Top 10 Scariest Easter Eggs in Video Games

The world of video games will never run short of hidden references and easter eggs, but some of them are far more disturbing than entertaining. What we are going to discuss is nothing like the jolly Birthday Celebration easter egg from Death Stranding 2 you might have seen go viral.

From a horrifying Pokémon entry to a disturbing real-world image hidden inside Half-Life 2, these discoveries in video games can completely change how you look at the associated titles. This is the list of the top 10 scariest Easter eggs in video games, and I strongly advise against reading this deep in the night unless you are brave enough.

10 Scarface Reference – GTA Vice City

Rockstar’s iconic Grand Theft Auto: Vice City is heavily influenced by the 1980s Miami crime culture, so its connection to Scarface is hardly surprising to many. However, one particular reference the studio put in-game is considerably darker than the game’s usual pop-culture jokes.

In Ocean Beach, players can discover Apartment 3C, and inside its bathroom are blood-covered walls, a bathtub, and a chainsaw. The scene recreates the infamous sequence from Scarface in which Tony Montana’s associate Angel Fernandez is murdered with a chainsaw.

9 Cubone’s Pokedex Entry – Pokémon Yellow

Pokémon Yellow might not be the first game that comes to mind when you start a horror discussion, but Cubone has one of the darkest backstories in the Pokémon universe.

The original Pokémon Yellow Pokedex explains that Cubone wears the skull of its deceased mother and that it cries echo inside the said skull, which makes Cubone’s design much more disturbing than it initially appears. What looks like a skull-shaped helmet is actually supposed to be the remains of its dead parent.

It is an unexpectedly grim piece of lore hidden inside a game primarily marketed towards children.

8 The Huge Squid – Assassin’s Creed II

Assassin’s Creed II has a lot of historical mysteries, but one of its strangest secrets can be found right beneath Venice.

During the exploration of the flooded underground area beneath Santa Maria della Visitazione, players can spot a massive squid lurking in the darkness. The creature cannot be fought and has no meaningful role in the story, which is precisely what makes it unsettling.

7 The Living Statue of Liberty – GTA IV

Rockstar Games’ Grand Theft Auto IV turns one of America’s most recognizable structures into something genuinely disturbing. The Statue of Happiness, which is the game’s fictional version of the Statue of Liberty, contains a gigantic beating heart inside its body. Players can reach it through a hidden entrance marked with the deliberately misleading message “No Hidden Content This Way.”

After climbing a long ladder, the player comes across an enormous heart inside the statue, which beats continuously and can even react when attacked.

6 Rattman’s Dens – Portal 2

This Valve classic is generally remembered for its humor and puzzles, but hidden through Aperture Science are secret rooms belonging to Doug Rattman, the mentally unstable scientist also known as Rat Man.

Players can discover several hidden dens containing disturbing drawings and scribbled messages, which are evidence of his deteriorating mental state. These dens end up feeling less like Easter eggs and more like discovering the private hideout of someone who has been trapped inside a terrifying facility for too long.

5 Nuketown Mannequins – Call of Duty: Black Ops III

On Nuk3town in Call of Duty: Black Ops III, players can shoot the heads off every mannequin within a short time limit, which should trigger the mannequins to come alive, chasing players around the map like zombies.

However, what’s creepier is this event’s other version. Removing their arms causes the mannequins to move whenever players aren’t looking at them, a reference taken from the Weeping Angels from Doctor Who.

4 Giant Head Room – Silent Hill 4: The Room

Silent Hill 4: The Room is known for having some of the most disturbing imagery, but one room manages to stand out even more. At one point, players come across a room containing an enormous human head with oversized proportions and a grotesque appearance, which makes the scene feel like something from a literal nightmare.

What makes it creepier is how there is literally no purpose to this Easter egg, and that it exists with no function but to just be extremely creepy.

3 Ghost Pictures – Yakuza Series

The Yakuza series is infamous for mixing in its crime drama with some supernatural horror here and there, and Spirit Photography in Yakuza 6: The Song of Life is one of its creepiest examples. When the camera is used in certain locations around Kamurocho, ghostly images of deceased characters from previous games can appear in the resulting pictures.

Remember, these aren’t random monsters; instead, these are literally characters that must be familiar to longtime players.

2 The Mass Grave – GTA San Andreas

Near Area 69 in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, you can find a large hole containing what appears to be six body bags. A Bobcat pickup truck can also often be found nearby, making it look like someone has recently dumped the bodies there.

There is literally no explanation for who the victims are or who put them there, which is what makes the discovery considerably darker.

1 Corpse01.mdl’s Face Is Based on a Real Dead Body – Half-Life 2

Taking the top spot is one of the most disturbing discoveries associated with Half-Life 2. The game’s files contain a model known as Corpse01.mdl, and its face texture has been identified by fans as being based on an image of a real human corpse.

Unlike a fictional monster or even a creepy developer joke, the real-world origin of this texture completely changes the context. It is believed that the face was taken from a medical textbook that showcased forensic photographs. Unfortunately, this remains a theory that has never been confirmed by anyone in charge.

These ten discoveries are the perfect example of how creative game developers can be when hiding the most unsettling details in what is otherwise a familiar world. And perhaps the scariest part is knowing that there are probably still plenty of disturbing secrets waiting to be discovered.

What has been the creepiest video game discovery done by you? Drop your most haunted in the comments below and let others know!