Have Cheat Codes In Single Player Games Been Replaced By In-app Purchases?

If in-app purchases were physical objects, we’d be tripping over them everywhere we went in our daily lives. If we’re talking AAA titles, it’s probably easier to find a game that has them than one that doesn’t. Even games that can barely justify having IAPs can have them – like single player games (Deus Ex: Mankind Divided comes to mind). So, think about this one: when is the last time you played a single player game that had cheat codes?

This is something I’ve thought about many times over the years, and over at reddit this week, I found out I’m not alone. In the days where a game couldn’t touch base with a server online, cheat codes helped extend the playability in a game. It could be that you were having trouble getting through, or that you played the game so much, you were craving new experiences. Even if it meant becoming a dirty cheater.

Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 2 cheat code fun

For some reason, I don’t feel drawn to cheat codes like I used to when I was growing up, but in reality, part of it could be the fact that cheat codes are not standard practice anymore. I admit that after clearing Sleeping Dogs a handful of times, I craved cheat code ideas a little bit, and it seems obvious that if the game did have cheats, I would have had fun with them.

Growing up, I played games like Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater to death, and in every single one I can remember, cheat codes were available. And you bet your ass that it made the games fun after having completed them a whack of times. But these cheats were not normal. It wasn’t just about not being able to fall down, or generate ridiculous scores – we were able to increase our head size, enable a jetpack or moon physics, or even shrink the character. Nowadays, those same cheat code effects can be found as DLC in some games.

San Francisco Rush 2049 cheat menu

I feel confident in saying that things are not really going to change here. It could be that people just don’t care about cheat codes anymore as much as they used to, but I am leaning towards the idea that game publishers just love eking as much money out of their games as possible. Is it just nostalgia that makes me want to see cheat codes made more common again?

BRB, SF Rush 2049 is calling for me.