster actually appears during the mission! Unfortunately, it's revealed later on that this was just a madman in a costume. Still, it's a neat little mission that serves as an interesting reward for properly completing the game.
9 Fighting The Altruist Cult
Another unique encounter for Trevor comes in the form of the Altruist Cult. The player can bring a bunch of unlucky hitchhikers to this strange group as tribute. While this is interesting as is, there's also a special encounter that occurs if the player supplies four people to the camp.
All of a sudden, Trevor will be knocked out and kidnapped by the altruists. The player can then attempt a daring escape, as they fight through the camp and take hold of the goodies that lie within. It's quite a blast indeed.
8 Meeting The Ghost Of Mount Gordo
One of the scariest encounters in the game, the ghost of Mount Gordo is a specter that players can spot on the mountain at midnight. Getting too close to the figure will cause it to disappear. Players need to see this ghost through a ranged scoped weapon to realize just how spooky it actually is.
After reading through the game's files, people have surmised that this ghost is the spirit of Jolene Cranley-Evans. She met her death when her husband, Jock Cranley, pushed her off a cliff after she started causing issues for him and his career.
7 Spotting A Woman Being Buried Alive
One of the most interesting random encounters in the game can be found just north of Paleto Bay. Here, the player may stumble across two men who are burying a woman alive.
After saving her, the player character finds out that this woman is Antonia Bottino, the daughter of a powerful mob boss whose enemies had taken her captive. The player can then drive her back to Vinewood Hills, after which they'll receive a whopping $60,000 reward for their efforts.
6 Finding The Playboy Mansion
The Playboy Mansion is one of the most iconic buildings of all time, so it's only fitting that this mansion is also featured in Grand Theft Auto V as well.
Players can find the mansion in Richman, right next to the Los Santos Golf Club. True to its name, there are some massive parties happening in this mansion during the night, which do get rather raunchy as well. Of course, that's nothing new for the GTA series.
5 The Scooter Brothers Transition
Scooter Brothers was a popular meme that originated when a player uploaded a video of Niko on a scooter in Grand Theft Auto 4. In the video, the player relentlessly hounded an NPC on another scooter while yelling out this phrase.
This joke became such a hit that Rockstar decided to integrate this in Grand Theft Auto 5. If players were lucky enough, transitioning over to Trevor would lead to a scene where he's riding a scooter and terrorizing an NPC in the same fashion.
4 An Homage To Thelma And Louise
Thelma and Louise is an all-time classic, and Rockstar Games decided to pay tribute to this legendary movie in their game.
In the Chiliad Mountain State Wilderness, players can stumble upon a unique scene if they fly by this area with a helicopter between 7 pm and 8 pm. Upon doing so, they'll witness the ending of Thelma and Louise faithfully recreated to scratch – although the movie ends right before the car explodes in dramatic fashion, which was probably for the better.
3 Meeting Jesco White, The Dancing Hillbilly
The tap-dancing hillbilly is a unique NPC that can be found at the Foreclosed North Alamo Pier. He serves as a nice, entertaining surprise that players can encounter on their journey.
This man — Jesco White — is voiced by a real-life personality with the same name. He also serves as the DJ for Rebel Radio in the game.
2 Discovering A Frozen Alien In The Prologue
During the prologue, players will be set upon by cops during a heist gone wrong. It's obvious that most people won't stop the car and look around the map in such a situation. However, there's a pretty cool secret in it for people who settle upon this course of action.
There's a bridge that goes over a frozen river in the prologue. Players who stop under the bridge and peek into the frozen waters will notice an alien. This interesting easter egg also serves as the perfect segue to the next point.
1 The UFOs Present In The Game
The UFOs in Grand Theft Auto 5 have become the stuff of legends. However, actually encountering one of them in the game can prove to be a huge task due to the steps involved in unlocking them.
Players can only find one UFO without reaching 100% completion, submerged just off the coast of Paleto Bay. The other three UFOs are present over Sandy Shores, Mount Chiliad, and Fort Zancud. To make these ones appear, though, the player needs to complete the game in its entirety.