With cheat codes becoming ancient gaming history, it’s fun to look back on all the various Up, Up, Down, Downs of the past. Made famous by series such as Grand Theft Auto and The Sims, every game before the breakthrough of mass-multiplayer involved a few ways to make the single-player experience more exciting. From infinite ammo to unlimited money, here’s a look back at some of the cheat codes that made the early years of gaming easier.
Contents
- The Konami Code
- Rosebud in The Sims
- DK Mode in Goldeneye 007
- Blood code in Mortal Kombat
- Invincibility in Grand Theft Auto V
- Zelda as the name in The Legend of Zelda
See more
- GTA 5 cheats and secrets: Every Grand Theft Auto cheat code for PS4, Xbox One, and PC
- The best Sims 4 cheats
- The best Mortal Kombat Fatalities
The Konami Code
The Konami Code | Gaming Historian
If you’re older than 30, you almost certainly think of the Konami Code before anything else when you hear “cheat code.” Introduced on the Nintendo Entertainment System, Konami implemented the code across several of its games, making them easier to complete. Given the ruthless nature of titles like Contra and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles IV: Turtles in Time, it was more than welcome, though not every game actually gave players an advantage by entering it.
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In its most famous form, the Konami Code was Up-Up-Down-Down-Left-Right-Left-Right-B-A — a series of buttons that many kids had burned into their memory. Without the code to give you 30 extra lives in Contra, beating the game was all but impossible – and it still wasn’t a cakewalk with the code. The code has continued to be used in more recent Konami games but is typically included as an Easter egg rather than a legitimate strategy.
Rosebud in The Sims
The Sims 4 Money Cheats!
As Charles Foster Kane drew his last breath in Citizen Kane, he said his famous last word: Rosebud. Perhaps as a nod to the character’s extravagant wealth, The Sims included the cheat code as a way to quickly earn enough money to build a mansion, as well as anything else you might want. Entering cheat mode by pressing Ctrl+Shift+C andtyping Rosebud into the game will result in your character receiving an additional 1,000 Simoleons, and you can continue to enter the code to watch your wealth rise rapidly.
Perhaps it would have made more sense for the cheat to spawn a sled or set your house on fire, but Rosebud turns The Sims from a sort of survival game into an architectural experiment. With enough resources, you can build basically anything, and it can feel quite limiting to go back to the “real” game after you’re done messing around. As you can see in the video above, later entries in the series have also paid homage to it. You can also type Motherlode in The Sims 4 to earn 50,000 instant Simoleons.
DK Mode in Goldeneye 007
007: Goldeneye - DK Mode - Gameplay
This cheat is so strongly associated with Goldeneye 007 in our minds that we see it whenever someone mentions the game. As the name would suggest, DK Mode increases the size of all characters’ heads and arms, making them look like Donkey Kong. In addition to looking hilarious, the cheat also gives you a much bigger target when you’re trying to land headshots on the game’s many enemies.
There is a very long code that can be used to prematurely unlock DK mode in Goldeneye that includes pressing the following button combinations, L and R + Up, C-Right, R + Left, R + Up, Up, R + Right, Up, L and R + C-Down, L and R + Down, L, and R + C-Left— but if that’s too much button pressing for you, it’s also availableby beating the game’s Runway mission on Agent difficulty. As this is one of the first missions you’ll play in the game, the DK Code can easily be unlocked within an hour or so of starting.
Blood code in Mortal Kombat
Mortal Kombat All Fatalities & CENSORED Fatalities Genesis
For a game that prided itself on gore and violence, the original Mortal Kombat didn’t exactly make it easy to see blood. On the Super Nintendo, blood was removed, but the Genesis version could access blood by entering the code A-B-A-C-A-B-B. From there, all the blood you could ever hope to see would be available, so you could really rub your wins into your opponents’ faces.
The original Mortal Kombat is the only version of the game that offered this weird restriction and workaround. Even the Super Nintendo edition of Mortal Kombat II included blood by default, but there’s something a little naughty about unlocking it via a code on the older game. Now, of course, the games are so ridiculously violent that only including blood seems censorship, but back then, the game was shocking enough to expedite the founding of the ESRB.
Even the series’ most recent installment, Mortal Kombat 11, has a series of secret fatality codes that can be unlocked via The Krypt.
Invincibility in Grand Theft Auto V
GTA V PS4 Invincibility cheat code Gameplay
Cheats aren’t as common in today’s games are they were in the past. However, one title that still has plenty of them is Grand Theft Auto V. The open-world action game lets you cause a ton of mayhem, but killing civilians and cops will eventually get a huge response team chasing you down for an arrest or a kill. To avoid this, enter the invincibility code. With an Xbox One controller, it is Right-A-Right-Left-Left-Right-RB-Right-Left-A-Y.
You can use this cheat code in five-minute intervals, but you can re-enter it continuously to ensure that you’re invincible for your entire perilous trek. After all, letting your guard down for even a matter of seconds exposes you mortal threats you can easily avoid. Other codes let you jump higher, run faster, and even spawn an attack helicopter, so you’ll always be one step ahead of your enemies.
Zelda as the name in The Legend of Zelda
The Legend of Zelda Second Quest - Level 1 (RG116)
The Legend of Zelda is a game that you will undoubtedly spend hours playing, but you can also bypass big chunks of your voyage if you want to. When entering a name as the game’s name registration page, choose Zelda to begin the game at the second quest rather than the first. Sure, this will make things a little bit confusing, seeing as your goal is to rescue someone else also named Zelda, but that’s a small price to pay for skipping half of the game.
Cheat codes exist in most other Legend of Zelda games, but they represent distinct capabilities. Entering the name in Link’s Awakening changes the music on the screen, for instance, but you’ll still have to play through the rest of the game as you normally would.
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FAQs
The Most Famous Video Game Cheat Codes of All Time | Digital Trends? ›
In its most famous form, the Konami Code was Up-Up-Down-Down-Left-Right-Left-Right-B-A — a series of buttons that many kids had burned into their memory. Without the code to give you 30 extra lives in Contra, beating the game was all but impossible – and it still wasn't a cakewalk with the code.
What is the most famous gaming cheat code? ›In its most famous form, the Konami Code was Up-Up-Down-Down-Left-Right-Left-Right-B-A — a series of buttons that many kids had burned into their memory. Without the code to give you 30 extra lives in Contra, beating the game was all but impossible – and it still wasn't a cakewalk with the code.
What popular games have cheat codes? ›- 1 Grand Theft Auto V.
- 2 Super Smash Bros: Melee. ...
- 3 Mario Kart. ...
- 4 Contra. ...
- 5 Tekken. ...
- 6 Mortal Kombat. ...
- 7 The Legend Of Zelda. ...
- 8 GoldenEye 007. ...
One of the earliest known examples of this type of cheat is the Konami Code, created in 1986 by Konami developer Kazuhisa Hashimoto as he worked on porting the 1985 arcade game Gradius for use on the Nintendo Entertainment System. Hashimoto is quoted as saying "The arcade version of Gradius is really difficult, right?
What is the secret gaming code? ›Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, B, A. It's called the Konami Code, and it often meant the difference between life and death in a video game back in the 1980s.
What is the hardest game to hack? ›- 3 Dark Souls.
- 4 Ninja Gaiden. ...
- 5 Nioh 2. ...
- 6 Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance. ...
- 7 Devil May Cry 5. ...
- 8 Bayonetta. ...
- 9 Dead Cells. ...
- 10 Hades. ...
Sprint fast – 1-999-228-2463. Max health and armour – 1-999-887-853. High jump – 1-999-467-8648. Get Invincible – 1-999-724-6545537.
Which rare game from 1997 had a famous cheat code? ›Which is exactly what Rare did with their 1997 super mega-hit, Goldeneye 007. Only it wasn't poor – It was pretty hilarious. The great thing about GoldenEye's cheats was that they had to be earned. Each cheat could be unlocked by completed a particular level, on a particular difficulty, within a particular time.
What does 0451 mean? ›0451 is a series of easter eggs most likely started by Warren Spector and Looks Glass' System Shock in 1994. It is often believed to be a reference to a book Fahrenheit 451, but according to Warren, its origin is way more basic.
Which game has most secrets? ›- 4 Super Smash Bros.
- 5 Silent Hill 2 - Helpful Mechanics. ...
- 6 Mega Man X - Hadouken. ...
- 7 Resident Evil 2 - A Strange Photo. ...
- 8 Batman Arkham City - Calendar Man End Of Days. ...
- 9 Adventure - The First Easter Egg. ...
- 10 GoldenEye 007 - A ZX Spectrum Emulator. ...
Do gamers use cheat codes? ›
Whether stirring up a little chaos in the Grand Theft Auto series or supplying your virtual family with infinite money in The Sims, many gamers have used cheat codes to enhance their gaming experience.
What are all the hack games? ›On January 24, Riot Games revealed that ransomware was used in the attack and that source code for several games was stolen. “Over the weekend, our analysis confirmed source code for League, TFT, and a legacy anticheat platform were exfiltrated by the attackers,” the games developer said.
What is cheating called in video games? ›Cheating in video games (sometimes called “e-doping”) goes far beyond classic cheat codes. In both professional and casual play, players can cheat by manipulating a game's outcome in violation of fair play regulation or the game or platform's terms of services to increase a player's chance of success.
What is secret code 31? ›Hide Caller ID: *31#
You might have received a call from unknown number. The caller might have hidden the ID intentionally or sometimes it can be accidental.
| Code | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 41 | Call me |
| 43 | F--- You |
| 45 | Good Night |
| 47 | Good Morning |
Cheat codes were initially a tool used by developers to help test video games back in the 1980s. One developer at Japanese company Konami created his own code that would become the most famous video game cheat code, and it's still used today.
What are cheat codes? ›A cheat code is generally a code, method or device used by gamers to advance levels, or to get other special powers and benefits in a video game. It could be series of alphanumeric codes or keyboard combinations which can give the gamers an added advantage over other gamers who do not use a cheat code.
What do hackers hack most? ›The biggest motivation is often financial gain. Hackers can make money by stealing your passwords, accessing your bank or credit card details, holding your information to ransom, or selling your data to other hackers or on the dark web.
What is the hardest game ever called? ›1. Contra. Konami Be prepared to die, die, and die again.
Is there a cheat code in GTA for money? ›
Nope! There's no money cheat code in GTA 5. The developers from Rockstar like us to have some fun with cheating, but they have not given us a way to make a ton of free cash which is not in the least bit surprising. This applies to both single player and multiplayer, there's no GTA money cheat for either.
What was the last Rare game? ›Rare's most recent game, Sea of Thieves, was released in 2018.
What is the ancient Konami Code? ›UP, UP, DOWN, DOWN, LEFT, RIGHT, LEFT, RIGHT, B, A, START. Some of us could push those buttons on a video game controller in our sleep, just from muscle memory. But what's most amazing about the Konami Code is its staying power: In the world of game cheats, the sequence is still king.
What did the Konami Code unlock? ›History. The Konami Code was first used in the release of Gradius (1986), a scrolling shooter for the NES and was popularized among North American players in the NES version of Contra. The code is also known as the "Contra Code" and "30 Lives Code", since the code provided the player 30 extra lives in Contra.
What is the 451 code in games? ›The code 0451 unlocks the first locked door in Deus Ex games. The number also appears in various other manners in the Deus Ex series.
What is 0451 in rdr2? ›The code is reportedly a reference to the door code used in Looking Glass' real-world office in Cambridge, and it has since been reused in a huge number of games. Deus Ex, Thief, BioShock, Dishonored, Prey and other games that carry on Looking Glass Studios' immersive lineage have all feature 0451 in some capacity.
What is the looking glass code? ›Looking Glass (or Operation Looking Glass) is the historic code name for an airborne command and control center operated by the United States. In more recent years it has been more officially referred to as the ABNCP (Airborne National Command Post).
How do I find hidden games on Google? ›- On your Android phone or tablet, open the Play Games app .
- Tap More Settings.
- Under "Your data," select Review hidden games.
- Optional: To show a game, tap the game. Show game.
| Game title | Publisher | |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Minecraft | Mojang Studios |
| 2. | Fortnite | Epic Games |
| 3. | ROBLOX | Roblox Corporation |
| 4. | The Sims 4 | Electronic Arts |
Kazuhisa Hashimoto, Creator Of Famous 'Konami Code' Gaming Cheat, Dies. Players would enter up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, B, A and Start on a controller to activate the "Konami code." It was first used in the game Gradius, but later made famous on Nintendo with Contra.
Are game cheats illegal? ›
The average cheater doesn't have to worry about a potential jail sentence. For most of the Americas and Europe, there are no federal laws against cheating in standard online matchmaking. Even serial cheaters only have to worry about a potential lifetime ban from the game they cheated in.
How do gamers get hacked? ›More than half of gamers would rather use cheat codes than be secure while gaming. Xbox users are most likely to get hacked (86%), fall victim to email phishing scams (76%), and risk using possibly unsafe cheat codes (64%).
What is the most famous hack in history? ›One of history's most recent and biggest hacks is the LinkedIn API breach of 2021. Personal records of over 700 million users – 92% of the user base – were scraped from the platform and put up for sale in a hacker forum. Why did this happen?
What is the best hacker ever? ›Kevin Mitnick holds the title as the world's most famous hacker ever, with this title dating back to 1995 by the US Department of Justice. Kevin Mitnick started hacking at an early age. He broke into the realm of public attention in the 1980s after he hacked into the North American Defense Command (NORAD).
Who is the first hacker game? ›...
Hacker (video game)
| Hacker | |
|---|---|
| Producer(s) | Brad Fregger |
| Designer(s) | Steve Cartwright |
In that plea, Bowser admitted to selling tools that hacked Nintendo Switch consoles and which his customers used to get Switch games for free. In December 2021, he agreed to pay Nintendo $10 million to settle a civil lawsuit Nintendo had brought against him.
What is leaked source code? ›Source code leaks. Source code leaks are usually caused by misconfiguration of software like CVS or FTP which allow people to get source files through exploits, software bugs, or employees that have access to the sources or part of them revealing the code in order to harm the company.
What is malicious source code? ›Malicious code is a term for code — whether it be part of a script or embedded in a software system — designed to cause damage, security breaches or other threats to application security. An important part of this definition is intent. Nonmalicious attacks do happen and are often accidental or due to negligence.
What are fake people in games called? ›A non-player character (NPC), or non-playable character, is any character in a game that is not controlled by a player.
What is virtual cheating? ›An online affair, or cyber affair, is generally considered a form of cheating. 1 Cyber affairs are secret extramarital relationships that include intimate and sexual undertones. They're conducted online through chat, email, or social media, or they can happen via texting.
What is the classic cheat code? ›
The Konami Code is arguably one of the best and most famous of cheat code inputs: Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, B, A. While the other nickname for the cheat is the "Contra Code," what's interesting is that it first appeared in Gradius for the Nintendo Entertainment System.
Who is the best hacker in gaming? ›- 1 Futaba Sakura - Persona 5.
- 2 Hal Emmerich - Metal Gear Solid Series. ...
- 3 Cortana - Halo Series. ...
- 4 Kinzie Kensington - Saints Row Series. ...
- 5 Sam Fisher - Splinter Cell Series. ...
- 6 Sombra - Overwatch Series. ...
- 7 Alyx Vance - Half-Life Series. ...
- 8 Tali'Zorah - Mass Effect Series. ...
- PAINKILLER: Become invincible for five minutes.
- TOOLUP: Get all weapons.
- TURTLE: Full health and armour.
- POWERUP: Recharge special ability.
- CATCHME: Fast run.
- GOTGILLS: Fast swim.
- HOPTOIT: Jump higher.
- FUGITIVE: Raise wanted level.
007, often referred to as "007 Mode" or (less commonly) "007 Agent", is a special difficulty unlocked after completing every mission on 00 Agent. It is something of a sandbox mode, allowing the player to manually set the health, damage, accuracy, and reaction times of enemies before starting a mission.
What is the code in Skywalker saga? ›Here are the latest Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga codes
3FCPPVX – Grand Moff Tarkin. ARVALA7 – Razor Crest. BAC1CKP – Mister Bones. C3PHOHO – C-3PO (Christmas)
Kevin David Mitnick (born August 6, 1963) is an American computer security consultant, author, and convicted hacker.
Who is World 1 hacker? ›Kevin Mitnick holds the title as the world's most famous hacker ever, with this title dating back to 1995 by the US Department of Justice. Kevin Mitnick started hacking at an early age. He broke into the realm of public attention in the 1980s after he hacked into the North American Defense Command (NORAD).
Who is richest hacker? ›Kevin Mitnick is the world's most famous, or rather No. 1 ethical hacker. Mitnick's Global Ghost Team holds a 100% success rate for penetrating any security system. He is regarded as a highly trusted security consultant today to governments globally and Fortune 500 companies.
What are secret cheats GTA 5? ›| GTA 5 Cheat Codes | Cell Phone Number |
|---|---|
| Sprint fast | 1-999-228-2463 |
| Max health and armour | 1-999-887-853 |
| High jump | 1-999-467-8648 |
| Get Invincible | 1-999-724-6545537 |
Fatty: TRIANGLE, UP, UP, LEFT, RIGHT, SQUARE, CIRCLE, DOWN.