Summary
TheGrand Theft Autofranchise is notorious for having cheat codes, andGrand Theft Auto 5is no different. Just like in previousGrand Theft Autogames, players would use theseGTA 5cheat codesto instantly acquire weapons and ammo, armor, and vehicles (both land and air), and even lower their Wanted level to help them in their missions. Meanwhile, others use them to add fun and chaos to their gameplay, like Drunk Mode and Super Jump.
Just like anyGTAgame,Grand Theft Auto 5also has an explosive cheat code called Black Cellphone. Unlike “Big Bang” inGrand Theft Auto: Vice City, which blew up cars and motorbikes near the main character, Black Cellphone would detonate a small explosion above the player’s head. This would usually be chalked off as a normal explosion that happens in the game, but many players believe that there might be something more behind this mysterious cheat code.
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Decoding Grand Theft Auto 5’s Black Cellphone
The Black Cellphone cheat code was originally discovered by dataminers back in 2016, and is one of the popularunsolved mysteries inGrand Theft Auto 5. Players can trigger this cheat by dialing 1-999-367-3767 (1-999-EMP-DROP) on their phone. The number will contact an anonymous person named Black Cellphones, which will later trigger a small explosion above the player’s head. This works with all three main characters in the single-player campaign, but doesn’t work inGTA Online. After the explosion, the phone’s theme will be set from gray to all-black, and it will transform into a slightly bigger model.
An EMP, or an electromagnetic pulse explosive, is a high-altitude warhead designed to be detonated above the Earth’s surface. It’s said that a nuclear EMP blast could be approximately 10 megatons, which could cover the entirety of the United States and some parts of Mexico and Canada. Although the Black Cellphone explosion also happens in the sky, it’s not as big as an actual EMP, which has led someGrand Theft Auto 5players to believe that it could be a different kind of explosive.
One theory was that the explosion could be connected to UFOs inGrand Theft Auto 5. The game never shied away from the fact that aliens existed in its universe, as there’s a side quest whereFranklin is tasked to collect spaceship partsscattered across Los Santos.Grand Theft Auto Onlinealso had a series of UFO invasions during its Halloween events. The Mount Chiliad mystery, which referred to mysterious markings found in San Andreas' highest point, was also linked to aliens and the Illuminati. These details have convinced players that dialing the Black Cellphone cheat code might have caused a spaceship (or a similar aircraft) to explode midair.
Black Cellphone has birthed several other theories within theGTAcommunity. A Reddit post compiled possible references to Black Cellphone, which included the blueAlbany Emperorthat Lamar drives in the mission titled “Grass Roots - The Drag” because the Black Cellphone cheat code could also spell EMP-EROR. A similar blue car with a “BANG” text can be found at the Oeuvre Gallery. Additionally, it was reported that Black Cellphone could only be used in a mission called “Ojasaud.” The problem was that it didn’t exist, and was believed to be the name of an unreleased mission for aGrand Theft Auto 5DLC orGrand Theft Auto Online.
The Black Cellphone mystery continues to stumpGTAfans around the world. So far,Grand Theft Auto 5hasn’t directly addressed any of the theories surrounding it, nor revealed who Black Cellphones really was. It will be interesting to see if Black Cellphone will be referenced in future content orGTA 6, but hopefully Rockstar eventually gives longtime fans the answers they’ve been looking for.
Grand Theft Auto 5is available now for PC, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox 360, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
