How Easter Eggs in Video Games Came to Be

Easter eggs are now a beloved tradition in gaming. What began as a simple, playful joke has evolved into something many players anticipate in new games. These hidden surprises range from silly, unexpected finds to complex puzzles that encourage exploration. While often unrelated to the main storyline, Easter eggs inspire players to be curious and think outside the box as they discover secrets within the game world.

Discovering hidden secrets in video games has become a popular hobby in itself. A recent example is the many Easter eggs found throughout Resident Evil Requiem, proving developers still enjoy hiding messages for players to find. However, the practice of including secret details in software dates back to the 1960s, and the first known instance in a video game was in 1973’s Moonlander. Players who successfully navigated the lunar module through several screens encountered a hidden McDonald’s restaurant their astronaut could visit. While this is considered the first video game Easter egg, another game would later give the term its official name.

Easter Eggs in Video Games Officially Begins in 1980 With an Atari 2600 Title

Although the game Moonlander contained a hidden surprise, the term “Easter egg” to describe these in-game secrets wasn’t coined until 1980 with the release of Adventure for the Atari 2600. Adventure included a secret room containing the message, “Created by Warren Robinett.” Robinett, an Atari programmer, added this message because the company didn’t credit developers in their games. When a player discovered Robinett’s hidden room, some Atari managers wanted to remove it, but they found it was too costly to make the change.

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Steve Wright, who led software development at Atari, was happy to support Warren Robinett’s idea. Wright officially coined the term “Easter eggs” to describe these hidden in-game secrets and encouraged other game developers to include them, giving players a fun bonus beyond the main game. While Adventure might not be widely remembered today, it significantly impacted the gaming industry thanks to Warren Robinett.

Why Exactly Are They Called Easter Eggs Anyway?

Just like hidden features in video games, Easter eggs have changed over time. While people used to simply dye eggs for the holiday, now you’ll find them in many different forms. Besides traditional egg coloring, chocolate eggs and hollow plastic eggs are now extremely popular. Comedian Steven Wright was actually talking about these plastic eggs when he joked about people hiding treats inside for Easter egg hunts.

Diving Into Some of the Best Gaming Easter Eggs of the 21st Century

There are countless examples of Easter eggs in games, but I’ll focus on just a few. They’ve become so common that some game series now include their own signature Easter eggs that fans anticipate in every new release. Over time, these hidden secrets have become increasingly creative, and some of the most memorable ones come from games released since the year 2000.

GTA San Andreas and Vice City

The Grand Theft Auto (GTA) series is famous for hiding Easter eggs throughout its games. GTA 5 is packed with them, with mysteries like Bigfoot and Mount Chiliad being particularly well-known. However, older games like San Andreas and Vice City have some truly funny ones. For instance, climbing to the top of the Gant Bridge in San Andreas reveals graffiti that jokingly tells players there are no secrets to find. This is a clever twist on what players expect. But the Easter egg in Vice City is especially memorable. If you fly to the top of the VCN building and land on the helipad, you can actually jump through a hidden opening to find a secret room. Inside, you’ll discover a giant chocolate egg sitting on a stand, complete with a “Happy Easter” message!

Halo: Reach’s Covenant Nightclub

Players can discover a hidden surprise in the New Alexandria level by flipping switches on top of two buildings. Doing so causes the Covenant enemies inside Club Errera to start a dance party, complete with a Brute acting as the DJ! Many fans still consider this one of the most memorable Easter eggs in the entire Halo series.

Battlefield 4’s Legendary Megalodon

Throughout the Battlefield series, hidden surprises called Easter eggs have always been a fun part of the games, and one of the most memorable is the Megalodon. You can find this Easter egg on the Paracel Storm and Nansha Strike maps (available in the Naval Strike DLC). On Paracel Storm, the process is a bit involved: you need to climb to the top of a windmill, get hit by lightning, then search for palm trees with parrots. Finding the parrots will create a glowing spot that, when shot, causes a strange light to appear in the sky, and finally, a Megalodon will jump out of the water. Nansha Strike is much simpler – just gather at least ten players on the buoy at the southern end of the map and wait for the Megalodon to show up.

Honorable Mentions

Resident Evil Requiem – Tofu is still at the Raccoon Police Department.
Just Cause 2 – Players can find the island from Lost.
Red Dead Redemption 2 – The St. Denis Vampire
Batman: Arkham Asylum – A secret room with blueprints teasing the next game
Dying Light: The Beast – A brick wall that reads 9 and 3/4, referencing Harry Potter
COD Black Ops 2 – Shooting the heads off every mannequin in Nuketown 2025 in a designated amount of time unlocks playable Activision arcade games like Pitfall.

As a gamer, I’ve always loved finding Easter eggs hidden in games, and it’s become such a cool tradition! It’s amazing how they’re starting to reference older Easter eggs now, creating this whole interconnected web of secrets. Take the mannequin challenge in Black Ops 7‘s Nuketown 2025 – it’s a fun throwback to the series’ history, but it really highlights how complex and detailed these hidden features have become. Honestly, Easter eggs are a huge part of how I experience games these days, and I’m really excited to see what developers come up with next – it’s going to be fascinating to watch them evolve!

2026-04-05 15:07