Cheat code

Definition

A cheat code is a key sequence, password, or series of steps to be entered within a video game that will provide the player some object, ability, or access to a level or location within the game that is secret, hidden, or that would have otherwise been unobtainable or unavailable to the player.

Overview

Activation methods for cheat codes might include entering a code at a password prompt or a pressing a combination of game controller buttons. Effects might include unlocking a character or improving a character's performance (providing a car with greater acceleration, for example.) Other entry points may be a developer console, a code entry dialog, at title screens, or in-game.

Unlike other cheating methods, cheat codes are implemented by the game developers themselves, often as a tool to playtest certain aspects of the game without difficulty.