For as much criticism as the Grand Theft Auto franchise gets, Rockstar's series has always mostly been known for its tongue in cheek humour and ridiculous over the top cartoon violence. Although all the games in the series get into dark territory now and again, there are always plenty of laughs at the ready to make sure GTA doesn't descend into pure, visceral misery. That said, underneath all the arrogant bravado, there can still be a disturbing edge to these games, and with Trevor's infamous torture scene in GTA V making controversial headlines all over the globe when the game hit shelves in 2013. GTA V might be the darkest entry into the series yet, with that particularly shocking moment essentially grandstanding as Rockstar's 'Here, look at this!' moment. However, if you dig deeper into the most recent entry into the franchise, it's not hard to find plenty of sinister plots, characters and locations lurking just beneath the surface. But with the world of Los Santos being so dense with detail, it's probably safe to say that more than a couple of the game's best easter eggs and secrets would have passed you by on a first or even second run-through. With everything from terrifying random encounters to decades-old murder mysteries, I've rounded up the eight best and most disturbing hidden GTA V stories that have been under your nose this entire time.
8. The 'No Country For Old Men' Drugs Bust
GTA games have always been full of little movie references and in-jokes, however one random event in the latest game took this franchise trend and cranked it up to 11. While you're out roaming the upper part of Los Santos you have the ability to come across one of the title's many random encounters, this time signified by a sudden explosion of gunfire ringing out not far from a main road. If you head over to investigate you'll find two lines of parked cars and a wealth of dead bodies. Upon further investigation, it becomes clear that one of the men is still clinging on to dear life, pointing you in the direction of a briefcase containing $25,000 in cash. Of course, you'll probably want to wait around and put together the pieces of the scene, however lingering too long will trigger another wave of thugs who attempt to chase you down and claim the briefcase back for themselves. The whole scenario is obviously a homage to the botched drugs exchange in No Country For Old Men that plays out in an almost identical way, however it's still one of the most memorable hidden parts of Rockstar's title. Going to investigate the sound of a shootout only to find everyone involved already dead provides quite the haunting little scene, as you'll never know for sure who they were, or why they were there in the first place.