Cheat code

For other uses, see Cheat code (disambiguation).

Cheat codes are codes that can be entered into a video game to change the game's behavior. The practice of cheat codes and secrets in a video game was started in the Atari 2600 game Adventure. Afterwards, codes were implemented and used by game developers to playtest certain aspects of their games; for example, a common use of a cheat code is to skip to a level in a game. In moddable games, such cheat modes are often left in released titles specifically for modder use.

The practice became widespread, and now many games have cheat codes intentionally included as a form of easter egg or unlockable reward. Some video game magazines have had sections devoted to providing these codes since the late 1980s, and occasionally codebooks are produced, which provide cheat codes for a large number of games. These magazines are usually intended for a younger audience. There are entire magazines dedicated to cheat codes for new games. Many codes, for both older and more recent games, can be found at websites such as GameFAQs, Cheat Codes Galore and GameWinners.

The method of entering cheat codes varies; on video game consoles, the code is frequently a sequence of button presses. On computers such as the Amiga or PC, the code may be textual and entered using the keyboard, or be through a more complex combination of input devices. In some more recent games, the cheats are also often enabled through adding special settings in game configuration files.

While normal cheat codes are built into the game by the programmers, unofficial cheat codes can be created by manipulating the contents of memory address for a running game. On video game consoles, this is done using a cheat cartridge. Users of some early home computers called these codes pokes, named after the command used to input them. Nowadays, cheating like this is considered "hacking" because the user must use external software or hardware to change values in the game memory.

Cheat codes are, by definition, considered cheating and most serious players only use them for experimentation, if at all. Sometimes, though, using cheat codes is necessary, particularly in case of bugs: If a serious game-stopping bug is encountered, a cheat code may be able to bypass it without the need to start the whole game over again from the beginning.

The Game Micro Machines for the NES had a bug where the game would freeze if the player reversed over the start/finish line at the start of the race. This was due to a single zero being a one in the code. Discovered after thousands of games were made, rather than throw the cartridges away, which would be very costly, Codemasters used technology from their Game Genie cheat cartridge to rewrite the code in every game.

Often cheats spell a word, usually comical or in relation to the cheat. Another example is the famous "A", "B", "right", "A", "C", "A", "down", "A", "B", "right", "A" from the game ToyStory which spells Abracadabra or "Down" "Up" "Right" "A" "Left" which spells Dural the name of the Boss from Virtua Fighter. This code lets the player select her on the Saturn version of the game

Famous cheat codes

• Up, Down, Left, Right, ABC+Start - The level select code for Sonic the Hedgehog.
• Up+C, Down+C, Left+C, Right+C, ABC+Start - Debug Mode Sonic the Hedgehog.
• 19, 65, 09, 17 at the sound test is the level select code for Sonic the Hedgehog 2. It's also the birthdate of Yuji Naka.
• Up, Up, Down, Down, Up, Up, Up, Up after the White SEGA screen fades to black but before the Title Screen, have to be completed very quickly, level select for Sonic 3
• Noclip - Often used in many first-person shooters. This cheat will generally allow a player to fly and not be able to have contact or interact with walls, floors, objects (including powerups or weapons), and other players, passing through them as if they were a ghost. Players still retain the ability to use whatever weapons or equipment they originally had.
• Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, B, A — The Konami Code. First used in Gradius, more prominently used in Contra, has later been copied by many other games. It is also the name of a song by The Ataris.
• A, B, A, C, A, B, B – The blood code that allows full blood and fatalities in the Sega Genesis version of Mortal Kombat.
• M, I and L together in the original Wolfenstein 3D gives full health, full ammo, all weapons and both keys. Also reduces the score to zero.
• IDDQD, IDKFA, IDCLIP and IDSPISPOPD from Doom by id Software.
• Impulse 101; the code for all weapons, all ammunition, all shield strength in the popular Half-Life series and its mods.
• ZELDA - By entering this as their character name in the original The Legend of Zelda, the player skips directly to the game's second quest without playing the first one.
• xyzzy – the magic word from Colossal Cave Adventure is often used as a cheat code.
• nethack -uwizard -D, which starts NetHack in "wizard mode." Plain -D command-line flag starts "discovery mode" which has fewer cheats.
• GOD - The cheat to activate god mode in the first three Commander Keen (and other id Software) games. It also works in most Doom-based games, including Sonic Robo Blast 2.
• rosebud followed by a very large number of semi-colons (;) and input multiple times - Unlimited money on The Sims.
• thereisnospoon - Based on the quote from 1999 movie The Matrix, this code is used in many games to activate bullet-time. In Deus Ex, this code will enable "May Tricks mode" (digital rain textures.) This is also used in Warcraft III to allow units using mana unlimited mana.
• MOTHERFUCKENKIWIBASTARD - Entered on the title screen of the Commodore Amiga port of The New Zealand Story, gives the player infinite lives and the ability to skip levels. In later releases, the code was changed to FLUFFYKIWIS. [1]
• JUSTIN BAILEY - Entering this code as a password in the original NES Metroid with the bottom line all hyphens, starts Samus Aran off in her swimsuit, and provided a great many powerups and items in the game. (Ironically, this was not a 'true' cheat code implemented by the developers; rather, it was discovered by accident.)
• Down, R, Up, L, Y, B - Entering this in the SNES version of Street Fighter II as the Capcom logo appears allows both players to use the same character in Versus mode.
• DINGADINGDANGMYDANGALONGLINGLONG from the Commodore Amiga version of Sleepwalker. The rather hard-to-spell code is a lyric from the song Jesus Built my Hot Rod by Ministry.
• It is a Good Day to Die - from Warcraft II. This activates god mode. The code is a quote from the Star Trek series.
• Ctrl+Alt+X - This key combination would bring up a cheat window in certain Maxis games such as Streets of SimCity, Simcopter, etc. The Sims uses Ctrl+Shift+C, while Simcity 3000 uses Ctrl+Alt+Shift+C.
• There is no cow level - from Starcraft. This cheat code recurs in many Blizzard Entertainment games. This refers to an internet rumor that stated Diablo (another game by Blizzard) had a secret level where all enemies would be cows. Diablo II really did have a Secret Cow Level.
• Ctrl-Alt-X - Skips the Trivia Quiz Age Check in the original Leisure Suit Larry.
• move_objects on - In The Sims and all following sequels and expansion packs, this allows all objects to be moved, including cars, mailboxes and Sims.
• Ctrl+Alt+End - This key combination would make you skip a level in Thief: The Dark Project. It is considered as a cheatcode with a nasty habit. This is due to the fact that most people accidentally would press Ctrl+Alt+Del which would bring up the windows task manager.