Easter Eggs and Myths - GTA: San Andreas Guide - IGN (2024)

As with all Rockstar games, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas has its fair share of Easter Eggs and iconic myths. If you're gearing up to seek out some of these secrets or look into the game's most notorious mysteries, here are some of Los Santos, San Fierro and Las Venturas best Easter Eggs and myths. This guide includes an update for the GTA: The Trilogy - Definitive Edition release for Xbox, PC, and PS5.

Easter Eggs

There are tons of Easter Eggs to discover in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, with Rockstar ensuring its sprawling sandbox is absolutely loaded with hidden secrets and references. From nods to previous games to hidden messages in hard-to-reach areas, here are some of the best ones you should check out while exploring between missions.

Secret Message on Gant Bridge

Located on Gant Bridge, this secret acts as something of a callback to Grand Theft Auto 3's iconic "you weren't supposed to be able to get here you know" Easter Egg. To find it, head over to Gant Bridge with a jetpack. Fly to the top of the first tower you pass under while crossing from the San Fierro side.

Once you reach the top of the pillar, look to your right. You should see a small sign reading "There are no Easter Eggs up here. Go away."

Gant Bridge Information Board

Gant Bridge actually has a second Easter Egg that's worth seeking out. It can be found listed on a facts board on the San Fierro side of the bridge, close to the diner by Katie's house. Behind the diner is a set of steps, with the board overlooking the walkway.

Read the board and you'll see some generic facts about the Gant Bridge. However, the factoids will conclude with something a little less conventional, noting that it "takes up a staggering 1.27 MB of disk space."

Moon Sniping

A simple but fun trick, CJ can influence the size of the moon. When the moon's out at night, aim at it with a sniper rifle. Now, take the shot.

It should grow in size. You can keep shooting to make the moon's size continuously grow.

Rockstar Action Figures

Many of San Andreas' Easter Eggs are callbacks to previous releases, whether that's former Grand Theft Auto games or other titles the publisher has released over the years. Head into Zero's store to see one of these blasts from the past.

Behind the shopkeeper in the store, you'll be able to spot action figures based on two prominent games: Grand Theft Auto: Vice City and Manhunt. The Vice City figures centre on protagonist Tommy Vercetti and antagonist Lance Vance. Meanwhile, the Manhunt figures are focused on protagonist James Earl Cash and antagonist Piggsy.

Ghost Grafitti

Cropping up between the hours of 20:00 and 6:00, if you head to one of Los Santos' graveyards, you can find a piece of supernatural graffiti. To see the tag, run towards the large brick building and look at the wall beside it.

If you're there at night, a message will appear on the wall bathed in an eerie green light. The graffiti reads "Families 4 Life". It'll be gone by morning.

Catalina's Graves

After CJ leaves Los Santos, he'll find himself alone and strapped for cash. To solve both of these problems, he joins forces with Catalina: a criminal living in a small shack in the countryside that has a penchant for armed robbery, extortion and murder. Naturally, she's the perfect fit for CJ and their work relationship soon becomes romantic.

During their time together, Catalina mentions she's had boyfriends before, hinting that her prior relationships haven't exactly ended on great terms. If you want some further clarification on what she means, drive over to her house. To the left of the entrance, you'll find three unmarked graves with a shovel next to them.

R.I.P Opposition

It seems Rockstar were feeling pretty co*cky after the release of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, as evidenced by several graves found in a cemetery in San Fierro. Found across the way from the Avispa Country Club, you'll find a line of gravestones all bearing the same inscription: R.I.P Opposition, 1997 - 2004.

For some context, the very first Grand Theft Auto game came out in 1997; Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas launched in 2004. It seems Rockstar wasn't shy about staking its claim to the open-world sandbox throne.

Lance Vance

Remember Lance Vance? Turns out the popular Grand Theft Auto: Vice City antagonist makes a tiny cameo appearance in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, although not in the way you might expect. If you head to Richman in Los Santos, you'll see a billboard featuring the character.

It's unclear what the context behind the billboard is, but it's still a neat find for fans of Rockstar's 80s open-world adventure.

James Earl Cash

Another in a long line of Rockstar Games callbacks, you can find a reference to Manhunt protagonist James Earl Cash in the Las Venturas Police Department. After entering the building, head through to the right until you find a room containing a pinboard covered in suspect photos and newspaper clippings.

Stuck to the board will be a photo of Cash. It's worth noting that you shouldn't pull out a sniper to get a closer look at the photo, as the nearby police officers will open fire on you.

Max Pane

You'll find another reference to past Rockstar games in the town of Dillimore in Red County. Head towards the area's gas station and look at the store's window. You should see a small sign on the bottom of the window reading "Max Pane."

This blink-and-you'll-miss-it joke is a reference to Remedy Entertainment's Max Payne series, which was published by Rockstar. Rockstar North would even later go on to work on its own iteration of the third-person action franchise, developing Max Payne 3 in 2012.

Zombie Laboratory

One Easter Egg you'll discover when exploring San Fierro is a large corporate building that's very open about the harrowing experiments found inside. Head to Downtown San Fierro and go through the set of open double doors next to the Burger Shot.

Inside, you'll find a sign for a company called Zombotech. The clearly evil corporation will openly disclose that it's currently hard at work on "sinister zombie virus research" and even feature a few doors to its zombie labs. It seems to be a fun riff on Resident Evil's villainous Umbrella Corporation, which also manufactured zombies while hiding in plain sight.

Jesus Saves

Fans of Grand Theft Auto 2 will remember that there's only one way to save in the open-world classic, with players having to head to a chapel known as Jesus Saves. They'd then have to make a donation and their progress would be logged. It seems Rockstar wanted to include a sly nod to the mechanic in San Andreas, with a mural in Los Santos referencing the save point.

If you want to find the mural, it's located just around the corner from the Ammu-Nation closest to Grove Street. It depicts images of the Virgin Mary, a heart and an angel, as well as the "Jesus Saves" tag line.

Rockstar Constellation

An Easter Egg that you should be able to find pretty easily, wait for night and look into the sky. You should be able to make out a constellation, with the stars all coming together to form a giant R. The arrangement is a reference to Rockstar, which leaves its signature logo in several areas of the game.

Having trouble seeing the constellation? Head out to the desert between San Fierro and Las Venturas. It should be more visible without skyscrapers and other buildings blocking it.

Myths

Rockstar's games have always had their fair share of cryptic myths, but few can match the popularity of those surrounding Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. Whether it's hidden creatures roaming the forest or returning Rockstar villains hiding out in the open world, here are some of the most iconic rumours and myths surrounding Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.

Bigfoot

Arguably one of the most popular gaming myths of all time, most San Andreas players have been regaled with stories of Bigfoot roaming the forests in the countryside. It's now confirmed to be a complete hoax, but that doesn't make the legend any less iconic.

According to old rumours, you could find the notorious cryptid lurking in forests while you explored. The myth became so widespread that Rockstar eventually referenced it in multiple future projects, most notably adding a side-mission centred around hunting sasquatches to Red Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmare. A side-mission in Grand Theft Auto 5 also pokes fun at the myth, with 'The Last One' following Franklin and a sasquatch hunter tracking down Bigfoot just to realise he's a roleplayer in a costume.

Piggsy

Another iconic San Andreas myth, a lot of players firmly believed that Manhunt antagonist Piggsy was hidden somewhere in the game. To be specific, sightings were said to be around Mount Chiliad, however, it's another rumour that's almost certainly a hoax. For those who haven't played Manhunt, Piggsy was a deranged killer in a pig outfit that stalked protagonist James Earl Cash with a chainsaw.

According to the stories, the killer would hunt the player down with his chainsaw and kill them when they got near. The rumour never reached the fever pitch of the Bigfoot myths, but it's still one that was very prevalent in the San Andreas community.

UFOs

Grand Theft Auto 5 players have shared stories of UFO sightings for years, but that's far from new for the series, with one of San Andreas' most prevalent myths revolving around extraterrestrial space crafts. This rumour mostly centred on a map hanging in the backroom of Little Probe Inn, which many believed would lead to alien sightings if followed.

It's likely just a myth, with the pins not leading players to any significant alien evidence. Fortunately, Rockstar would later lean into the UFO rumours, with players able to spot spaceships in both Grand Theft Auto 5 and Red Dead Redemption 2.

Mr Trenchcoat

Another myth closely linked to UFO sightings was Mr Trenchcoat. This NPC was the source of a lot of rumours, with some claiming he was a serial killer that murdered pedestrians. Unlike most other San Andreas myths, there's an element of truth to it.

Mr Trenchcoat is a real NPC and does spawn in several locations. He can mostly be found in Fort Carson, although he spawns less frequently than other NPCs, so he may take a while to find. Mr Trenchcoat has an obsession with aliens, swearing to the player and other pedestrians that he was abducted. However, there's no proof he's a serial killer, so the rumour seems to be a hoax.

Leatherface

Another major myth was the supposed presence of Leatherface, another serial killer that allegedly roamed the Mount Chiliad area with a chainsaw. Much like Piggsy, the rumour is almost certainly fake.

Much like the iconic Texas Chainsaw Massacre villain he's named after, San Andreas' supposed slasher villain wore the skin of his victims and would sneak up behind players to kill them.

The Loch Ness Monster

Much like Bigfoot, a popular San Andreas myth also claimed that the Loch Ness Monster was submerged beneath Fisher's Lagoon. According to players at the time, the cryptid could be spotted if the player travelled to the lake at the right time, although it's almost certainly another hoax.

Much like Bigfoot, this myth gained enough traction that Rockstar referenced it in Grand Theft Auto 5. During the Cayo Perico Heist finale, you'll be able to see Nessie in the water offshore, making for a fun nod to the San Andreas community.

Want to discover more of San Andreas' secrets? Take a look at IGN's Oysters Guide for help finding the underwater collectables or check out the Horseshoes Pagefor assistance tracking down the hidden charms.