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Every gamer has that one title where they finally gave up and opened the console, entered a cheat code, or looked up a guide. The reasons are as varied as the people that needed the advantage; outrageous difficulty spikes, impossible collectibles, or a mechanic becoming more frustrating than fun.
Purists may argue that cheating ruins the experience, but plenty of players disagree, especially when the alternative is wasting hours on tedious grinding or unfair challenges. According to gamers all over the internet, these are the games where cheating, exploiting, or using outside help eventually stopped feeling like a shortcut and started feeling mandatory.
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The Sims
Whether it’s “motherlode,” “rosebud,” or unlimited building funds, cheating has become part of The Sims experience. Many players consider money cheats less of an exploit and more of a sandbox feature that unlocks creativity.
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Planescape: Torment
Fans praise Planescape: Torment for its writing, not its combat. Many players happily trivialize battles with cheats so they can focus on the dialogue, choices, and unforgettable story that made the RPG a classic.
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Star Wars Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast
The opening levels deny players the lightsaber and Force powers they bought the game to use. Many veterans replay those sections with cheats enabled, transforming a slow start into pure Star Wars fantasy.
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RimWorld
When storyteller Randy Random decides your colony has suffered enough, some players decide enough is enough. Developer tools and cheats have become a popular way to recover from catastrophes caused by spectacularly bad luck.
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The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Finding every memory photo location can become an exhausting scavenger hunt. Many players eventually turn to online guides after searching an area repeatedly, treating Google as just another in-game tool.
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ARK: Survival Evolved
Between brutal survival mechanics, disappearing tames, and lengthy resource grinding, many solo players rely on admin commands. Even longtime fans often consider cheats a practical solution rather than an unfair advantage.
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Grand Theft Auto Series
For many fans, the real game begins after entering cheat codes. Infinite weapons, tanks, flying cars, and invincibility became such an iconic part of GTA that countless players barely touched the normal rules.
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Animal Crossing
The original GameCube release featured the notoriously angry Resetti. Many players deliberately experimented with resetting the game just to experience his increasingly absurd lectures, making “cheating” part of the fun at least once.
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Minecraft
Accidentally losing valuable gear in lava after days of work has convinced countless players to switch into Creative Mode or use commands. Sometimes recovering lost progress simply feels better than starting over from scratch.
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Contra
The Konami Code is so famous that many players consider it the intended way to experience Contra. Thirty lives transformed an infamously punishing shooter into something ordinary players could actually finish.
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Duke Nukem 3D
Classic cheat codes like god mode and every weapon remain a favorite way to replay Duke Nukem 3D. After finishing it normally, many fans enjoy returning simply to unleash maximum chaos.
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Final Fantasy IX
The infamous jump rope minigame in Alexandria asks players for nearly superhuman precision. Many achievement hunters eventually turn to scripted inputs or automation after discovering even robots struggle with the challenge.
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Subnautica
Leviathans create unforgettable tension, but some players eventually bypass them using console commands. When avoiding giant predators repeatedly interrupts exploration, cheating becomes a tempting way to restore the game’s relaxing sense of discovery.
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Digimon World 2
Its notoriously slow progression and endless dungeon grinding have led many fans to embrace cheats or emulation speed-up features. For some players, reducing the grind is the only way to fully enjoy the adventure.
The post 14 Video Games Where Cheating Has Become the Only Strategy appeared first on Den of Geek.
