Grand Theft Auto 5 debuted in 2013, which in video game terms is almost ancient history. But even though the game is nearly seven years old, players are still combing both the original GTA 5 map as well as that of GTA Online and its many expansions to see if it includes any more secrets. Since the very beginning of the Grand Theft Auto franchise, Rockstar Games has filled its game worlds with Easter Eggs, secrets, and even entire quests that can be missed entirely. Even though dedicated players have been uncovering GTA 5‘s secrets for years, nobody really knows if everything has been found, or if more is waiting to be discovered.
This is especially true with one subcategory of Grand Theft Auto 5 Easter Eggs: the cryptozoological creatures that may or may not inhabit Los Santos. Many Rockstar games have included legendary animals like Bigfoot for the player to find, and GTA 5 is no different. After years of rumored appearances in other Rockstar titles, Bigfoot himself finally appeared in GTA 5 in two side missions, Trevor’s “Predator” and Franklin’s “The Last One,” and the player can unlock a Bigfoot skin. Another mythical creature, the body of an extraterrestrial, can be found during the game’s prologue. Finally, the Cayo Perico heist added to GTA Online in December 2020 also added the Loch Ness monster to GTA Online.
But Bigfoot’s long-awaited appearance, along with franchise’s reputation for hiding Easter Eggs well, has some players convinced that even more mysterious beasts are located somewhere in Los Santos. Here’s all the info on the wildest fan theories about GTA‘s hybrid monsters. So grab a camera, some binoculars, and some sturdy boots, and get ready to hunt some cryptids.
GTA 5 Theory: The Goatman
According to some GTA 5 cryptid hunters, the small seaside fishing village of Cape Catfish is also home to a menacing Goatman. This is a half-goat, half-human creature with horns and cloven hooves, and it’s the subject of various real-life urban legends in the U.S. in places like Maryland and Kentucky. Players who claim to have seen it say that once it’s spotted, it flees under a nearby bridge and disappears. A GTA 5 player named Boomer8 is credited with sharing the first purported screenshot of a Goatman sighting, but other users have claimed it’s a hoax. More definitively, players who dug into the game’s files discovered that this exact location is only programmed for scripted vehicle and pedestrian animations, and not randomly spawning goat people.
GTA 5 Theory: The Wolf Girl
At least one YouTuber believes the Palomino Highlands are the stomping grounds of another hybrid creature in Grand Theft Auto 5 called the Wolf Girl. There had been rumors since 2013 that the Palomino Highlands were home to a cryptid of some kind, and YouTuber Papa Jake Games added fuel to the fire in 2017 when he shared a video that he claimed showed Wolf Girl. Papa Jake Games also admitted that he was using cheats during the video, but only to improve the spooky ambiance. However, the figure in the video appears to be a modded version of a bikini-clad NPC, and not a character designed by Rockstar. So far, nobody else has come forward with evidence.
GTA 5 Theory: The Swamp Monster
Another popular rumored GTA 5 Easter egg is the Swamp Monster. According to YouTubers like Boomer8, the Swamp Monster is a gray-tan four-legged creature with glowing eyes. It can be found in the swamp near the Fort Zancudo Access Road. Given its proximity to a military base, some players have theorized that the Swamp Monster is some kind of escaped experiment. However, in 2017 it was proven that “Swamp Monster” is most likely a glitched-out deer. As the player approaches the base, deer can spawn performing the same pushup animation as nearby soldiers, creating an unnerving sight. At this point, most GTA 5 cryptid reports are either false sightings or fakes – but there could be something still lurking in the game’s code, waiting to be discovered.
