# The Most Famous Cheat Codes in Gaming History (and What They Did)

URL: https://byshahid.com/blog/most-famous-cheat-codes/
App: Cheatly: Game Cheat Codes (https://apps.apple.com/us/app/cheatly-game-cheat-codes/id6807984198)
Author: Muhammad Shahid
Updated: 2026-10-29

> The best-known cheat codes are the Konami Code (Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, B, A) from Gradius and Contra, IDDQD (god mode) from Doom, rosebud and motherlode (money) from The Sims, show me the money and power overwhelming from StarCraft, and HESOYAM from GTA San Andreas.

- **Konami Code:** Gradius (1986) and Contra: 30 lives
- **IDDQD:** Doom (1993): god mode
- **rosebud / motherlode:** The Sims series: money
- **show me the money:** StarCraft (1998): resources
- **HESOYAM:** GTA San Andreas (2004): health, armour, money
- **how do you turn this on:** Age of Empires II: a sports car

Before patches, achievements and online play, cheat codes were part of gaming culture. They were swapped in playgrounds, printed in magazines and hidden by developers who needed shortcuts to test their own games. Some became famous enough to show up in films, T-shirts and other games. Here are the ones everyone remembers, and what they actually did.

I build **Cheatly: Game Cheat Codes**, a free offline cheat code app for iPhone and iPad, and the screenshots here come from it. If you want every code on your phone next to the controller, [get Cheatly on the App Store](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/cheatly-game-cheat-codes/id6807984198).

## The Konami Code

**Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, B, A.** Konami developer Kazuhisa Hashimoto added it to the home version of _Gradius_ (1986) because he found the game too hard to test: it gave the player's ship every power-up. It became famous with _Contra_ on the NES, where it gives 30 lives. It has since been hidden in dozens of games and even on websites as an easter egg.

## IDDQD and IDKFA (Doom)

In _Doom_ (1993) you type these during play. `IDDQD` turns on god mode, and `IDKFA` gives all weapons, full ammo and every key. The "ID" stands for id Software, the studio that made the game. Doom II added `IDCLIP` to walk through walls.

_Screenshot: Cheatly keeps thousands of single-player codes from classic and modern games in one offline app._

## rosebud and motherlode (The Sims)

In the original _The Sims_ (2000), `rosebud` in the cheat console gave 1,000 Simoleons, a nod to the film _Citizen Kane_. Later games added `kaching` (1,000) and `motherlode` (50,000). In The Sims 4, open the console with Ctrl+Shift+C on PC or Cmd+Shift+C on Mac.

## show me the money and power overwhelming (StarCraft)

In Blizzard's _StarCraft_ (1998) you press Enter and type the cheat as a chat message. `show me the money` gives 10,000 minerals and gas, `power overwhelming` makes your units invincible, and `black sheep wall` reveals the map. `there is no cow level` wins the mission instantly, a joke about a rumour from _Diablo_. Warcraft III followed with `whosyourdaddy` and `greedisgood`.

## how do you turn this on (Age of Empires II)

Typed into the chat box in _Age of Empires II_, it spawns a fast modern sports car armed with a gun, in a game set in the Middle Ages. It is still one of the most loved jokes in strategy games.

## ABACABB (Mortal Kombat)

The Sega Genesis version of _Mortal Kombat_ (1992) shipped without blood. Entering **A, B, A, C, A, B, B** on the code screen turned it back on, and the code became legendary in the arguments about violent games at the time.

## HESOYAM and the GTA codes

Rockstar's GTA games turned cheats into a whole menu of chaos. `HESOYAM` in _GTA San Andreas_ gives full health, full armour and $250,000, and is still typed by players today. Vice City had `PANZER` for a tank, and GTA IV and GTA 5 moved cheats onto the in-game phone. See [GTA San Andreas cheats for PC](https://byshahid.com/blog/gta-san-andreas-cheats-pc/) and [GTA 5 cheat phone numbers](https://byshahid.com/blog/gta-5-cheat-phone-numbers/).

_Screenshot: Every code in Cheatly is shown in your platform's format: typed text, console commands, button chips or phone numbers._

## Console commands: sv_cheats, tgm and friends

PC games moved from typed words to developer consoles. In _Half-Life_ and other Source games, `sv_cheats 1` unlocks cheats and `impulse 101` gives all weapons. In _Skyrim_, open the console with the ~ key and type `tgm` for god mode or `tcl` to fly through walls. These are the same kind of shortcuts developers use during testing.

## Why did cheat codes disappear?

  - **Achievements and trophies** made cheating feel like it devalued progress, so many games dropped codes or disable achievements when you use them. See [do cheats disable achievements](https://byshahid.com/blog/do-cheat-codes-disable-achievements/).

  - **Online play** made cheating unfair to other players.

  - **Paid unlocks** replaced some of what cheats used to give for free.

Single-player cheats are still around, though, and they are still the easiest way to replay a game just for fun. For how codes are entered on each platform, see [how to enter cheat codes on PC, PlayStation and Xbox](https://byshahid.com/blog/how-to-enter-cheat-codes-pc-playstation-xbox/).

## How Cheatly helps

  - **3,300+ single-player cheats across 84 games**, all stored on your iPhone or iPad.

  - **Shown the way your platform enters them**: PlayStation and Xbox button chips, copyable PC console text, and in-game phone numbers.

  - **Search by name or by effect**, such as "wanted" or "helicopter", and filter by category.

  - **Favourites** for the codes you use every session.

  - **Read aloud**, so you can enter long combos with the controller in your hands.

  - **Works offline**, with no account and no sign-up.

[Download Cheatly free on the App Store](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/cheatly-game-cheat-codes/id6807984198) and stop searching the web mid-game.

**Cheatly: Game Cheat Codes** is free on the App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/cheatly-game-cheat-codes/id6807984198

## FAQ

### What is the most famous cheat code?

The Konami Code: Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, B, A. It started in Gradius and became famous in Contra.

### What does the Konami Code do in Contra?

On the NES version it gives you 30 lives.

### What does IDDQD do?

In Doom, IDDQD turns on god mode. IDKFA gives all weapons, ammo and keys.

### What does rosebud do in The Sims?

It gives 1,000 Simoleons. Motherlode gives 50,000 in later Sims games.

### How do I open the cheat console in The Sims 4?

Press Ctrl+Shift+C on PC or Cmd+Shift+C on Mac.

### What does show me the money do?

In StarCraft it gives 10,000 minerals and 10,000 gas.

### What does power overwhelming do?

In StarCraft it makes your units invincible.

### What does how do you turn this on do?

In Age of Empires II it spawns an armed modern sports car.

### What does HESOYAM stand for?

Nothing official. It is a GTA San Andreas cheat that gives health, armour and $250,000.

### Why do modern games have fewer cheat codes?

Achievements, online play and paid unlocks made developers remove codes, or disable achievements when cheats are used.

### Does Cheatly include classic cheat codes?

Cheatly has 3,300+ single-player cheats across 84 games, searchable by name or effect and available offline.

## Sources

- [Wikipedia: Cheating in video games](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cheating_in_video_games)