Theyโre not made of chocolate, but Easter eggs in video games are just as satisfying to discover. These hidden secretsโinside jokes, developer messages, or surprise featuresโare tucked into games for the most curious players. They donโt help you win, but they definitely boost your bragging rights. Letโs crack open a dozen of the bestโfrom six early classics to six newer favorites.
The Classic Six
The golden age of gaming delivered some of the earliestโand sneakiestโEaster eggs ever coded.
1. Starship 1 (1977): One of the very first games to hide something! If you entered a secret code, “Hi Ron!” appears on-screen and youโre awarded 10 extra lives. The secret was revealed years later in an interview with the game’s engineer, Ron Milnerโwhose name is the Easter egg itself.
2. Adventure (1979): Played on the Atari 2600, this game had a hidden room that said, “Created by Warren Robinett,” back when developers werenโt publicly credited. It was a way for Robinett to sign his work.
3. Metroid (1986): Beat the game fast enough, and surprise! The armored hero Samus takes off her helmetโand sheโs a woman. A massive twist at the time.
4. The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (1991): If you entered the name of a contest winner on the name screen, you could access a secret developer room in the game. A subtle shout-out to dedicated fans.
5. Sonic the Hedgehog (1991): Sonic was hiding all sorts of stuff. Players who knew special button combos could unlock debug tools, unused levels, and hidden art. A playground for hackers before hacking was cool.
6. Grand Theft Auto: Vice City (2002): This one was literally an in-game glitch. Jump through a wall in one building and youโll find an actual Easter egg with a note that says, “Happy Easter!”
The Modern Six
From vampires to virtual UFOs, modern Easter eggs have taken on a whole new level of depth and detail.
7. Batman: Arkham Asylum (2009): Thereโs a totally hidden room that hints at the next Batman game, Arkham City. No one found it until the developers revealed it post-launch.
8. Call of Duty: Black Ops (2010): At the main menu, if you mess around enough, you can break out of your chair and access a computer that lets you play Zork, a classic text adventure game. Old-school inside a new-school shooter.
9. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (2015): This game is packed with clever pop culture nodsโfrom Game of Thrones to Monty Python and more. The devs clearly had fun with it.
10. Red Dead Redemption 2 (2018): UFOs, ghost trains, and even a vampire show up if you know where to look. Itโs like a spooky Easter egg hunt in the Wild West.
11. Cyberpunk 2077 (2020): Despite a rocky launch, this game hides all kinds of cool referencesโfrom other games and cult movies to secret characters. Night City is full of surprises.
12. Elden Ring (2022): This fantasy epic is packed with strange and creepy secrets, but youโll have to dig deep to find them. The whole world is basically one giant Easter egg.
Whether you’re unearthing pixelated pranks or decoding cryptic messages, Easter eggs continue to be a whimsical staple of game design. Theyโre a wink from developers to playersโa reminder that even in the most serious quests, thereโs always room for a little fun. Happy hunting!
