There are three UFOs in the game. Two of these UFOs mysteriously have the FIB logo on them.

Denise originally had a different appearance which can be seen in Franklin's character trailer. Her original appearance had her with a different hairstyle, glasses and a green hoodie representing the Families.

During the first encounter between Trevor and Nigel, Nigel and Mrs. Thornhill start groveling at Trevor's feet, repeating "we're not worthy" after they mistake him for a famous actor. This is likely to be a reference to the film "Wayne's World", in which Wayne and Garth bow down and exclaim "we're not worthy" to celebrities that they admire.

Spoiler:Packie McReary from Grand Theft Auto IV can be found holding somebody up outside a store, requesting the player helps him make a getaway. During the journey, he will recount several events that occur during the duration of Grand Theft Auto IV.

The game broke 7 world records in less than one month of its release.

The Bullpup Shotgun is based on the Kel-Tec KSG.

The Advanced Rifle is a bullpup assault rifle, loosely based on the Israeli TAR-21 carbine.

Rockstar hired real life criminals to voice various criminals within the game in order to add authenticity. One voice actor was only let out of prison the day before he went in to record his lines.

One of Steven Ogg's influences when he was portraying Treavor Philips in the game was actor Tom Hardy; specifically Hardy's performance in the 2008 film Bronson.

"He was able to walk that line of psychopath and entertainer while maintaining his sense of humor in some pretty dark places. I'm always inspired by intensity and those that take great pride in what they do - be it an actor, painter, musician, writer, or arborist."

As well as some music which Ogg would listen to, to help imagine Treavor.

Spoiler:In one of the missions for Devin, Franklin has to steal a car from a film studio. It is highly likely that the film being produced is 007: James Bond, as Franklin must first steal the clothes of an actor, a white tuxedo made famous by James Bond films, and the director of the film is British, the origins of the James Bond films. The car itself is loaded with various gadgets, another staple in the James Bond series.

The Z-Type gang car used by the Zaibatsu Corporation from Grand Theft Auto 2, appears in the mission "Eye in the Sky". In it, Spoiler:Franklin and Treavor must retrieve one for Devin Weston which has been hidden by a man named Chad Mulligan. The car can also be bought from legendarymotorsport.net for $10,000,000.

Toni, the radio DJ for Flash FM in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City and Flashback FM in Grand Theft Auto III, appears on a billboard for the Vinewood Sports LS store.

One of the textures for trash spread around the city contains a newspaper extract with the words "Narwal? Bacon?" written prominently as a headline for an article. This is a reference to the website Reddit, which created the phrase "The Narwhal Bacons at Midnight" as something users of the site can say in public to identify themselves as users of the site.

In the short film, "Capolavoro", that can be seen in some of the movie theaters, you can see the "Heart of Liberty" easter egg from Grand Theft Auto IV, in addition to some random clips from GTA IV and Red Dead Redemption.

When switching to Trevor, there is a random chance that Trevor will be driving down the highway on a scooter chasing somebody else on a scooter, while yelling "We are scooter brothers!" This is a reference to a popular Grand Theft Auto IV video with the same premise. Trevor will even continue to quote the video if he continues to drive near him.

Lester's house contains a number of action figures, including parodies of Master Chief from Halo, and Superman. These are Impotent Rage, a superhero from an in-game cartoon series, and a Republican Space Ranger from another in-game cartoon series.

North West of Fort Zancudo is a UFO in the sky that can only be accessed by helicopter. It is motionless and doesn't move. Approaching the UFO will make a loud screeching noise, and all power will be cut from your vehicle.

Early on in the game, Franklin can be seen walking past a building daubed with gangland graffiti that pays homage to Grove Street and the Grove Street Family. Three gangsters dressed in green, the color of the gang, stand by while an image of a skull wearing a green rag over its mouth adorns the wall with the message "Welcome back. We missed you last time.", welcoming players back to the city of San Andreas from Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.

Early in the game, Lester refers to an Eastern-European man living in Liberty City who went quiet. The man in question is Niko from Grand Theft Auto IV. This could mean that he is either dead, or gave up crime.

In the Chiliad Mountain State Wilderness is a scene in which a drug deal has gone bad. Down a slope is a briefcase and a man telling the player to stay away from the case. Grabbing the case (which grants $25,000), he still state "you are a dead man." This is a reference to the movie "No Country for Old Men," as one of the protagonists stumbles upon a drug deal gone bad and a case which contains $2,000,000. When the protagonist finds and takes the money, he discovers that a hitman (as well as the police and cartel) are out to recover the money.