Trivia: If the player goes to a certain cliffside overlooking the El Gordo Lighthouse at 11pm, the ghost of Jolene Cranley-Evans, the murdered wife of politician Jock Cranley can be seen. The story is that she was pushed off the cliff by her husband, but her death was later declared as accidental. The name "Jock" can be seen written in blood on the rock Jolene hovers over, accusing him of killing her. The ghost will disappear if the player approaches it, but can be viewed through a sniper rifle scope.
Trivia: There is a secret boss fight that can be unlocked. This can be only unlocked if the player has 100% completed the game, completed the Strangers and Freaks mission The Last One, and collected all 27 peyote plants, as well as collected all 7 golden peyotes which can be found during either foggy or snowy weather. Once all of these requirements have been achieved, the player will then enter a hallucination where they become Bigfoot, and can engage in combat with a beast.
Trivia: In the rural outback area of Los Santos, players can stumble across a scenario in which numerous trucks are parked in a circle, filled with dead bodies and injured survivors in a drug deal gone wrong. The player can then take the money from the deal, but if they do so, two trucks will chase after them and start shooting. This is a reference to the movie No Country for Old Men, in which Llewelyn Moss comes across a drug deal gone wrong, and takes a briefcase of money used for the drug deal and is then pursued afterwards.
Trivia: During a specific time in the day, players can come across a scenario on a cliff in which a car is parked near the edge, and police cars are parked not far behind, cornering the car. The car will then drive off the edge of the cliff and explode when landing. This is a reference to the ending scene of Thelma and Louise, in which the exact same scenario plays out. The two main characters are cornered by police and drive off the edge of a cliff to escape them.
Trivia: Marriage Counselling: When Michael catches his wife sleeping with the tennis coach, he chases him to what he believes is the tennis coach's house, unaware that it actually belongs to Martin Madrazo's girlfriend. Michael then attaches a rope to the foundation poles of the house and drives away, causing the house to collapse. This is a reference to a scene from Lethal Weapon 2, in which Riggs tears down a house using the exact same method.
Trivia: Derailed: There are three tasks that need to be completed in order to obtain a gold medal, as shown by the final summary at the end of the level - Mission Time, Fastest Speed and Better Than CJ. The task "Better Than CJ" is a reference to the mission Wrong Side of the Tracks from Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, where the main character CJ was driving along the side of a train on a motorbike.
Trivia: Hood Safari: When Franklin, Trevor and Lamar are approaching Grove Street, three men who bear a resemblance to CJ, Ryder and Sweet from Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, can be seen driving away from the cul-de-sac in bikes. This is a reference to the mission Sweet and Kendl from GTA: San Andreas in which they have to ride bikes to evade a gang.
Trivia: When the last heist is unlocked and you choose to do the subtle option, the mission carries out very similarly to the Italian Job. You have to modify cars to hold the required amount of weight in gold just like the movie. The difference is that instead of modifying Mini Coopers, you modify Bravado Gauntlets. Also towards the end of the heist, you have to drive the cars into trailers of semi trucks just like the movie.
Trivia: The motion capture performer for Franklin is Shawn Fonteno. Shawn Fonteno is the cousin of Young Maylay, who voiced the character CJ from the earlier Grand Theft Auto game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.
Trivia: Lindsay Lohan filed a lawsuit against Rockstar, alleging that her likeness was used for the character Lacey Jones without her permission. The lawsuit was dismissed.
Trivia: Blitz Play: The heist mission bears many similarities to the opening heist scene from the movie Heat. To make sure the truck stops, Franklin rams into the truck, flipping it over onto its side, the same action that is done in Heat. An explosive is planted on the back door to blow the doors open, also done in Heat. They take the men inside the truck hostage and one of them says they have gone deaf due to the explosion, which also happens in Heat. Additionally, Franklin, Michael and Trevor all wear stylised masks to disguise themselves during the heist, just like in Heat, where the heist team wear hockey masks to disguise themselves.
Trivia: Crystal Maze: Trevor repeatedly bangs Mr. Cheng's head against a column, leaving a blood stain on it. The blood stain shown on the column is in the shape of a beetle.
Trivia: Right at the very end of the end credits, a patient document will appear from the office of Dr. Isiah Friedlander, Michael's therapist. The document gives an overall summary about what kind of player you have been throughout the game.
Trivia: Fresh Meat: When Trevor arrives at Franklin's house, he leaps over the fence, but ends up tripping on the fence and Franklin starts laughing. The moment where Trevor trips was never scripted. What happened was, when the scene was being filmed, the motion capture performer for Trevor, Steven Ogg was supposed to leap over the fence, but ended up tripping on the fence and the motion capture performer for Franklin, Shawn Fonteno broke out laughing. Trevor's rant at Franklin after this was then made up by Steven Ogg himself.
