The 20 Greatest Hidden Levels in Video Games

20 Greatest Hidden Levels in Video Games

Welcome to MojoPlays, and today we’re looking at our favorite secret levels and worlds in video game history!

Minecraft Level

“Borderlands 2” (2012)

“Borderlands” is a series that knows how to have a little fun with its Easter Eggs. Such as, an entire area themed around “Minecraft.” After completing Chapter 9 of the story, you can head to the Caustic Caverns, specifically an area in the North West, to find two minecarts. There’s a path to the side of them that leads to a cave blocked by very familiar looking blocks. On the other side, you’ll find a room full of Creepers and mineable blocks that can give you gold, ammo, and “Minecraft”-themed skins for your character and guns. An unexpected crossover, but a fun one nonetheless.

Triumph of the Empire

“Star Wars Rogue Squadron II: Rogue Leader” (2001)

Have you ever wanted to see the climactic victory of “A New Hope” go the other way? Well, the GameCube’s “Rogue Leader” gave you the option. One of its cheat codes unlocked a hidden level titled ‘Triumph of the Empire.’ It put players in control of Darth Vader during the end of the original movie, as he and his underlings attempted to blast the Rebels to smithereens. It actually isn’t too hard of a mission all things considered. But having us take on the role of the villain in such an iconic moment made for a fun secret level. Although it’s pretty grim to have Vader unknowingly murder his son.

Liberty Island

“Freedom Fighters” (2003)

“Freedom Fighters” was a pretty solid third-person shooter made by IO Interactive of “Hitman” fame. Set in an alternate history, it has you take up arms against Soviet Union invaders in defense of New York City. In order to unlock the hidden level, you need to beat the game on one of the two hardest difficulties. Liberty Island isn’t that different from the rest of the game in terms of gameplay, nor is it even that long. What makes it memorable is the setting, a completely decimated Statue of Liberty. The icon’s torch and head upon the ground, among rubble and armed invaders, made for striking imagery in 2003.

Five

“Call of Duty: Black Ops” (2010)

“Call of Duty” has a few great hidden levels, and a special shoutout goes to “Modern Warfare’s” Mile High Club. However, we have to give love to the original “Black Ops.” ‘Five’ is a hidden zombie map that you can unlock either after beating the game once on any difficulty, or by entering the code ‘3ARC UNLOCK’ on the menu’s computer. It sees the Pentagon overrun by the undead, with players taking on the role of four historical figures suited to “Black Ops’” setting: John F. Kennedy, Richard Nixon, Secretary of Defense Robert McNamura, or the Prime Minister of Cuba, Fidel Castro. As one might expect, taking these four through the zombie apocalypse, in the Pentagon, is both absurd and a whole lot of fun.

The Lost World

“Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy’s Kong Quest” (1995)

We’ll never pass up the chance to praise “Donkey Kong Country.” In the second game, you can gain access to five hidden levels collectively known as the Lost World, which is also the home of King K. Rool and his Kremlings. To reach them, you have to visit Klubba’s kiosk and pay him in Kremcoins (God, that’s a lot of Ks), at 15 coins per level and 75 in total. That’s actually quite a bit of work, and you're rewarded with the hardest levels the game has to offer. Of course, they’re immaculately designed, both artistically and mechanically, and the music is still incredible. So it’s certainly a rewarding experience for DK fans to experience. But they are damn hard.

Revisiting the Past

“Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time” (2003)

We love a retro throwback level, as you’ll see with a few of our picks. “Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time” was the first entry in the series released under Ubisoft. And the studio included a great reference to the series' roots right at the start of the game. Instead of having the Prince enter the opening room, you can press a series of buttons, naturally different between each version, which will take you to the hidden level. It recreates the first level from the 1989 original game, just in the new Ubisoft style. It was nice to see it pay homage to the franchise’ history, but you can also find a room full of Penguin books, cases of beer, and a portrait of the development team for an extra bit of fun.

It Came From Red Alert!

“Command & Conquer: Red Alert - Counterstrike” (1997)

Hidden within the “Counterstrike” expansion of “Red Alert,” though also included in the 2020 remaster, this secret level is a love letter to old sci-fi. It’s easy to access, just by holding the space button and clicking on the speaker in the main menu. Consisting of four missions, ‘It Came From Red Alert!’ has you and your troops defending against armies of giant ants. Its inspiration comes from two sources that feature the same massive bugs: a 1989 video game, “It Came From the Desert,” and the 1954 classic sci-fi movie, “Them!” It’s just the type of cheesy fun that fits with the series, on top of featuring the same strategic mechanics that made “Command & Conquer” so great to begin with.

Nightmare in Vegas

“Tomb Raider II: The Golden Mask” (1999)

The original “Tomb Raider” was such a massive hit that players of the era were consistently craving more. After the release of the second game, it received an expansion featuring four new levels. Except there are actually five. ‘Nightmare in Vegas’ is unlocked after beating the previous new stages and finding the 12 secret items within them. What seems like a vacation quickly grows into a nightmare as Lara must defend against groups of enemies from various other sections in the game, including an encounter against a T-Rex. It’s interesting seeing modern architecture mixed with the more extravagant locales Lara visits. And it’s just as fun as all the other levels.

Green Hill Zone

“Sonic Adventure 2” (2001)

As the very first Sonic level ever, Green Hill Zone is understandably iconic. In the early days of the mascot’s 3D games, Sega chose to pay homage to the classic stage in a really cool way. By collecting all 180 emblems and earning an A ranking on every stage, a pretty tall order, you would unlock a 3D recreation of the level. It may not be very long, but going through this famous terrain with the new era’s spin was quite the nice reward. “Sonic Adventure 2’s” release also marked the 10 year anniversary of the original “Sonic the Hedgehog.” So it was not only exciting for players to find, but acted as a lovely tribute as well.

Blood Stained Sanctuary

“Cave Story” (2004)

“Cave Story” is a wonderful indie action platformer with some pretty fantastic levels, one of which is basically Hell. The entrance to this secret area can be found in the Prefab Building, but only opens up after you’ve defeated the final boss. You also need to keep Professor Booster alive, and have both gotten his improved jetpack and the Iron Bond from the Plantation. Like other cases, doing all that work gets you an extremely challenging level where your reaction time will certainly be tested. Spikes along the walls and floor, falling blocks, and two hefty bosses will likely rack up some deaths. But for fans of the game and genre, it’s a great climax.

Nightmare!

“Wolfenstein: The New Order” (2014)

This one’s another retro throwback because we simply can’t get enough of them. At a certain point after meeting the Resistance against the alt-history Nazi regime, B.J. Blazkowicz can lie down for a well-deserved nap. In the base next to artwork of the 1992 original game, lying down on the bed will transport you to that game’s first level. The style is still very much old school, except for B.J. himself. Again, it’s a loving tribute to what came before it, which just so happens to be one of the most groundbreaking FPS games of all time. But it’s also just a fun, violent stroll down memory lane.

Out of This Dimension

“Star Fox” (1993)

This one gets in on the grounds that it is just plain weird. ‘Out of This Dimension,’ which is a perfect name, can be reached at the beginning of Level 3’s Asteroid Belt, by destroying the second large asteroid you come across and flying into the giant bird that appears from it. The level is almost like a carnival ride, with wavy imagery of smiling planetoids and circus music playing overtop. There isn’t much to do as you fly through, until you fight the level’s boss, a gigantic slot machine. Shooting its lever activates it; if you get a single Andross, the machine will fire rockets at you, while three 7s will cause it to self-destruct. You then get the credits and a ‘The End’ title card, followed by constant swarms of enemies until you die. Very strange, indeed.

The Painted World of Ariamis

“Dark Souls” (2011)

FromSoftware Games are loaded with fantastic hidden levels, meant for only the heartiest of warriors. In “Dark Souls,” that place is the Painted World of Ariamis. You can enter it through an actual painting in the Anor Londo chapel, so long as you’ve gone back to the starting area to get the Peculiar Doll that acts as a key. However, you won’t be able to go out the way you came, so you have to explore and fight some of the game’s most powerful enemies to find the exit. Like a dark twist on “Super Mario 64,” being sucked into the stunning, snowfallen landscape of the painting is a cool concept. But it’s best to be as prepared as possible before the trip.

MAP31: Wolfenstein

“Doom II” (1994)

Let’s give “Wolfenstein” a little more love, shall we? Inside the Industrial Zone of “Doom II,” players can find the first level of “Wolfenstein 3D,” with some key differences that honestly make it cooler. The regular guards have now been replaced by SS Officers, while the attack dogs are now demons. It’s a great Easter Egg, and a great fusion of id Software’s monumental titles. At the end, you can choose to go back to “Doom” or continue on to the boss fight. Naturally, instead of fighting “Wolfenstein’s” Hans Grosse, players are met by a Cyberdemon, one of Doom Guy’s most vicious foes.

Aztec & Egyptian

“GoldenEye 007” (1997)

“GoldenEye 007” adapted Pierce Brosnan’s first Bond film well, had fantastic multiplayer, and still left room to pay homage to the character’s long history. One of the ways in which it did so was through the Aztec level, unlocked after beating every level on Secret Agent, or Normal, difficulty. Based on the 1979 entry, “Moonraker,” Aztec featured harder enemies, Moonraker laser beams, as well as the iconic villain, Jaws. You could also unlock the Egyptian level by beating every story mission on 00 Agent, or Hard. Here, you could acquire the infamous Golden Gun and face off against another classic villain, Baron Samedi from 1973’s “Live and Let Die.”

Kanto

“Pokémon Gold & Silver” (1999)

It was exciting enough to learn as kids that we had a whole new region to explore with a ton of new Pokémon to meet and catch. Little did we know that GameFreak and Nintendo had hidden the entire world of the first game inside, albeit a smaller version. Finding out that you could visit Kanto in “Gold & Silver” was mind-blowing at the time, whether you earned a boat ticket at the end of the story or learned the proper moves to take the waterways by your house. It was an excellent addition onto an already stellar game, letting us battle the old gym leaders and, eventually, square off against our former selves. Trainer Red has some high-level heavy hitters, and is still a fan-favorite secret boss.

Star World & Special Zone

“Super Mario World” (1991)

It has become tradition now for Mario’s adventures to include a secret world full of challenging levels. And that tradition started with “Super Mario World.” While these types of worlds are normally unlocked after beating the story, the five entrances to Star World are hidden across the map. They exist as extra playgrounds to experience the game’s phenomenal mechanics, and all come with a Yoshi as a nice bonus. But they also each have secret exits that link them together, making them excellent shortcuts for speedrunners. On top of that, the fifth level’s secret exit leads to another hidden world, the Special Zone, itself consisting of 8 brutal levels for Mario pros.

Miquella’s Haligtree

“Elden Ring” (2022)

In the Northern area of “Elden Ring’s” map, in the Consecrated Snowfield, players can find what is now one of the game’s most famous locations. You first have to find two halves of a medallion and solve a puzzle, and doing so grants you access to a truly gigantic secret area. Miquella’s Haligtree is beautifully designed, a gargantuan tree you descend down, loaded with fauna, stunning castles, and, as to be expected, powerful foes to test your might against. Elphael, an impressive keep at the base of the tree, is also home to wonderful design and culminates in a fight against Malenia, who understandably gained a reputation for being the biggest challenge “Elden Ring” had to offer.

The Cow Level

“Diablo II” (2000)

What started as a joke is now an iconic piece of gaming history. After the first “Diablo” was released, a rumor spread about a hidden level full of humanoid cows. There wasn’t any truth to it, but Blizzard was seemingly tickled by the idea so much that the studio included this hidden level in the sequel. You can only reach it on a difficulty you’ve already beaten the game on, and must combine the items Wirt’s Leg and a Tome of Town Portal, which causes the entrance to appear in the starting area. After doing that, you can go to war against a herd of cow enemies and their Cow King, a ridiculous yet highly enjoyable time.

The Inverted Castle

“Castlevania: Symphony of the Night” (1997)

This one is so famous now, some probably assume it isn’t hidden. But to flip Dracula’s castle upside down and reach the true ending, you have to do some extra work. The game can be beaten simply by defeating Richter Belmont when you find him. However, you need the Holy Glasses to see he’s being controlled by the evil priest, Shaft. To get those from Maria, you first need to have found the Gold and Silver Rings. Your effort will let you free Richter from his spell, and subsequently flip the entire game on its head. The Inverted Castle features entirely new ways to play as well as its own unique bosses. It also gets you to Dracula, being an integral part of the story and its various paths of completion.

What’s your favorite hidden level in a video game? Head to those comments and let us know, and be sure to subscribe for more great gaming videos every day!