Easter eggs in 2025 games

The world of digital entertainment is updated more often than the rules of YouTube monetisation. But despite everything - new engines, RTX, and artificial intelligence that tells you where to go in a quest - some things remain the same. One of them is the good old habit of hiding little things in the game that most players will never see, but those who do will get an eternal +100 to their self-esteem.

Easter eggs are little digital letters in a bottle addressed to those who have not just "completed the game" but have looked at every texture, studied NPC animations, and checked to see if they can talk to the bucket. They create an atmosphere of collusion between the developer and the player, develop the community, encourage research, and add that "oh, what's this here?" feeling to the game that we come for.

Secrets that no one is forced to find, but everyone wants to - that's why these things are still alive. And it seems that hiding funny messages at the bottom of a cave is the most persistent genre in gaming. We've dug through the biggest releases of 2025 to find the most interesting Easter eggs for you.

Fast forward to

• Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2
• Assasin`s Creed Shadows
• Split Ficton
• Monster Hunter Wilds
• Avowed
• Final Fantasy VII Rebirth
• Marvel's Spider-Man 2
• In dry residue

Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2

The game "Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2" has become a real holiday for fans and created all the conditions for a thorough exploration of the open world and encouraged to literally look under every bush. We can meet a downed UFO (but it is impossible to get close to it because of the transparent wall). The game has a Puss in Boots, Baba Yaga's house, Luffy's straw hat from One Piece, Excalibur's sword in stone, and references to the Beetlejuice or Predator films or the Elden Ring or The Elder Scrolls V games: Skyrim:

Here's the full list of Easter eggs found in the game with video timecodes:

• 0:00 - Puss in Boots
• 0:37 - "Predator" with Schwarzenegger
• 1:30 - The Little Mermaid
• 2:04 - Baba Yaga's house
• 2:27 - Beetllejuice
• 3:00 - Dinosaurs in the cave
• 3:30 - Harry Potter (skeleton on a broomstick)
• 4:01 - Gladiator
• 4:27 - Winged bat beast
• 4:48 - Dark Souls bonfire
• 5:18 - Midsommar
• 5:54 - Room for developers
• 6:52 - Luffy's straw hat from One Piece
• 7:27 - The secret ending
• 7:53 - The crashed UFO
• 8:17 - Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
• 8:54 - Excalibur's sword in the stone
• 9:15 - The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
• 10:08 - Rules of the beer can
• 10:33 - Let me sing her a solo
• 11:11 - Mexican aliens
• 11:34 - The house of the hobbits
• 11:53 - The vampire
• 12:29 - Creepy tree
• 12:53 - Crocodile and skeleton

Go Deeper:

It is believed that the history ofEaster eggs began with a banal protest. In 1980, a guy named Warren Robinett hid his name in an Adventure game because Atari believed that it was bad manners to sign developers to a product. And so the first game "Easter egg" appeared. And then there were more. Konami 's famous ↑↑↓↓←→←→BA code has become an icon of the genre, unlocking bonuses, extra lives, and sometimes hidden mini-games.

Although the earliest of the Easter eggs is found in the 1973 video game Moonlander, in which the player tries to land a lunar module on the moon. If the player decides to fly the module horizontally through several game screens, he encounters a McDonald's restaurant that can be visited by an astronaut if he lands nearby. The earliest known Easter egg in software in general was placed in the "make" command for PDP-6/PDP-10 computers sometime in October 1967-October 1968, when if a user attempts to create a file named "love" by typing "make love", the program responds with "not war?" before continuing.

Modern Easter eggs are real game nesting dolls. From references to memes, films, and other games (hello, Borderlands crossover with Minecraft) to jabs at competitors, like in The Witcher 2, where someone "fell off the roof unluckily", alluding to Assassin's Creed. There are classics of the genre, such as the inscription in GTA: San Andreas: "There are no Easter eggs here. Go away". And then there are things that go deeper than the Dark Souls plot, like NPCs that you have to click 50 times to see a photo, like in Resident Evil 2.

Assassin's Creed Shadows

In Assassin's Creed Shadows, Ubisoft decided that feudal Japan was not enough, so it added a good handful of Easter eggs to the game - ironic, mythological, and gaming. For example, in Lake Biwa, you can find the "Cat Island" - a cute but functional place with a vantage point, treasures, and a whole bunch of purring NPCs. And for those who grew up on Dark Souls, there is a bonfire with a sword - just like in their native Lordran.

Players can throw the enemy off the roof with the War Kick and get an achievement with the meaningful title "This is Japan, actually" - an obvious allusion to "This is Sparta!" from the film about the 300 Spartans. And for completing the first tomb, you get "Kofun Raider" - a direct nod to Tomb Raider. And if someone thought that the horse was just a vehicle, no: the game has a cave with the legendary horse Namazu, inspired by Japanese myths about the catfish that causes earthquakes.

Here are the timecodes to the video with one of the Easter eggs in Assassin's Creed Shadows:

• 0:25 Demon Slayer
• 2:24 Kaiju
• 3:54 300
• 4:57 Arrow in the knee (Skyrim)
• 5:40 Tomb Raider
• 6:13 Bioshock
• 7:02 Cat Island
• 8:35 The Beatles
• 9:06 Avatar The Last Airbender
• 9:44 Naruto Run
• 10:07 Dark Souls

Split Fiction

In Split Fiction, Hazelight has created a real Easter egg festival that will delight the most attentive players. Players can find references to such iconic games as Dark Souls, including a bonfire with a sword in the Moon Market location, accompanied by the inscription "Moonfire Lit". There is also a scene with a "leap of faith" into a haystack, reminiscent of Assassin's Creed, and a moment with dodging barrels, like in Donkey Kong. There are also references to Portal - in the form of a robotic host that looks like GLaDOS - and Halo - with red and blue armoured suits. In addition, the game has a motorcycle drifting scene that refers to the Akira anime and a level with desert worms that resembles Dune.

Here is a list of timecodes from the video:

• 0:00 - Assassins Creed - Leap of Faith
• 0:28 - It Takes Two
• 1:28 - Round table with Elden Ring
• 2:20 - Crash Bandicoot
• 2:52 - Akira
• 3:15 - Speech of the sergeant from Halo
• 3:52 - Cody and May's cameo from It Takes Two
• 4:34 - Sailor Moon Transformation
• 5:20 - Metal Gear hard cardboard box
• 6:26 - Dune sandworms
• 6:57 - Donkey Kong
• 7:28 - Joseph Fares The Game Awards ceremony
• 8:20 - Bonfire from Dark Souls
• 9:00 - Exit: Leon and Vincent
• 10:15 - It Takes Two
• 10:44 - Portal
• 11:08 - Sonic The Hedgehog
• 11:24 - Dead Space
• 12:07 - It Takes Two
• 12:37 - Captcha

Monster Hunter Wilds

In Monster Hunter Wilds, the developers from Capcom did not hold back in their love for details and fan service, turning the game into a real treasure for Easter egg hunters. In the game, you can find a giant fluffy bird, Downy Crake, hiding behind a waterfall in the Grand Hub, which is an obvious throwback to the Cohoot nest from Monster Hunter Rise. If you approach it, you can get the so-called Nest Trinkets - collectibles that can be sold or kept as trophies.

Among the familiar faces are the return of characters from Monster Hunter 4: the charismatic Ace Lancer and Little Miss Forge, who provide not only quests but also a touch of pleasant nostalgia. And blacksmith Gemma often sings "Proof of a Hero" at the location, a song that has already become the franchise's anthem. With such details, Capcom keeps in touch with fans and confirms that yes, we remember how it all started.

There were also some deeper Easter eggs. The animation of swords clashing with monsters is almost a frame-by-frame recreation of the introductory video of Monster Hunter Freedom 2. The bodies of defeated monsters gradually turn into skeletons - a hint of transience, but also a mechanically important change for researchers. NPC conversations include philosophical debates about the evolution of T-Rex and chicken (purely for Reddit discussions) and references to a monster fish that looks more like something from Japanese myths.

And, of course, the most discerning researchers will come across something completely outlandish: a spear similar to the one used in Neon Genesis Evangelion or hints of a crossover with Okami. Palico interacts with the tent as if he were not just a cat, but an actor in a scene from the theatre of the absurd. All of this is not just humour, but carefully woven layers of culture that make Wilds more alive than many real cities.

You can also see a lightsaber and even sharpen it (!). It's part of the Artian waist, a belt of knives.

Sharpen a lightsaber? Easy! Illustration: Reddit

Avowed

In Avowed, Obsidian studio has arranged a holiday for fans of its previous games and other cult RPGs. There are references to Fallout: New Vegas - the "Wasteland Courier" quest and achievements with the telling names "Two Bears High-Fiving" and "Big Iron". Skyrim was also immortalised, with a ring called "Packmule's Burden" referring to Lydia, known for the phrase "I'm sworn to carry your burdens". KOTOR 2, Pentiment, Grounded, and other hits of their own were not forgotten either - all of this is hidden in achievements, dialogues, or even NPC names.

In addition, the game is full of pop culture gags: players can find a note with the phrase "My Cabbages!" (hello Avatar: The Last Airbender) or the achievement "That Sign Can't Stop Me Because I Can't Read" - a reference to the old memorable frame from the cartoon Arthur. And for Mass Effect fans, there is a character with lines voiced by the Garrus actor.

The Wasteland Courier quest. Illustration: screenrant.com

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth

Although this game was formally released in 2024, the PC port was released in January 2025. In Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, Square Enix developers have done everything to make experienced players feel at home, and newcomers feel like they are in a museum of memes and nostalgia. There are plenty of references to the original game and other parts of the franchise: from posters with Ruby and Emerald WEAPON silhouettes to a cameo of the Test 0 enemy from the demo of the first FFVII, which appears in the Corel Prison coliseum. Cloud occasionally sings the classic victory tune, and Honeybee Inn still has the spirit of the scenes that have become iconic in the fan community.

There are also surprises from other Square worlds: Red XIII gets a side quest with a reference to The Lion King, and Elena is featured in an ice cream scene from Kingdom Hearts. Cait Sith mentions "Dresspheres", a mechanic from FFX-2, and the 1/35 Shinra Soldier returns as a collectible figure. Even the scene with the fight between Tifa and Scarlet has been recreated, though this time by NPCs. And, of course, the game has everything from frog status that saves costumes to music changes during a date at Gold Saucer depending on the chosen character.

Marvel's Spider-Man 2

In Marvel's Spider-Man 2 (also a Playstation "exclusive" that was released on PC in January 2025), you can find references to Wolverine, X-Men, Daredevil, Doctor Strange, Fantastic Four, Inhumans, and even the Spider-Verse. For example, on the streets of New York, players can come across a building with a sign that says "Nelson Murdock", although the text itself is erased - a clear reference to Matthew Murdock. And next to the Sanctum Sanctorum of Doctor Strange, you can find the Wand of Watoomb and a symbol that appeared in comics.

We didn't forget about the classic features: there's a room with a Wolverine costume, references to Dazzler and Knull, and even Captain America left his shield somewhere in Coney Island. There's a scene with a joke about "boat people" from the first game, a remix of the main theme in the mission with Mysterio, and even treasures for collectors: a spider web that folds into phrases from Amazing Fantasy #15. All of these are lovingly placed little things that create the effect of a living comic book in which you are the main character and New York is full of familiar symbols if you know how to look closely.

The bottom line.

Easter eggs in games of 2025 are no longer just something developers do in their spare time. It's a whole cultural layer that continues to grow and flourish, even as the storyline gets more serious and the budgets get bigger. From RPGs like Avowed and Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, to Monster Hunter Wilds with its wool and fantasy dinosaurs, and even Spider-Man 2, where between real drama and villains there is a place for remixes of the theme from the animated series, all these games are stuffed with hidden jokes, hints and internal gags. The main trends of 2025 are the love of intertext: from memes and films to self-reflection of developers and winks from previous projects. And a bit of nostalgia - because who doesn't like to find something in a game that they know from childhood?

Today, Easter egg hunting is a team operation with a control centre on Reddit, Discord, and YouTube. Players come together, research, film, comment and joke - creating a living encyclopaedia of hidden content. Such communities are already part of the game. Because Easter eggs are about curiosity. About the moment when you turn off the main quest just because you see a suspicious wall. This is the developer's way of saying to the player: "We are human, we have watched the same films and remember the same games." In 2025, Easter egg culture will not disappear - it will transform, become deeper, smarter, and even more integrated into game worlds. Because as long as there are players who dig deeper than necessary, there will be those who bury something interesting there.

For those who want to know more

• The story of John Carmack: the father of all shooters
• Heroines of their own novels: a review of the co-operative game Split Fiction
• Let's explore the game Commandos: Origins - six commandos, one plan, and many ways to fail the mission
• Exploring South of Midnight: while the player knits the world with threads of magic, the game puts a strain on his nerves with its combat system
• Exploring the game: "The First Berserker: Khazan" - a soulslike that wants to become something more
• Assassin's Creed Shadows: finally something new or just samurai instead of Vikings?