Cheat codes are basically candy for your brain. You punch in a few magical buttons, suddenly you’re rich, invincible, and sprinting like you’ve had six energy drinks. It’s delightful.
And then sometimes your game looks you dead in the face and says, “Cool. I’m going to ruin your save file now.”
If you’ve ever lost an 80-hour save because you wanted to spawn “just one little item,” hi. Welcome. Pull up a chair. (And yes, I have done this. I have also yelled “NOOOOO” at a loading screen like it could hear me.)
The good news: not all cheats are equally cursed. Some are harmless party tricks. Some are “call an ambulance” energy. Let’s talk about which ones tend to corrupt saves—and how to cheat without crying.
Why Cheats Sometimes Wreck Saves (aka: The Game Didn’t Consent to Your Shenanigans)
Here’s the simplest way to think about it:
- Your game’s active memory (what’s happening right now) is like a whiteboard.
- Your save file (what gets stored) is like writing in permanent marker.
A lot of cheats mess with the whiteboard. That’s usually fine… until the game saves and permanently records whatever nonsense you’ve created.
So if you force something impossible like an item that doesn’t exist in your version, a stat that’s wildly out of range, or a quest marked complete without the game doing its normal “checkpoints” you can end up with a save the game can’t understand later.
Some games also use checksums (basically a math “proof” that your save data is legit). If something changes without updating that checksum, the game loads your file and goes, “Absolutely not,” and you get errors, crashes, or a file that just… won’t open.
Save files don’t love surprises. Neither do I. Yet here we are.
The Cheat Risk Levels (from “cute” to “you have chosen violence”)
Not every cheat is a villain. Here’s the vibe based tier list I use.
Low risk cheats (usually fine)
These are the “temporary chaos” cheats that change how the game behaves but don’t permanently rewrite your world:
- Visual effects (big head mode, silly filters, etc.)
- Speed modifiers
- “Infinite ammo for this session” style stuff
You close the game, they disappear. Like a bad haircut phase.
Medium risk cheats (fine… until you go feral)
These can be safe-ish, but you can absolutely push them into “oops” territory:
- Money/gold/resource multipliers
(Some games don’t know what to do with “I have 9,999,999,999 coins,” and will wrap numbers weirdly or crash.)
- XP/level boosts
(Usually okay if it’s within what the game expects.)
My personal rule: if you’re trying to break the economy so hard it needs government intervention, maybe chill.
High risk cheats (where saves start sweating)
These are the ones that can create permanent weirdness:
- Item spawning (especially version/region mismatches)
- Inventory overflow (stuffing your pockets past the game’s limits)
- Stat editing past normal caps
- Quest progression skips (marking things complete without proper triggers)
Quest cheats are the sneakiest little gremlins. Everything seems fine… until 10 hours later you’re stuck because a door won’t open and an NPC refuses to acknowledge your existence.
Highest risk cheats (the “I live dangerously” category)
- Memory editors (like Cheat Engine)
- Save editors that don’t fix checksums
- Outdated trainers for a patched game
Here’s why outdated trainers are scary: updates can move things around in memory. So the trainer thinks it’s editing health, but it’s actually rewriting your inventory, quest flags, or the game’s soul. Fun!
Platform Matters More Than People Admit
Same cheat, different system = different levels of chaos.
PC
PC is the Wild West. You’ve got the most freedom and the most ways to accidentally set your progress on fire.
- Built in console commands (like in Skyrim) are often safer because they’re… you know… expected by the game.
- Third party tools are a mixed bag.
PC cheating is like having a fully stocked kitchen: you can cook a masterpiece or somehow burn cereal.
Consoles
If the game has built in cheat codes (classic button combos), they’re usually safe because devs tested them.
But external tools/devices such as hardware cheat devices that poke at memory? Riskier. The game didn’t invite that chaos.
Retro + emulators
Retro cheats can be fragile because a lot of old codes were basically community experiments. On emulators, you at least get the holy grail: save states (which feel like time travel when you mess up).
But be careful using ROM specific code lists if your ROM version/region doesn’t match. That’s how you get “Why is my character now a missing texture?” energy.
My “Don’t Ruin Your Save” Routine (Do This Before You Cheat)
Yes, this is the boring part. It is also the part that keeps you from grief googling “can corrupted save be fixed” at 2 a.m.
1) Back up your save. Before. Not after.
Not “I’ll do it if something feels weird.”
Before. Always.
This takes like 30 seconds and can save you literal weeks of progress. Backups are the real god mode.
2) Use a separate save slot (if the game allows it)
One slot for your real playthrough. One slot for your “I’m about to do something unwise” playthrough.
Do not mix them unless you enjoy consequences.
3) Google the exact cheat/tool first
Just search: Game name + cheat name + “corrupt save”.
Five minutes of reading beats sobbing.
4) If you used a risky cheat, don’t save immediately
Play for 10-15 minutes. Open menus. Travel. Trigger dialogue. Basically, give the game a chance to show you it’s about to crash before you lock it into the save file.
5) Quit and reload to test
Save, exit to main menu, reload. Check your inventory, stats, quest log. If anything looks haunted, stop and restore your backup.
If you skip the backup step, I can’t stop you… but I will mentally flick your forehead.
Signs Your Save Is Getting Corrupted (Don’t “Power Through”)
Corruption isn’t always immediate. Sometimes it’s instant and dramatic. Sometimes it’s a slow burn horror movie.
Watch for:
- Freezing/crashing on load
- Save/load error messages
- Items showing up as blank/placeholder text
- NPC dialogue stuck in a loop
- Quest markers pointing to nowhere
- Progress walls (a door that should open never does, a trigger never triggers)
And listen: if something feels off, stop. Don’t keep playing and autosaving over your last clean file. That’s how you turn “maybe fixable” into “well, I guess we’re starting over.”
Quick Backup Tips (So You Actually Do It)
- PC: Find the save folder (Documents/AppData/Steam folders—Google “Game name save location”). Copy the whole folder somewhere safe. Steam Cloud is nice, but it can also sync corruption like an enthusiastic little assistant.
- PlayStation/Xbox: Use cloud saves if you have them, but consider disabling auto upload right before you experiment so you don’t overwrite the good copy with the cursed one.
- Emulators: Save states are your best friend. Use multiple slots. Label them. Be the organized time traveler you were meant to be.
If you’re actively cheating, back up each session and name files like a person who wants to stay sane:
“Skyrimpre-spawn-crazinessDec16″ is a beautiful thing.
If Your Save Is Already Toast
First: stop saving. Quit out. Don’t let autosave keep “helping.”
Then:
- Restore your backup (this is where you feel smug and powerful).
- No backup? Check for older autosaves.
- Look for community save repair tools (some games have checksum fixers or specific repair utilities).
- If it won’t load at all or key data is missing… it may be unrecoverable. At that point you’re choosing between starting over or finding a compatible save online, neither of which is a vibe.
Prevention beats recovery every time. Annoying, but true.
Cheat Without Fear (Or at Least Without Regret)
Cheats aren’t the enemy. Unprotected saves are.
If you remember nothing else, remember this order:
Back up first. Cheat second. Always.
Go find your save folder today and make one backup. Future you will feel like you just handed them a warm coffee and a hug—right before they spawn 47 legendary swords for “testing purposes.”
