Every Easter Egg In Astro’s Playroom On PS5

For many who have been lucky enough to secure a PlayStation 5, Astro’s Playroom was likey the first game they played. The game file was much smaller than other launch day titles like Demon’s Souls or Spider-Man: Miles Morales, so it was easy to quickly see what Astro had in store for showing off the new DualSense controller technology. Competent platforming made Astro’s Playroom more than a tech demo, though, and what players found throughout the game was a love letter to the history of PlayStation by way of dozens of Easter eggs.

Astro’s Playroom itself is a celebration of the new generation. The eponymous playroom is the brand new console that was just removed from its box. The titular robot, Astro, jumps, glides, fights, and more through four levels based on different aspects of the PS5 hardware. Cooling Springs, GPU Jungle, Memory Meadow, and SSD Speedway combine into a virtual tour of the hyperbolized, imaginative insides of the PS5, while the PlayStation Labo serves as a gallery for all the PS-themed collectibles grabbed throughout the game.

Each level has four distinct stages, and nearly all are filled with PlayStation Easter eggs. All the modern flagship series – Uncharted, God of War, Spider-Man, and The Last of the Us – make appearances, but there are also callbacks to the days of the original PlayStation. Some franchises and games, such as Gran Turismo, are relegated to references in trophy descriptions, which have not been listed below. Unfortunately, there are no plans for Astro’s Playroom DLC, so there may not be a chance to go Easter egg hunting again.

Astro’s Playroom Easter Eggs – Cooling Springs

Bot Beach Easter Eggs

• Concrete Genie – 2019’s Concrete Genie had players using the DualShock 4 and its gyro capabilities to create paintings in-game, where they would come to life. The main character, Ash, wears a red beanie, mimicked by the robots in Astro’s Playroom that are painting the PlayStation symbols on the wall.
• Fat Princess – A robot noticeably larger than the others can be found flat on their back, wearing a tiara, with a piece of cake propped on top of their rotund belly. This is a nod to Fat Princess, a PS3 game from 2009 where players played a capture-the-flag-style game with princesses as the flags. Feeding the princess would fatten her up, thus making the opposing team’s task more difficult.
• God of War – There are two God of War Easter eggs in Astro’s Playroom, but this one references the newest title from 2018. Two bots resembling Kratos and Atreus float in the highly detailed wooden boat they travel in during God of War.
• LocoRoco – A big robot head can be found that, when punched, will turn into a crowd of smaller robot heads, copying the signature move of the eponymous LocoRoco, the main character in the PSP titles.
• Rubber Duck – Where there’s water in Astro’s Playroom, there’s a good chance a rubber duck will make an appearance, like in the Springy Spa level, which doesn’t have any other Easter eggs of its own. These don’t point to any specific game, but rather a PlayStation 2 tech demo from 1999 used to show off the fluid physics capabilities of the console.

Frigid Floes Easter Eggs

• Metal Gear Solid – A conspicuous cardboard box bears a sticker that reads “Solid State” on the side. This play on words references MGS‘s protagonist, Solid Snake, twisted to also refer to the solid state drive inside the PlayStation 5. Punching the box will prompt a headband-clad bot to pop out and brandish a gun.
• Resident Evil – Two robots representing series staples Chris Redfield and Jill Valentine wear the characters’ outfits from the first Resident Evil, while the red eyes of the third bot point to Albert Wesker, longtime RE villain. The door the three are crowded around is a reference to Resident Evil‘s iconic loading screen door as well.
• Until Dawn – A group of robots can be found dressed like the cast of Until Dawn, Supermassive Games’ 2015 interactive horror story.

Hotel Hopalot Easter Eggs

• PaRappa the Rapper & Um Jammer Lammy – A couple of two-dimensional robots can be seen holding a microphone and a guitar, a nod to the two foundational rhythm games developed for the first PlayStation.
• PlayStation VR Worlds – Submerged in a diving cage, a robot equipped with a PSVR headset can be seen being circled by Pirhanas, a reference to the Ocean Descent level in the PS VR Worlds game.
• Puppeteer – A robot can be found using Calibrus, the golden pair of magic scissors from the PS3 title Puppeteer. Protagonist Kutaro uses Calibrus to cut through the game’s scenery.
• Sly Cooper – Trying to crack open a safe is a bot wearing Sly Cooper’s signature blue hat. The stealth-focused platformers from Sucker Punch began in 2002, with the last entry being 2013’s Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time.

Astro’s Playroom Easter Eggs – GPU Jungle

Renderforest Easter Eggs

• Bloodborne – A bot dressed in full Hunter regalia can be found brandishing a Saw Cleaver and pointing a Hunter Pistol, a nod to FromSoftware’s 2015 PS4 exclusive Bloodborne, which may not be the last FromSoftware PlayStation exclusive if rumors are to be believed.
• Castlevania: Symphony of the Night – Players may discover a coffin on their trip through the PlayStation 5. Punching it causes a robot dressed as the blond-haired Dracula from Castlevania: Symphony of the Night to pop out and check his clock to see if it’s time for his once-a-century return.
• Crash Bandicoot – A dancing robot in a Crash Bandicoot mask and signature blue jean shorts can be found alongside Aku Aku, a floating mask that acts as a guardian to Crash and the Wumpa Islands.
• Days Gone – Bend Studio’s 2019 zombie survival game gets a nod in Astro’s Playroom with a robot wearing protagonist Deacon’s backward hat while riding a motorcycle away from a horde of robot Freakers.
• Dreams – Sitting on a rock is a robot creating a T-Rex by way of a floating cursor, referencing the way players interact with objects while creating a game in Dreams. The T-Rex is likely also a nod to the PlayStation’s Demo 1 disc, used to show off the system’s capabilities.
• Horizon Zero Dawn – A robot dressed as Aloy can be seen doing what the Horizon Zero Dawn protagonist does best: shooting a bow. Zero Dawn was a hit in 2017, and the sequel Forbidden West is expected February 18, 2022.
• The Last of Us – Hiding from a robot Clicker are two more bots dressed as Joel and Ellie from The Last of Us, Naughty Dog’s narratively intense zombie survival game from 2013. The robot Clicker has brightly colored mushrooms on its head, a much more entertaining sight than the fungus-ridden, bloodthirsty Clickers in TLOU.
• Monster Hunter – Enjoying a roast over a fire with their weapons and PSPs is four bots meant to represent the Monster Hunter games. The first game originally launched on the PS2, but the series has since expanded to multiple platforms.
• Patapon – Patapon is a unique rhythm and strategy game released for the PSP in 2007 that sees the player commanding a troupe of anthropomorphic eyeballs, represented by a cave drawing in Astro’s Playroom that resembles the Patapon art style. A remastered Patapon sequel is available for the PlayStation 4.
• Uncharted – Naughty Dog’s flagship franchise makes multiple appearances in Astro’s Playroom, but the Nathan-Drake-bot in the Renderforest references 2007’s Uncharted: Drake’s Deception, the first in the series.

Teraflop Treetops Easter Eggs

• Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver – The 1991 PlayStation game is given a look by a robot sporting a brown and tan patterned scarf and blue cape, the outfit shown on Soul Reaver‘s box art.

Raytrace Ruins Easter Eggs

• Demon’s Souls – A demon slayer robot can be found kneeling in front of a Maiden in Black bot, presumably offering souls in exchange for a stat boost. The 2009 progenitor of the Soulslike sub-genre received a visually stunning remake from Bluepoint Games for the PS5 in 2020.
• Jak and Daxter – A recreation of The Precursor Legacy‘s cover art is done by a robot and their rabbit-bot companion.
• The Order: 1886 – Ready at Dawn’s 2015 title impressed visually and had a compelling world, but lacked gameplay depth and a sizable campaign. In Astro’s Playroom, a robot is seen fighting a werewolf bot with a gun that shoots electricity, an acknowledgment of The Order‘s in-universe weapons being designed by Nikola Tesla.
• The Playroom – Four robots gather around a TV to play Ninja Bots, one of the mini-games included in The Playroom for the PlayStation 4. This one is almost self-referential since The Playroom was the game that introduced the bots that inhabit Astro’s Playroom.
• Shadow of the Colossus – The poster colossus from Team Ico classic appears walking through the clouds, though the head also makes it look remarkably similar to the titular Iron Giant from the 1999 animated film.
• Tekken – The final battle of the original Tekken is recreated by bots in Astro’s Playroom, with Kazuya standing over his defeated father. Although unrelated to the unabashed PlayStation celebration, Kazuya was recently added to Smash Ultimate.
• Tomb Raider – A Lara Croft bot can be spotted wearing her classic outfit and wielding dual pistols.

Mt. Motherboard Easter Eggs

• Journey – The Mt. Motherboard level mirrors the finale of Journey, in which the protagonist must climb to a peak in a blizzard. A bot dressed as Journey‘s White Cloak character can be found struggling against the snow.
• The Playroom VR – Another intra-series reference, robots can be spotted playing The Playroom VR, a follow-up to The Playroom for PlayStation VR.

Astro’s Playroom Easter Eggs – Memory Meadow

Gusty Gateway Easter Eggs

• Ape Escape – A reference to Ape Escape is a celebration of the legacy of the DualShock since it was the first game that required players to own the gamepad with two analog sticks.
• Death Stranding – A poor bot can be seen burdened by a large stack of cargo on its back while trudging through a viscous liquid. This is a nod to Death Stranding‘s delivery-based, ghost-filled gameplay, which is receiving new content in Death Stranding Director‘s Cut for the PS5.
• Everybody’s Golf VR – This would just be a group of robots playing golf if it weren’t for the VR headset being worn.
• Flower – A bot surrounded by floating flower petals references the relaxing 2009 PlayStation 3 game, which had players control the wind and bring vibrant, floral life to desolate areas.
• Heavy Rain – The Origami Killer from Heavy Rain is represented by their calling card – an origami crane – being placed on top of a robot.
• Ico – A bot with horns references the horned main character in Ico, the game developed by Team Ico prior to Shadow of the Colossus.
• The Last Guardian – The most recent game from Team Ico gets a nod in Astro’s Playroom by a bot and giant bird, mimicking the main character and his giant friend Trico.
• MediEvil – A robot holding a sword and a shield would be just that if the shield weren’t a replica of the one carried by Sir Daniel Fortesque in MediEvil.
• Tearaway – The papercraft platformer gets a reference by way of a robot wearing an envelope around his head, complete with a leaf stuck to the back.

Fastlane Fields Easter Eggs

• Jumping Flash! – Frolicking through Fastlane Fields is a giant robot rabbit, which references the 1995 platformer Jumping Flash!
• MLB: The Show – A couple of robots playing baseball brings to mind the long-time PlayStation exclusive MLB: The Show, which just recently came to Xbox with its most recent entry, though it’s still better to play on a PS5.

Electrocloud Easter Eggs

• Air Combat – Players can spot an airplane with the same paint pattern as the cover plane from 1995’s Air Combat, the first entry in what would become the Ace Combat series.
• Ghost of Tsushima – Jin-Sakai-bot can be found under a tree important to memories from his childhood. Jin similarly confronts his past in the Iki Island expansion, which itself references other PlayStation games in Ghost of Tsushima Director’s Cut.
• inFamous – A robot can be found riding a power line just like inFamous main character, Cole MacGrath.
• Siren – The PS2 survival horror game came out in 2003, and the robots are mimicking the player’s frequent use of a flashlight.

Bumper Broadway Easter Eggs

• Doko Demo Issyo – Doko Demo Issyo was released exclusively in Japan for the PocketStation, starring the two cats who’ve been made robotic in Astro’s Playroom.
• Ridge Racer – A group of robots can be found playing a PlayStation game called “Bot Racer,” which doesn’t actually exist, though the screen is reminiscent of the Ridge Racer series. Another nod to Ridge Racer is made in the PlayStation Labo.

Astro’s Playroom Easter Eggs – SSD Speedway

Turbo Trail Easter Eggs

• Final Fantasy VII – The iconic Buster Sword can be found lodged in a pedestal. An improved version of Final Fantasy VII Remake is now on the PlayStation 5.
• Gravity Rush – A robot version of Gravity Rush‘s Kat can be found altering the forces of nature.
• Killzone – A squad of Helghast soldiers can be found patrolling the Turbo Trail, equipped with PlayStation VR Aim controllers.
• PAIN – Punching a bot in a slingshot will send him flying through a tower of boxes. The neon sign reading “PAIN” in the background makes this one pretty obvious.
• Ratchet & Clank – A greedy Ratchet-bot can be seen hoarding bolts while carrying Clank-bot on his back.
• Resistance: Fall of Man – A nod to the cover art of Insomniac’s FPS can be found in a robot skull wearing a military helmet.
• Silent Hill 2 – Pyramid Head drags another victim away in a reference to Silent Hill 2, the horror classic.

Caching Caves Easter Eggs

• Detroit: Become Human – A host of robots stand on platforms, each with an LED circle on the side of their head, a nod to the androids in Detroit: Become Human.
• Marvel’s Spider-Man – A friendly neighborhood robot can be found hanging upside down from his web.
• Vib-Ribbon – Another rhythm game from the developers of PaRappa the Rapper, though Vib-Ribbon lets players insert their own CDs to play along to the music of their choice.

Deep Dataspace Easter Eggs

• Devil May Cry – The franchise’s combat is on display by Dante-bot repeatedly shooting a Marionette to keep it suspended in the air.
• LittleBigPlanet – The LittleBigPlanet itself can be seen, user-created levels and all, in Astro’s Playroom, being used as a chair by a robot.
• Resogun – A ship from the widely acclaimed PS4 launch title can be seen flying through space. Resogun‘s developer Housemarque was recently acquired by PlayStation after the success of the PS5 exclusive Returnal.
• WipEout – More spaceships can be seen flying around, this time from WipEout, a PlayStation title from 1995.

Orbital Obstacles Easter Eggs

• God of War – The long-running PlayStation series secures a second reference in the form of two robots at a TV playing “Bot of War” on a PS2. The menu on-screen is an homage to the main menu of the first God of War, which featured half of Kratos’ face in front of a background of fire.
• Street Fighter – Two bots can also be found playing “Bot Fighter,” though the title font looks suspiciously similar to that used by the Street Fighter franchise.

Astro’s Playroom Easter Eggs – PlayStation Labo

• Astro Bot Rescue Mission – Once the PlayStation VR is earned for the PlayStation Labo, looking inside and punching the headset will play the trailer for the PSVR app, Astro Bot Rescue Mission. Just above the eyepieces of the headset reads “SHU-Y05H1D4,” a reference to Shuhei Yoshida, former president of Sony Interactive Entertainment Worldwide Studios, and longtime contributor to the PlayStation brand.
• Beat Saber – A bot can be found wearing a PSVR headset and swinging two Move controllers in a manner that resembles someone playing Beat Saber.
• Beyond: Two Souls – A robot playing with wooden blocks is accompanied by Beyond: Two Souls spirit character Aiden.
• Dance Dance Revolution – A group of robots is playing DDR in the Labo, but the dance pad curiously looks like a DualSense d-pad.
• Demo 1 – The Demo 1 disc came with the first PlayStation and showcased what the technology could achieve. One of the disc’s offerings was a simulated manta ray, which can be acquired from Labo’s Gacha Game. Demo 1 is also referenced by the final boss battle in Astro’s Playroom, which has players go up against the PS1 T-Rex before its second phase becomes modern.
• Knack – A distraught robot hopelessly looks upon the pieces of Knack, the eponymous creature from the PS4 launch title. Many fans thought Sony might launch a third Knack with the PS5, but that never came to fruition.
• Singstar – Two microphones lay on the ground in the Labo, resembling those packaged with Singstar.
• Spyro the Dragon – A small figurine of Spyro can be found in the PlayStation Labo of Astro’s Playroom as well.

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