>> THE HOLY TRINITY OF CHEATS
★ THE KONAMI CODE ★
↑ ↑ ↓ ↓ ← → ← → B A START
First seen in Gradius (1986). Works in a BUNCH of games. If you only know ONE cheat, know this one.
Works in: Contra, Castlevania, Gradius, TMNT, LifeForce, SimCity, NBA Jam TE, and literally dozens more
┌─────┐
│ ↑ ↑ │
│ ↓ ↓ │
│← → │
│← → │
│ B A │
│START│
└─────┘
CONTRA — NES (1988)
The greatest cheat code of all time. Most action games gave you 3 lives. Contra is HARD. So Konami hid the code:
↑ ↑ ↓ ↓ ← → ← → B A on the title screen, then START.
Result: 30 LIVES. Otherwise known as the difference between beating the game and rage-quitting.
Or you can just play the NINTENDO HARD way like a man. Up to you, scrub.
DOOM / DOOM II — PC (1993/94)
Type these during gameplay (no caps, no enter needed for some):
IDDQD — GOD MODE (invincible, no-clip sometimes) IDKFA — All weapons, full ammo, all keys IDFA — All weapons, full ammo, no keys IDBEHOLD V — Invulnerability IDBEHOLD I — Invisibility IDBEHOLD R — Radiation suit IDBEHOLD A — Automap (reveal whole level) IDBEHOLD L — Light amplification visor IDBEHOLD S — Berserk (fists of fury) IDCLEV## — Warp to level ## IDCHOPPERS — Chainsaw ONLY
Good luck. RIP AND TEAR.
>> SNES / SUPER NINTENDO
SUPER MARIO WORLD (SNES, 1991)
Hidden debug menu:
On the title screen, hold: X + Y (or L + R on SNES pad) Then press A at the start of level 1. You'll be able to: - Place objects - Fly around the level - Spawn enemies - WARP to any level by holding START + SELECT
Star Road shortcuts (no debug):
- Yoshi's Island 2 → Star World (use yellow ! block)
- Donut Plains 4 → Star Road (need Cape Mario + Yoshi)
- Special World entrance: complete Star Road with all 96 exits
CHRONO TRIGGER (SNES, 1995)
New Game+ (NG+): Beat the game, save, then start a new file from the save. You keep your level, gold, and most equipment. Speedrun the entire game on NG+! Fight the Black Omen at any point. Marle + Magus combo is a broken damage strat.
"...But the future refused to change."
STAR FOX (SNES, 1993)
Checkpoints are tied to your route. There's a secret training stage accessed by holding A + B on the title screen, then pressing START. Hard mode unlocked after beating the game once.
"Do a barrel roll!"
SUPER METROID (SNES, 1994)
Classic sequence break: X-Ray Climb — stand in morph ball form and aim up while firing, you can clip through certain walls. Use this to skip huge chunks of the game. Any% speedruns abuse this.
Other classics: Mockball, Damage Boost, Spring Ball Jump, Crystal Flash (use 50 missiles to refill health when you're stuck).
>> N64
GOLDENEYE 007 (N64, 1997)
Cheats unlocked by completing Facility on Agent (00 Agent), then secret agent on each level, then 00 Agent on each. Eventually you get:
- ▶ Invincibility
- ▶ All Guns
- ▶ DK Mode (giant character heads, tiny arms)
- ▶ Paintball Mode
- ▶ 2x Rocket Launcher (Slappers Only mode!)
- ▶ Big Head Mode
Multiplayer tip: Oddjob is BANNED. Don't be that guy. Proximity mines in the Library = friendship ender.
ZELDA: OCARINA OF TIME (N64, 1998)
Epona cheat: Get Epona's Song, play it for the girl at Lon Lon Ranch, then race her and win. Epona is YOURS.
Bottle Adventure: Empty bottle + surrounding enemies = free bottle on a few lucky occasions. The Biggoron Sword is the best weapon in the game — and the trade quest is brutal without a guide.
"Hey! Listen!" — Navi, the only AI companion you didn't want to mute.
MARIO KART 64 (N64, 1996)
Toad's Turnpike shortcut (impossible without knowing this): On the highway level, drive in the bus lane, hug the wall on the left side of the entry ramp. Risky but saves 15 seconds.
Waluigi Stadium: no legit skip, just pray for blue shells. Frappe Snowland: snowmen drop banana peels, abuse it.
Pro tip: Spam items behind you when a blue shell is incoming — chain a banana to break the chain.
BANJO-KAZOOIE (N64, 1998)
Stop 'n' Swop: A Mysterious disc-shaped item. SAVE at the end of Treasure Trove Cove at the sandcastle, then WAIT ONE REAL-WORLD YEAR... no, I'm kidding. The system got patched out but is back in Banjo-Kazooie: Re-Jiggy'd in the XBLA remake. Sigh.
>> PLAYSTONE (PSX)
FINAL FANTASY VII (PSX, 1997)
Most broken: W-Item duplication glitch. Equip the W-Item materia, use an item, choose a non-consumable (Megalixir, etc.) on the second menu. Your consumable items are duplicated. Use this to clone Elixirs and master the game.
Aerith's death: Yes. She's dead. We don't talk about it. ***
Emerald / Ruby / Ultimate Weapon: Max HP to 9000, max MP to 900, max materia mastered, no Ribbon owned. Then fight at various locations.
METAL GEAR SOLID (PSX, 1998)
Codec frequencies for early cheats:
For sneaking suit: Call Mei Ling after Snake's jacket gets bloody For infinite ammo M4: Hold TRIANGLE + SELECT after you get the M4 For tuxedo: Get a high score on the targeting game in the cell For stealth camo: Beat the game, save, NG+
"Kept you waiting, huh?"
CRASH BANDICOOT 2 (PSX, 1997)
Death Route / Gem Route: 5 Relics in any level unlocks the secret level. Each gem unlocks the alternate path. 100% completion unlocks the secret 101% ending and the secret warp pad.
SPYRO THE DRAGON (PSX, 1998)
Free flight cheat (PAL only, IIRC): Pause the game. On the pause menu, press: UP, UP, DOWN, DOWN, LEFT, RIGHT, L1, R1, L2, R2, TRIANGLE, CIRCLE — or was it the US version? Look it up. Glitches galore.
>> PS2 — NEXT-GEN CHEATERY
GTA: VICE CITY (PS2, 2002)
Dial these on the in-game cell phone (or just type 'em). This game is the reason my mom took the PS2 away for a week. Worth it.
PANZER — Spawn a tank THUGSTOOLS — Weapon set 1 NUTTERSTOYS — Weapon set 2 PROFESSIONALTOOLS — Weapon set 3 ASPIRINE — Full health PRECIOUSPROTECTION — Full armor COMEFLYWITHME — Cars can fly (hold R1 to ascend) SEAWAYS — Cars can drive on water FANNYMAGNET — Everyone in Vice City loves you STILLLIKEDRIVINGBACKWARDS — Traffic goes insane
"This is the life, Tommy." — also, nobody has actually beaten the game legitimately. Nobody.
METAL GEAR SOLID 2: SONS OF LIBERTY (PS2, 2001)
Dog tag hunting unlocks wigs, stealth camo and the infamous banana. Beat the game once, then play through again on Hard collecting all dog tags for the good stuff. The wigs give infinite ammo, infinite health, or all bandana weapons. Totally worth the 5 playthroughs.
"Snake! Snake? SNAAAAAAKE!"
>> GAME BOY ADVANCE — POKEMON GENERATION
POKEMON RUBY / SAPPHIRE (GBA, JPN import 2002 / US 2003)
The import copy I paid way too much for. The US release is RIGHT around the corner — get hype. Until then, these GameShark codes are the only way to see the cool stuff early:
GameShark SP (AR v3) codes: 82005274 0001 — Master Ball (first slot) 82005274 0044 — Rare Candy (first slot) 82005274 00C9 — Full Restore (first slot) 4202A000 C350 — 999x of item in slot 1 (duplicate item glitch)
Feebas fishing spot (no cheat, the REAL grind): Feebas only appears in the river on Route 119 — but in six random tiles that change daily. Fish every tile until you hit one, then farm it. Beauty maxed → Milotic. Trust me, it's worth it.
Rainbow Pass secret: Trade with the e-Reader card, or cheat it in. The Battle Tower's last trainer has a level 100 Latios. I saw a screenshot. I believe.
"I caught 142 Pokemon before the game even came out here. TREEKO 4 LIFE."
MARIO KART: SUPER CIRCUIT (GBA, 2001)
Unlock retro tracks by winning 100cc gold in every cup — that's the whole "cheat", just grind it. The real secret: the feather. In Battle Mode, the feather lets you jump the walls in Battle Course 2 and camp the top of the ramp. Untouchable. You're welcome.
>> PC GLITCHES & EASTER EGGS
HALF-LIFE (PC, 1998)
There's a HALF-LIFE 2 reference hidden in the original game. In the chapter "Anomalous Materials", look at the giant computer screen in the test chamber. You can see a faint HL2 logo. Caused massive speculation in 1999... and we're STILL waiting for the sequel. Valve, please. It's been 4 years.
Console commands (sv_cheats 1 first):
impulse 101 — All weapons impulse 82 — Spawn Jeep sv_gravity -800 — Moon jump notarget — Enemies can't see you noclip — Fly through walls
QUAKE II (PC, 1997)
Type '~' to open console: give all — All weapons, ammo, keys god — God mode noclip — Fly notarget — Invisible map base1 — Warp to level
STARCRAFT (PC, 1998)
Hidden cheat codes — type these IN-GAME in single player:
show me the money — 10,000 minerals, 10,000 gas operation cwal — Build units instantly the gathering — 500 minerals, 500 gas medieval man — Medieval units only modify the phase variance — All tech food for thought — Disable need for supply war aint what it used to be — Disable fog of war stimpack — Restore health terran victory — Win the current mission
"Zerg rush."
>> GAME GENIE CODES (LEGENDARY)
For those who remember the Game Genie — the plastic doohickey that screwed into the top of your cartridge. For the SNES, Genesis, and NES, this was the holy grail of cheating.
| GAME | CODE | EFFECT |
|---|---|---|
| Super Mario World | SCBKYG | Unlimited lives |
| Super Mario World | YGPAPS | Unlimited time |
| Super Mario World | TPCAPS | Always have a cape |
| Sonic 2 (Genesis) | AACA-ACAA | Debug mode |
| Street Fighter II | SXIOPO | Start with 9 lives |
| Mortal Kombat II | GAAX-AAEC | Fight as Smoke |
| Doom (SNES) | SKEAZLDA | Invincibility |
| Mega Man X | GNXKNA | Sub-tanks always full |
| FF6 (US, SNES) | EABEYE | Auto-hit all enemies |