Open-world games have always been known for the expansive environments and sprawling landscapes that are ready to be explored, many of which contain plenty of secrets to find along the way. There is no better feeling than finding a hidden passage or unlocking a concealed door to reveal an entirely new area that would otherwise have stayed hidden.

Many games excel at cramming every corner of the world with secret content that, for many players, will go undiscovered for their entire playthrough, while others keep it subtle, adding in one or two Easter egg sections for keen-eyed players to enjoy in the midst of all the action and chaos.

The trilogy is well-known for its expansive open world full of secrets, ranging from in-game bonuses to subtle nods, and one of the best examples is a secret location in the Industrial District that hides more than a few objects of interest.

After unlocking the door with the code "CityOfTerror", players are forced into a first-person perspective in a dimly lit environment. There are a few crates, some dead cockroaches, but most importantly, a man in a chair that gives the player quite the fright when zooming in. The whole scene is a clear reference to Scarecrow and his return in the next game, foreshadowing the iconic villain far before he is ever even seen.

is full of secrets across the world and gives players plenty of reasons to continue exploring well after any actual quests. Many of the locations around the landscape are ruined areas with a few interesting items, but the best of the bunch has to be Eventide Island.

Located just off the shore in the Necluda sea is a strange little island that poses a pretty tricky challenge to the player that strips them of their gear and tasks them with escaping the island. It's a fun little side quest that involves a bit of thinking and gives players even more to explore in an already expansive world.

has always been known for hiding a few little extra Easter eggs in their games, some small, some that actually impact gameplay, and others like this that are just straight up strange.

If players are eagle-eyed, they might have noticed a small entrance located on the upper level of the Statue of Happiness that can only be accessed with a helicopter. Landing on the ledge and entering the Statue leads players into a small room, containing a beating heart strung up in chains. It is easily one of the strangest Easter eggs in the series and is a funny little secret area that is well worth the rough landing.

Bethesda is no stranger to adding hidden details and locations to their games for the most adventurous fans to uncover. There are plenty of iconic places that serve as subtle nods, but one of the coolest secrets comes from , where an alien crash can be witnessed and then found with more than just debris to be found.

Not only can players grab a special weapon to add to their arsenal, but they can also fight a few extraterrestrial creatures that can only be found at the site. The fact that the area only spawns in after the crash, which can also be witnessed if the player is paying attention, makes it one of the coolest secrets in the game and a place that is worth a visit.

could fill a whole book with the amount of secrets and hidden areas, and even after 100s of hours, players will still be finding new things they have never seen before. One of the largest and most interesting secret areas lies right at the top of the map, which in itself is a secret area that requires two specific items to unlock.

The Haligtree is an expansive legacy dungeon that stretches all the way into the clouds and deep into the roots of the tree, containing plenty of unique enemies from ants to knights, and, of course, the infamous Malenia, Blade of Miquella. To have such a large area that is actually visible on the map, being hidden so far at the edge, makes the exploration all the more rewarding once it is finally cleared.

is a great example of an open-world game that does secret areas well. Many locations will be completely overlooked due to the lack of markers or questlines, and some of the strangest content lies just out of sight at all times.

The questline "Of Dairy and Darkness" is a secondary quest that transports players to a hidden location full of statues holding cheese and puzzles to solve. At the end of it, players are rewarded with The Emmentaler sword, a pun on the cheese Emmental, a fitting prize for a very cheesy yet fun secret.

is a delightful departure from the traditional zombie-killing games, which brings in some satisfying movement options and rooftop traversals that often lead to hidden locations. But one of the most unexpected areas is a tiny green pipe on top of a roof in Old Town that leads to a replica of the World 1-1 level from .

It isn't the only example of a game that included a Mario level, but it is certainly one of the funniest, as the perspective remains in first-person and the area looks more like a child's imagination than a big-budget level. At the end, players are gifted with the Pyza Suit blueprint, which functions as a wingsuit, a nice extra bonus for finding such a charming location.

It is very easy to call Elden Ring one of the most visually stunning games out there, and part of why it's so beautiful is its ability to repeatedly surprise the player with gorgeous scenery no matter where they are. So, when players find themselves deep underground and are suddenly presented with a sprawling city with a glorious night sky, it is pretty hard to keep that jaw shut.

Under the map lie plenty of hidden areas, but the most impressive of the bunch are the Eternal Cities, alongside the Siofra River. The locations are simply massive and redefine the level of scale that players initially had about the world, and hide plenty of bosses and items, all with a backdrop straight out of a blockbuster movie. Every moment spent below the surface is pure joy thanks to the sheer beauty of the landscapes, and players will surely make a few return trips just to take in the sights once more.