Most Infamous Cheat Codes In Games

Cheat codes have been around in video games since the playtesters of ZX Spectrum releases in 1983. At first serving as a way to help players out, cheats usually gave extra lives, invulnerability, or skipped ahead to other levels.

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As gaming became bigger and better, cheat codes also evolved with new codes giving players secret abilities, messing with the established physics of the game or just revealing fun easter eggs for gaming fans to indulge in. Some of these codes became more famous, whether through word of mouth or repeated use. These are some of the most infamous cheat codes, along with the game they come from and how to perform the cheat.

9 Motherlode

The Sims 2 (2004) - Receive 50,000 Simoleans

• Press Ctrl + Shift + C to open the Console where cheats can be input
• Type "motherlode"

Fans of The Sims will no doubt be familiar with this cheat. Getting started in The Sims 2, especially if players want to build extravagant homes for their creations, can be very expensive and it can be hard to earn the money to get kick-started in style. This is where the motherlode cheat comes in. Entering the cheat into the console will immediately give players 50,000 Simoleans to spend as they wish.

The cheat can be entered multiple times and can provide players with a massive headstart to allow them to spend their time building or managing their Sims instead. The cheat also works in The Sims 3 and 4 possibly due to the overwhelming popularity of the cheat in the second game.

8 Zelda

The Legend Of Zelda (1986) - Access The Second Quest Immediately

• Start a new save file
• Enter name as "Zelda"

The first game in the incredible Legend Of Zelda series, the NES title challenges players to travel across a huge overworld, battle through dungeons, and collect the eight pieces of the triforce to face off against Ganon himself and save Princess Zelda.

After players have beaten this already tough challenge they will be plunged into a harder version of the game with new maps, changed item locations, and brutal new dungeons. For players who want to skip right to this "Second Quest" and play the harder version of the game, they need only input their name in a new save as "Zelda" herself.

7 Moon Physics

Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 (2000) - Low Gravity And Super Jumps

• Enter Pause Menu
• Hold L1 and enter "X, SQUARE, LEFT, UP, DOWN, UP, SQUARE, TRIANGLE"

Managing to build up enough speed in the Tony Hawk games to do crazy elaborate tricks can be tricky, especially when the game speeds up to a breakneck pace. To help out players who want to experience low gravity to get longer tricks and more airtime, Pro Skater 2 gives players a hidden trick to turn on "Moon Physics."

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If the pause menu shakes after inputting the code, players can float after jumps, allowing massive scores. This cheat was later repeated in most of the other Tony Hawk games in some form.

6 Invincibility Mode

Doom (1993) - Become Entirely Invincible

• Type the code "idbeholdv" while playing

One of the most influential games of all time, the original Doom sees players delving into research facilities that slowly descend into hell, fighting against demons and corrupted humans as they go. The innovative FPS game is simple by today's standards but is still fun and fast with exciting and tense moments and some tricky fights.

With a heap of cheat codes that fans of the title will certainly already be familiar with, the most well-known is "idbeholdv." Typing this code while playing the game will make players completely invulnerable and able to sprint through levels carelessly. Widely spread at the time of the game's release, it made Doom feel a little less "doomed" and a little more like a fun romp through the destructive scenery.

5 ROCKETMAN

Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (2004) - Unlock A Jetpack

• Quickly enter "L1, L2, R1, R2, UP, DOWN, LEFT, RIGHT, L1, L2, R1, R2, UP, DOWN, LEFT, RIGHT"

The story missions in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas quickly become over-the-top amazing adventures. A few of these missions give players a jetpack, which can be used to hover around the world without the risk of fall damage, although the jetpack struggles to get much height and so can have difficulty getting over buildings.

However, for players who want to regain the jetpack anywhere in the city and zoom around freely, this cheat code should be typed at any point during gameplay. This will let players fly around at will. The cheat became very popular, being spread around online for players everywhere to use.

4 Blood Code

Mortal Kombat (Sega Genesis, 1993) - Enable Gore & Blood Effects

• On the Code of Honor screen, press A, B, A, C, A, B, B

A good contender for the most infamous cheat code of all time, the Sega Genesis release of the original Mortal Kombat game set itself apart from the other releases with the inclusion of bloody gore effects.

Many Nintendo fans sought to unlock the blood code on their consoles, but the cheat was Sega Genesis exclusive. Inputting a simple code that many fans knew by heart would enable excessive blood effects that would drench the battlefield in cartoony gore.

3 DK Mode

GoldenEye 007 (1997) - Big Heads And Long Arms

• Go to the Cheat menu
• Input the code "L+R+UP, C-RIGHT, R+LEFT, R+UP, UP, R+RIGHT, UP, L+R+C-DOWN, L+R+DOWN, L+R+C-LEFT"

Maybe the most complicated code to input on this list, the codes for GoldenEye on the N64 can make players invisible, invincible, give maximum ammo, or unlock all levels for players to go through. However, the most influential of the codes is the "DK Mode."

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As the game was made by Rare, the studio that previously worked on Donkey Kong Country, the developers allowed a code that makes all characters have massive heads and long dangling arms - giving them the proportions of Donkey Kong himself. This cheat code would later be used in countless games afterward as just a "big head" mode.

2 Justin Bailey

Metroid (1986) - Play As Leotard Samus

• Enter the password "JUSTIN BAILEY ------ ------" in the password screen

Often noted as one of the biggest plot twists in gaming, the final screen of Metroid reveals that Samus Aran was a woman in a power suit the whole time. For new fans, this is usually assumed by players, but the first entry in the series never addressed Samus under the suit.

For some players though, particularly those who read the Nintendo Power magazine, a hidden password would allow fans to start the game with most of the weapons unlocked, some bosses already defeated and Samus herself in her pink leotard. This code appears to be an accidental find and no one really knows the origin of the password, but the cheat has been referenced in plenty of other games since, including Shadow Complex, Axiom Verge, and other Metroid titles.

1 The Konami Code

Contra (1987) - 30 Extra Lives

• On the title screen, enter "UP, UP, DOWN, DOWN, LEFT, RIGHT, LEFT, RIGHT, B, A, START"

Undoubtedly the most popular cheat code, the Konami code was made famous by Contra but actually originated in Gradius. The code remains the same in many Konami titles, plenty of which were difficult enough that players used these cheats over and over to beat the games.

The code itself gave players extra lives in Contra but has now come to be a code in plenty of other games that unlock secret outfits, secret levels, or hidden animations. Some games that feature the code are: Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance, Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons Of Liberty, Dead By Daylight, BioShock Infinite, and Fortnite.

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