I love Easter Eggs in video games. They’re fun, friendly and a great way for game developers to wink at their fans. And the good people at Rockstar love Easter Eggs just as much as me, filling their franchise games with Bigfoots, UFOs and – best of all – references to their other games.

Easter has come early

Grand Theft Auto V has been out for a week now, and fans are checking every nook and cranny for the best Easter Eggs. The ones I love the most are the references to previous GTA games. I love the feeling of each game existing in this larger, shared universe. So like the giddy gamer I am, I’ve gathered together the six best crossover cameos in Grand Theft Auto V!

6. The Z-Type is always in style

Hard to miss

In one of the GTA V missions that actually has you committing grand theft auto, you have to steal a specialized, black luxury car called a ‘Z-Type’. What’s so special about the Z-Type? Well, it dates back all the way to Grand Theft Auto 2, back when the series was a top-down game, before the sprawling, 3D cities. The Z-Type was the primary car of the Zaibatsu Corporation, one of several major criminal organizations in GTA 2. Each organization had its own signature car, and the Z-Type was one of the fastest (and therefore one of the best). Unfortunately, you have to give the Z-Type to your employer at the end of the mission. I’m hoping there’s a way to buy one (or steal one) for myself elsewhere.

5. Brucie Kibbutz still can’t shut up about steroids

Genetically superior!

Was there any cooler companion than Bruce Kibbutz in Grand Theft Auto IV? Yeah, he could be a loudmouth pain in the ass, but the guy took us on helicopter rides! None of my real life friends do that. Brucie was one of a kind, and through the magic of the in-game Internet, he’s back in Grand Theft Auto V. You can find Brucie commenting in 140 characters or less on Bleeter, the GTA V version of Twitter. He’s also the spokesman for bull shark testosterone, and can be found on the in-game website http://www.bullsharktestosterone.com. They also talk about Bruce and his bull sharks on the radio.

4. Grove Street Represent!

Surprisingly little death and bloodshed in this picture

Grand Theft Auto V is not the first game to use Los Santos as its main setting. Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas had us playing as CJ Johnson, a young gang-banger living on the mean Los Santos streets in the mid-90s. CJ’s home turf was Grove Street, and he was a member of the Grove Street Families gang. Grove Street itself was a unique cul-de-sac, which is where you lived and saved the game for the first several hours. So we got to know the neighborhood pretty well. And sure enough, not only do we return to that Grove Street cul-de-sac in Grand Theft Auto V, but a few familiar faces bicycle past.

That’s CJ, Sweet and Big Smoke pedaling near Grove Street in the mission ‘Hood Safari’. They don’t really do or say anything, but that’s the point of a good Easter Egg. Also, if you go behind CJ’s old house in the cul-de-sac, you’ll find one of GTA V’s many collectibles.

3. The Legend of Niko Bellic

The Man, The Myth

This is the cameo I most wanted to see, but unfortunately, Niko Bellic himself doesn’t stop by San Andreas. But references to the star of Grand Theft Auto IV can be found throughout the game. When you’re preparing the heist of the jewelry store at the start of the game, Lester mentions, “An Eastern European guy making moves in Liberty City, but nah, he went quiet.” It’s a small mention, but it’s fun. Better than that, however, is the appearance of Niko Bellic on Lifeinvader, the game’s version of Facebook! Unfortunately, you can’t look him up yourself. Instead, you can see Niko’s page hidden in one of the cut scenes between Michael and his son Jimmy.

Nobody is immune to Lifeinvader

Sometimes when you walk into Michael’s house, you’ll find his son Jimmy on the laptop in the dining room. You can zoom in on the screen using your in-game cell phone camera, but I don’t think it’s possible to read Niko’s current status.

But if you want to know how Niko is doing, another familiar face actually mentions him by name…

2. Packie McReary, at your service

Bloody Irish!

A major supporting character from GTA IV returns in all his glory. Packie McReary, one of Niko’s close friends, can be recruited to join your heists in GTA V…if you know how to unlock him. Packie first shows up in one of GTA V’s random encounters when you’re playing as Franklin. Packie and a buddy have just robbed a convenience store, but they don’t have a getaway driver. You can choose to either kill them and steal their take or pick them up and drive them home. I highly recommend the latter. Along the way, Packie will introduce himself and offer to help you out in future crime.

I suggest using Packie on the bank robbery heist. On the ride to the bank, Packie tells the story of the bank heist from Grand Theft Auto IV, and updates the player on Niko Bellic – who Packie thinks is probably dead by now. That’s not very encouraging.

1. The inglorious end of Johnny Klebitz

He was destined for great things

Look no further than the fate of Johnny Klebitz to know how wickedly Rockstar Studios can twist the knife. This is nothing short of tragic. Klebitz was the main character in one of the spin-off DLC stories to Grand Theft Auto IV called The Lost and the Damned. He was a biker with The Lost motorcycle gang, and as the main character, you played as Johnny in a series of missions as he fought tooth and nail in Liberty City. Jonny also had an ongoing subplot with his drug-addicted girlfriend Ashley.

So what happens when he returns in Grand Theft Auto V? He’s immediately killed.

In the cinematic that introduces Trevor in GTA V, Trevor has sex with Ashley in his trailer and then humiliates and murders Johnny.

Johnny was one of three playable characters in GTA IV. He was a star. You went along with Johnny in his missions, you came to care for him and care about his relationship drama. He was a real character. But in comes Trevor Phillips to destroy everything we worked for in The Lost and the Damned. It’s brutal and hilarious, which is exactly how Grand Theft Auto operates.

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Do you love in-game references as much as I do? What were some of your favorites in GTA V? There are a lot more than just six, including cameos from a few other GTA IV NPCs. Let’s hear your Grand Theft Auto love in the comments!