Summary
Bending the rules is inherently fun, which is precisely why so many games have cheats baked in. Cheats make games more fun by providing you with infinite ammo, new weapons, or the ability to change the weather. So, why is it so controversial?
Is Cheating Really That Bad?
When we talk about cheating in games today, it’s almost always in the context of online games. If you read the title hoping for a green card to cheat in multiplayer games likeCounter-Strike 2orValorant, you’re in the wrong place.
Cheating hasno placein competitive online or multiplayer games, especially when it directly hurts the experience of other players. Online gamers want to compete fairly within the rules of the game, and cheaters ruin the game for everyone else just for their own amusement, which is not okay. Unfortunately, this is such a massive issue that it drove developers to implementanti-cheat systems at the kernel level, which is a problem in itself.
With that out of the way, let’s touch on the origins of cheating. Some argue it all started in arcades, specifically withpinball cabinets. Players would tilt the cabinet to control the ball, which would often result in damaged cabinets. Instead of trying to stop players from cheating,inventors eventually embraced tiltby turning it into a core game mechanism that made pinball a whole lot more fun.
This philosophy extended to cheating in video games as well. The idea wasn’t about gaining an unfair advantage over other players, it was about cheating against the machine itself or even breaking the game altogether. Breaking the rules in single-player games comes without repercussions and is inherently fun, at least for some of us.
It’s also worth noting that old-school video games were seriously challenging and you only had a limited number of lives before you had to start over. Much of the (younger) target audience lacked the skills necessary to complete a game. One of the most famous early cheats was theKonami Code, which originated in the 1987 NES classicContra. It gave players 30 extra lives, significantly improving their chances of beating the game.
Unleash Creativity and Chaos in Single-Player
Most cheats provide players with a straightforward advantage, helping facilitate a power fantasy. The best aspect of cheating is that you’re able to use as many or as few as you like. You can use a single cheat to unlock the best weapon in the game, or you can get invincibility and infinite ammo if you just want to mess around.
It can be satisfying beating a challenging boss, but it’s downright cathartic watching that same boss strike you a million times while your character is just standing there, completely unaffected.
Cheating is more fun if you give yourself a challenge by using alternative cheat codes instead of opting for invincibility. Typing in cheat codes takes skill, so the stakes are high. My friends and I used to playGTA: San Andreasas kids. We’d often compete to see who could outrun the cops the longest using only HESOYAM, a cheat that repairs your car, resets your health and armor, and adds cash.
Unironically, that’s how I learned totype so fast.
It’s not just power, though. Some cheats exist purely for entertainment. Examples include Exploding Lara inTomb Raider 2, IDCLIP forDoomIandII, Moon Gravity inGTA: San AndreasandGTA V, and Slow Motion inSaints Row IV. Some cheats merely change the time or weather, a useful trick if you want to enjoy a specific atmosphere ortake a few screenshots.
There were also cheats that unlocked or spawned cool items or vehicles, such as the GameStop and Best Buy cars inBurnout: Paradise, military vehicles inGTAgames, and all weapons inHalf-Life. Now, it’s allmicrotransactions.
Removing Frustration While Keeping the Fun
Cheating isn’t always about chaos or breaking the game. Sometimes, you get stuck on a mission or boss and just want to continue progressing to see the rest of the game. Even if the game disables achievements upon cheat activation, you can still use them to figure outwhy you’re stuck—it’s basically training.
An invincibility cheat gives you unlimited time to learn the enemy’s moves and practice dodging them, or figure out where you need to go in a level to trigger the next event.
Some cheats are purely there for convenience. Spawning end-game guns and vehicles gives you more time to enjoy them during your playthrough, especially when they’re so expensive that you might finish the game without ever getting to use them.
For instance, the Explosive Rifle fromRed Dead Redemptionis a blast to use (pun intended), but you won’t see it in a normal playthrough since it costs the equivalent of around15 of the fastest horses combined.
In some instances, the game will actuallycheat against youto compensate for poorly created AI or just to keep you on the edge at all times.Rubber banding in racing gamesis probably the most notorious example, especially when it’s poorly implemented.
You’re five seconds ahead, but three turns later, your opponent magically overtakes you despite your perfect driving. For example, the hard mode AI inCrash Team Racing: Nitro-Fueledis essentially broken, but you can fight fire with fire by using cheats to unlock unlimited power-ups.
How to Get Started With Cheats
The best way to get started with cheats is by exploring those already in the game. We’re long past the golden age of cheat codes, but some developers still include them in their games. Examples include Rockstar Games’Red Dead RedemptionandGTAfranchises,Rage 2,Kerbal Space Program,Risk of Rain 2, andThe Sims 4.
I particularly likeDoom Eternal’s implementation of cheat codes, as it requires you to find them asfloppy discshidden in different areas to unlock access.
Don’t worry if the game you’re currently playing doesn’t have built-in cheats, as you can usually use third-party trainers andmodsto add cheats on your PC. For instance, you canadd cheats toCyberpunk 2077through the Cyber Engine Tweaks mod.Cheat Engineis another viable solution, but it’s difficult to use without guides. Like with any other third-party app, you have tobe careful when downloadingtrainers.
Although cheating is loads of fun, I still suggest playing (and ideally beating) the games without cheats first and then using cheats onyour second playthroughor even after beating the game. This way, you’ll experience the gameplay the way the developers intended. After that, you can add a whole new layer of fun by unleashing mayhem with cheats.
Spawning a powerful or silly weapon or vehicle in front of you is a harmless way to add some creative fun to your game. And if you’re stuck on a particular mission, there’s no harm in using cheats just this one time to continue the playthrough.
Games aresupposedto be fun, and it’s up to you to decide how you want to enjoy them!
