More video games need to let you cheat

Cheats have been a foundational part of video games since the medium’s earliest days. At first, most of them were used as development tools to facilitate playtesting for the game’s creators. The most famous early example of this is the Konami Code, created for the NES port of the space shoot-’em-up Gradius in 1986. To get a full set of power-ups and make the game far easier than its arcade version, you’d simply press up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, B, then A at the title screen. The cheat became more widely known after the 1988 release of Contra for the NES, where inputting the Konami Code gives you a whopping 30 extra lives.

Back in the ‘90s, cheats were so ubiquitous that there was an entire cottage industry of dedicated bolt-on devices like the Game Genie, that sold millions of units worldwide. These allowed players to modify their experiences to their tastes by skipping levels or making their character far more powerful than the developers intended. There were entire print magazines and pricey telephone tip lines dedicated to cheats, too.

Cheats haven’t vanished in video games — they’ve evolved in various directions, taking the form of customizable settings, secret items, PC mods, or even overpowered gameplay features. But in a world of story mode and aim assist, there’s something to be said for the straightforward appeal of a good, old-fashioned cheat. In real life, cheating — on a test, on your spouse, on your taxes — can ruin your life. On the other hand, in a video game, cheating can be an exhilarating thrill with relatively little consequence.

Back in June, coinciding with the launch of Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth’sXbox and Nintendo Switch 2 ports, Square Enix released an update for the game that adds a suite of streamlined progression options to the game. These 13 toggles include stuff like infinite money, enhanced EXP and AP gain after fights, and infinite HP and MP. They’re all entirely optional and can be turned on or off at any time, whether you’ve played the game before or not. I finally took them for a spin over the weekend, and I’ve gotta say, all those piddly requests from Chadley feel a lot more worthwhile when I’m gaining levels at twice the usual rate, absolutely tearing through enemies, and money is no object.

What started out as a few minutes of mucking around with an old save quickly turned into a full-blown I guess I’m replaying this whole game moment. I sped through the main storyline during my initial playthrough, so I’m looking forward to revisiting it in a more chilled-out way ahead of the launch of the trilogy’s third part, Final Fantasy 7 Revelation, next spring.

Over on the Final Fantasy subreddit, the community is predictably divided. Some argue these options invalidate the efforts of completionists, because using the streamlined progression options does not disable trophies or achievements. Others welcome the new tweaks as a chance to revisit the game with less of a time commitment, or acknowledge that they may make Rebirth more appealing to newcomers.

“At the end of the day, it's a single-player game, so everyone should be free to enjoy it however they want,” wrote one Reddit commenter. “Giving players access to cheats or accessibility options doesn't take anything away from those who prefer to play without them.”

Revisiting FF7 Rebirth reminded me that the best cheats can make a familiar game feel thrilling again. The fun comes from feeling like you’re getting away with something forbidden, even if it’s 100% intentional on the part of the developers. By allowing me to break the balance early on, I’m also able to better appreciate just how much planning and artistry goes into creating these experiences. I’ve tweaked my cash and EXP gain, but still I’m only able to buy low-level healing items and armor in FF7 Rebirth’s first region. That means there’s still enough friction for combat to feel satisfying. These options soften some of the tedium of the open-world grind, while maintaining a compelling reason to move onto bigger challenges and rewards. Maybe I’ll turn them off at some point. Or not. Either way, I’m locked in for a second playthrough.

With Grand Theft Auto 6 launching in November and Fallout 5 officially in the works, maybe FF7 Rebirth is just the beginning of a new cheating renaissance in video games. GTA 5’s cheats let you become invincible, shoot exploding bullets, and spawn a cavalcade of vehicles to inflict carnage on the surrounding population. Fallout 4’s console commands let you activate God Mode, kill all nearby NPCs, and instantly fill your inventory with infinite items. Sure, most people will play these hotly anticipated sequels for the high-octane action and sumptuous visuals. But there are dozens of us who are just as hungry to see all the fascinating new cheat ideas these teams have cooked up over the last decade or so.