13 Things You Didn't Know About Grand Theft Auto 5

A closer look at GTA5's coolest references, trivia, and Easter Eggs.

By Mark Medina

If you love finding secrets in video games, then look no further than 2013’s Grand Theft Auto 5. Whether it’s movie references, video game Easter Eggs, or just neat production secrets, there’s no shortage of things to discover or learn about Rockstar’s incredibly ambitious open-world action game.

Since we all know about the UFO and Big foot references, we decided to go even deeper to bring some of GTA’s greatest mysteries to the light. Here are 13 things you probably didn’t know about Grand Theft Auto 5.

1. You can find a frozen alien in the prologue.

In the prologue’s getaway sequence with Michael, Brad, and Trevor the mission will try to guide you over the railroad tracks. Ignore those instructions and turn right instead. Go under the bridge, stop the car, get out, and look in the river to see a frozen Alien in the ice.

2. John Marston's son wrote a book.

Go inside Franklin’s Vinewood Hills house and find the bookcase in the living room. Zoom in on the books and you’ll notice a familiar title. The book on the very right is called “Red Dead,” an obvious reference to Rockstar’s 2010 open-world western, Red Dead Redemption. The book is written by a J. Marston, which could be John Marston, Red Dead’s main character. But if you’ve completed Red Dead, you know John has a son named Jack, who is very fond of books, and has even shown interest in writing one himself.

3. There was almost a playable Lamar.

The final showdown has three possible outcomes. Options A and B end with Franklin killing either Michael or Trevor in the final mission, making only the 2 remaining characters playable after the game has ended. Option C ends with all three main characters still alive. But after digging through the game’s code, players discovered that Option C would have originally resulted in Franklin getting killed, and being replaced with a fully playable Lamar Davis.

4. The origins of the Canis Bohdi.

Trevor’s personal vehicle, the Canis Bohdi, is a reference to two very cool things. First, the main antagonist for the 1991 film Point Break is a bank robber named Bohdi, who associates with a group of surfers that are mistaken for his crew. The surfers own a Kaiser M715, nearly identical to one Trevor owns. Second, Bohdi is actually the name of Steven Oggs son, the voice actor who portrays Trevor Phillips.

5. Each character has a different sleep schedule.

When saving the game by sleeping, a different amount of time passes depending on which character you’re playing as when going to bed. Michael sleeps for only 6 hours, Franklin sleeps for 8, and Trevor sleeps for a whopping 12 hours.

6. And they're based on different GTA player types.

Rockstar believes there are 3 types of Grand Theft Auto players, and modeled each main character based on those traits. Michael serves as the retired criminal, representing people who have beaten the game and just want to take it easy. Franklin represents your more traditional player, someone who is eager and ambitious to learn the trade and become a successful criminal. Meanwhile, Trevor symbolizes the more chaotic and destructive player who takes advantage of the game’s freedom.

7. Some of the GTA voice actors are related.

Shawn Fonteno, who plays Franklin, is the real life cousin of Young Maylay, the voice of GTA: San Andreas’ main character CJ Johnson. Both GTA5 and San Andreas happen to take place in Los Santos.

8. There's an epic double reference underwater.

If you dive down 500 ft. just off the coast of Sandy Shore, you’ll find a hatch that looks eerily similar to the hatch from the TV show Lost. But there’s more! If you swim just above the hatch, you’ll hear a strange tapping. It’s a coded message that, when deciphered, reads, “Hey, you never call, how’d you fancy going bowling?” Sound familiar?

9. The JB700 — a James Bond reference?

The JB700 is primarily based on the Aston Martin DB5, the car driven by James Bond in many of his movies. It’s also obvious that the car's name is a reference to the secret agent himself.

10. There's a No Country For Old Men reference.

“Deal gone wrong” is a special event in GTA 5 that randomly occurs on the western base of Mount Chiliad. Just like in the movie “No Country for Old Men” the player can stumble upon what appears to be the aftermath of a failed drug deal. Down a hill past the cars is one of the few survivors of the shoot-out, dying from his wounds next to a silver briefcase. He warns the player that if you take the money, you will be hunted down for it. Although the case only contains $25,000 instead of the 2 million that was found in the movie, once you leave the area, you’ll be pursued by a group for drug dealers. Killing them lets you keep the money.

11. Age differences.

Even though Trevor Phillips is at least 20 years older than Franklin in the game, Trevor's voice actor Steven Ogg is actually 5 years younger than Franklin's voice actor, Shawn Fonteno.

12. Steven Ogg went all out to get in character.

Trevor Phillips is often seen in game wearing just his underwear, turns out, Steven Ogg would frequently record his lines in HIS underwear to help him stay in character.

13. Michael's voice actor has a hearing impairment.

In a cutscene, when someone is talking to Michael on his right side, he will usually shift his body towards that person. This is because Ned Luke, Michael’s voice and motion capture actor, is nearly deaf in his right ear.

That’s it for now, but if you’re interested in more of what Grand Theft Auto 5 has to offer, make sure you check out 100 Tiny Mind Blowing Details from Grand Theft Auto 5, and The History of Grand Theft Auto.

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