Avert Your Eyes (and Your Controllers)
As much as we love video games, you never know what’s waiting around the corner to jumpscare players or remind us to save our progress. In such vast worlds of adventure, we’ve uncovered more than enough easter eggs…and lost plenty of sleep because of them.
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1. Creepy Faces, Game Boy Camera
Though not technically a video game, we can’t avoid the terrifying faces on the Game Boy camera. For those unfamiliar, the Game Boy once had a crummy little camera you could plug into your handheld, letting you snap pictures from a classic menu. However, one of the options on that menu was “run,” and if you hit it enough times, you’d see horrifying, distorted faces with subtitles like, “Who are you running from?” or “Don’t be so silly!”
2. Ghost Lady, GTA V
Rockstar’s no stranger to massive games and neverending easter eggs. Despite this, color us afraid when we spotted one of the creepiest secrets—poor Jolene Cranley-Evans' ghost. She only appears between 23:00 and 00:00 in-game, floating by Mount Gordo with her awful, hollowed-out eyes. We won’t spoil the lore, but you can uncover what happened to her in the game.
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3. Distorted Message, Xbox
Again, not technically a game, but yet another console that gave us the fright of our lives. If you left your original Xbox idle for too long, you’d hear distorted voices or creepy music. The voice wasn’t quiet either, giving everyone in your house a nice, disturbing wake-up call.
4. Zombies, Half-Life 2
We all know the Half-Life 2 zombies are disturbing, but we just had to make it worse. If you ever play those distorted screams backward, you’ll hear those poor guys wailing, “God help me!” It’s even more depressing to know that mutated headcrab zombies are technically still conscious.
5. Fun is Infinite, Sonic CD
You can always trust the classics to freak you out. With the right button combination, players could unlock a horrifying message on the ‘93 Sonic CD. The so-called sound test took you to a screen with distorted music and even more distorted Sonics, all lined up as the backdrop. The message read, “Fun is infinite as Sega Enterprises!” Button-mashers haven’t had a moment’s peace since.
6. Braithwaite Secret, Red Dead Redemption 2
Of course, you can also trust the latest video games to scare you too. If you’re ever putzing around Braithwaite Manor, take a stroll to an abandoned outhouse just outside its perimeter. There you’ll find a poor, abandoned soul named Gertrude Braithwaite, a disturbed young woman muttering numbers to herself or calling out to her family. Thanks, Rockstar.
7. Rattmann’s Den, Portal 2
Poor Doug Rattmann never stood a chance against GLaDOS, a point very creepily made in his discovered dens. Throughout Portal 2, you can stumble upon several of his hideouts to read graffiti like “the cake is a lie” or “STOP WATCHING” scribbled on the walls. Unlucky players can also hear his frantic, broken whispers.
8. Ouija Board, Layers of Fear
It’s never a good idea to play with Ouija boards, especially in a horror video game. But if you’re so inclined, you can always plug in “666” to summon a demonic teddy bear or enter “wife” for a sobbing apparition that appears in the corner of the room.
9. Lisa Follows, P.T.
Ah, the two simple letters that send shivers down any horror gamer’s spine. P.T.’s over ten years old at this point, but Lisa’s face still haunts our nightmares—and we hate to break it to you, but she still haunts you, period. After players got into the game files, they discovered that Lisa actually stalked us throughout the game. So, definitely don’t look behind you now.
10. Demon Doors, Fable 2
Fable 2’s beloved Demon Doors often held some kind of treasure behind their talking walls…or an unnecessary scare. Behind a particularly nasty one in Bloodstone, you come upon an idyllic winter cottage. Step inside, though, and every light goes out to reveal an abandoned cottage full of skeletons. All that for a sword.
11. Mannequins, Call of Duty Black Ops 3
Fans of Doctor Who were both delighted and disturbed by the mannequins in CoD. Nuketown was filled with blue skies, colorful trees, and inanimate mannequins—or seemingly inanimate. Just like the Weeping Angels in Doctor Who, those mannequins came to life the second you took your eyes off them, and we didn’t see it coming.
12. Idle Screen, Fatal Frame Series
The Fatal Frame series was scary enough without the terrifying idle screens. Abandon the game too long and you’d see anything from red handprints thumping across the screen to angry, glitching faces glaring at you. That’ll teach you to get a snack.
13. 3:33 Broadcast, Animal Crossing New Horizons
For a supposedly lowkey game, Animal Crossing has its fair share of frights. Known as the Witching Hour in folklore, players can tune into their static TVs at 3:33 a.m. for a special broadcast. A big alien head complete with red eyes pops up to deliver a nonsensical message. Good luck trying to sleep now.
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14. The Strange Man, Red Dead Redemption 2
We already talked about RDR2 but we had to mention one of our favorite characters from the series, the Strange Man. Some think he’s God, some think he’s a collector of souls—whatever he is, his hidden cabin in Bayou Nwa (where all the terrifying stuff is) gave us plenty to explore, including a nice surprise behind our reflection.
15. Gyroid, Animal Crossing
Don’t even think about restarting your game. Animal Crossing wasn’t shy about its lessons, turning our adorable avatar into a creepy Gyroid if we ever reset or quit without saving. The physical damage can be undone, but the jury’s still out on the psychological stuff.
16. Milla’s Secret, Psychonauts
Don’t mind us, we’re just talking about another kid’s game that scarred us for life. In a secret room dedicated to Milla’s past, players find out that she once worked at an orphanage that burned down. We’re then exposed to her nightmares, children whispering, “Milla, where are you?” and, “Milla, why don’t you help us?”
17. Hidden Message, Undertale
Developers hate spoilers more than anyone, and players were reminded that any rotten deeds wouldn’t go unpunished. If you typed in the code “abc_123_a,” you’d hear various distorted warnings like, “Have some respect and don’t spoil the game,” “No one will be impressed,” and “It will be your fault.” Oh, and then you’d hear laughter.
18. The Statue of Happiness, GTA IV
Leave it to Rockstar to turn the Statue of Liberty into a seemingly sentient being. Take Niko for a helicopter ride to the Statue of Happiness and poke around inside. From there, you’ll locate a giant, beating heart secured by several chains. Yeah, we don’t know what it means either.
19. Mirror Jumpscare, Doom 3
Mirrors are already creepy in the dark, but Doom 3 provided yet another reason to avoid them. Upon walking into a bathroom, your character sees his reflection in the mirror—harmless enough until everything goes red, his cheeks become sunken, and flames ignite behind you. It only lasts a moment, but it’s enough.
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20. The Witch, Payday 2
We’d love to forget the Witch, but Payday 2 just wouldn’t let us. In hindsight, we should’ve known with a mission called “No Mercy” that took place in a hospital. Still, you can’t blame us for freezing in fear the second we heard her sobbing…let alone seeing her face again.
