The Grand Theft Auto series is undoubtedly one of the most influential and iconic video game series of all time. Grand Theft Auto 3 and subsequent games in the series have continued to push the boundaries of open-world gaming, with diverse locales, interesting stories, delightful characters, and everything else being equal.
However, not everything is treated with the classic GTA comic twist we are all familiar with. Some areas of the game are downright terrifying, especially when they happen without prior warning. Here are some places in Grand Theft Auto that will send chills down your spine.
Updated by David Kinder on April 14, 2023: While the Grand Theft Auto series hasn’t fully dived into the paranormal, there are plenty of places that could easily be mistaken for a horror set. Whether through blatant references or questionable designs, GTA can hit you with creepy locations. Years of Internet rumors have fueled fears that these places are haunted and outright malevolent. What you really need to worry about is your imagination. It can make your mind trick you. But all it takes is an audio or visual glitch to turn an abandoned hospital into a permanent nightmare.
15 Colony Island Hospital (GTA 4)
During the day, the abandoned hospital near the southern tip of Colony Island is unassuming, but like any horror movie, the hospital gets even creepier and more disturbing at night. This hospital is familiar to players because one of the most difficult Grand Theft Auto 4 missions, a snow storm, takes place here.
Colony Island is based on the real Roosevelt Island, famous for its smallpox hospital. You won’t find ghosts of past asylum patients, but you’ll be creeped out by the general atmosphere. Nothing screams “let’s do it the next day” like a creepy old hospital.
14 Blaine County Motel (GTA 5)
The Abandoned Blaine County Motel is like dozens of old buildings in Blaine County. Boarded up windows are usually not a big deal. But looking around, the motel becomes more distressing.
Accessible rooms are full of trash and completely in disrepair. It looks like a post-apocalyptic wasteland, but the world outside is still functioning normally. There have also been claims of disturbing noises and supernatural NPCs, but these are just rumors.
13 Ghost Town (GTA 3)
Grand Theft Auto 3 marked a major change for the series, with the move to a 3D open world setting being the catalyst for the series’ success. After jailbreak, players are thrust into the dizzying world of Liberty City. However, there is another city in the game.
This Ghost Town can be reached by piloting the Dodo, the lone plane in the game. This is an incomplete area just for the opening cinematic. The fact that there is no collision detection for this area makes Ghost Town even scarier.
12 Amityville House (GTA 4)
Amityville House is one of the scariest places in real life. So even series like GTA will pay homage to this haunting area.
You can find this legendary home in Alderney. Although not attacked by ghosts, some players have claimed to hear evil conversations in the house. Even then, it’s still creepy. The general atmosphere of that lifeless house is unsettling enough for most people.
11 Vinewood Cemetery (GTA 5)
In all video games, graveyards are creepy. Some developers try to hide zombies and other monsters in the background. Fortunately, there’s none of that, but the creepiest part of Vinewood Cemetery has to be the empty tomb with a handgun.
Rockstar’s desire to make each open world feel alive can unsettle many areas. Not knowing why something is there fills your mind with possibilities. Some players have claimed that the tomb is a reference to Grand Theft Auto San Andreas, where CJ and Sweet’s mother is buried.
10 Inside the Statue of Happiness (GTA 4)
Grand Theft Auto 4 is one of the most outrageous easter eggs in all of gaming, and one of the scariest because of what it means. Heart Of Liberty City has to be seen to be believed, but you may regret the choice.
This Easter egg is inside the Statue of Happiness. You have to land directly on the base of the statue, which is not an easy task. After passing through the fake door, the player can climb the ladder and witness the beating heart. It’s also a nod to Edgar Allan Poe’s Tell-Tale Heart.
9 Mount Gordo (GTA 5)
The Ghost of Mount Gordo is a surefire shocker for unprepared players. After completing Jolene Cranley-Evans’ questline, a small surprise awaits at the top of the mountain. If you look down near the summit with a sniper rifle in the middle of the night, you will see the ghost of Jolene Cranley-Evans.
Be aware that you may be surprised. The good news is that the ghost disappears when you try to get close. Clearly not the reward anyone expects after solving a pending case.
8 Back O’ Beyond Woods (GTA San Andreas)
Back O’ Beyond Woods in Grand Theft Auto San Andreas is an iconic location infamous for its Bigfoot mythology and fantastical ghost cars. The Bigfoot mission was a hoax, but there are still some spooky things here. Fog at night paints a different picture.
If you’re driving through a forest, a random car with no one in the driver’s seat will roll towards them. The ghost car is a flaw, but mostly a design oversight. Vehicles are “moving towards you” because they spawn on hills and start rolling down when you get close to them.
7 Abandoned Sprunk Factory (GTA 4)
Grand Theft Auto 4 has remade Liberty City with its fair share of creepy locations and incidents. One such location is the Abandoned Sprunk Factory with numerous fan theories. Players have reported seeing alligators and ghosts roaming the area, but this has never been proven.
New York claims to have sewer gators, but Liberty City doesn’t. Random screams actually happen. However, it only happens when a person fires a gun. Due to the way sound works in GTA 4, tramps under buildings will hear gunshots and scream in terror.
6 Apartment 3C (GTA Vice City)
Crime films like Scarface inspired Grand Theft Auto Vice City, so it was inevitable that many references to the film would appear here. It was a big surprise to be able to get into apartment 3c as the number of buildings you can enter is limited.
When you choose to enter, a terrifying sight awaits you in the bathroom. The bathroom walls are bloodstained with chainsaw pickups. It’s a clear nod to the iconic murder scene in Angel in Scarface.
5 Abandoned mine shaft (GTA 5)
abandoned mine shaft Grand Theft Auto 5 was originally inaccessible in early versions. With the release of an improved version, players can destroy the board guarding the main gate and explore this spooky place.
The scene that greets them is pretty horrifying. A well-preserved shriveled corpse is wearing a vintage pinstripe suit. Part of Michael’s Murder Mystery story. It’s also an homage to the dark, dark history of Hollywood’s Golden Age.
4 Harbor ‘Hobo Tunnel’ (GTA 3)
Grand Theft Auto 3’s Hobo Tunnel generated a lot of buzz at the time. Its existence has never been explained, which makes the mystery behind the tunnel all the more interesting. The easy answer is because Rockstar wanted to make Liberty City more realistic.
But the worst part of this area is that the only people in the position are Molotov doing nothing and 4 hobos facing each other. Like deleted missions and forgotten easter eggs, attempts have been made to explain why they exist. Lack of activity makes everything a stranger.
three Devil’s Castle (GTA San Andreas)
San Andreas has many easter eggs, but some are downright creepy. One notable easter egg is in El Castillo Del Diablo. At first glance, it is a strange rock cliff. In the center is a cemetery.
The fact that this place is close to both the ghost town of Las Brujas and District 69 has led people to believe that the government took the residents of Las Brujas to experiment and deal with the failures in this mass grave. It could also allude to Las Vegas mobsters dealing with their victims.
2 Merle Abrahams’ House (GTA 5)
Grand Theft Auto 5’s Infinity Killer is one of the most twisted and messed up side quests in the entire game. It won’t be the first, nor will it be the last, since serial killer side quests also appeared in Red Dead Redemption 2 and Grand Theft Auto 4.
The killer’s house is burnt down and abandoned, with disturbing graffiti related to the number eight all over the walls. There is also a series of tally marks counting to 15, which can be anything from the last day the victim counts to the age of her children (in days or years).
One Mount Chiliad (GTA 5)
After years of fan speculation and shattering myths, Mount Chiliad has led to one of GTA 5’s most surprising yet captivating experiences. Many people thought the mural had something to do with jetpacks, Bigfoot, aliens, and government conspiracies. It was a message to play the game 100% and reach the climax during the storm.
If the above conditions are met, players will be able to see UFOs from a distance. This moment feels like the conclusion of Close Encounters of the Third Kind. I can’t shake the feeling that something bad is about to happen.