Almost every classic San Andreas button code still fires in the Definitive Edition, and you enter them the way the PS2 original did: tap the sequence live while you're playing, never from the pause menu. The one thing worth knowing before you touch a single code is the trade-off.
Switch on any cheat and that save file stops unlocking trophies and achievements for good. That is why we'd keep a second save purely for messing around, and treat your main run as cheat-free.
A few old favorites didn't survive the move to Unreal Engine, the infinite-health code chief among them. We've listed the ones that were cut in their own section further down, so you're not hunting for a code that no longer exists.
The codes below are grouped by what they do. PlayStation and Switch use button sequences read left to right, one button per comma; PC and mobile use typed words instead.
Every working cheat, by category
Enter each code exactly as shown; a single wrong letter or button makes it fail to register.
Weapons and ammo
| Cheat | Effect | PS5 / PS4 | Switch |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weapon Set 1 | 9mm pistol, sawn-off shotgun, MP5, and related tier-1 weapons | R1,R2,L1,R2,Left,Down,Right,Up,Left,Down,Right,Up | R,ZR,L,ZR,Left,Down,Right,Up,Left,Down,Right,Up |
| Weapon Set 2 | Tec-9, combat shotgun, and related tier-2 weapons | R1,R2,L1,R2,Left,Down,Right,Up,Left,Down,Down,Left | R,ZR,L,ZR,Left,Down,Right,Up,Left,Down,Down,Left |
| Weapon Set 3 | Rocket launcher, sniper rifle, minigun, and related tier-3 weapons | R1,R2,L1,R2,Left,Down,Right,Up,Left,Down,Down,Down | R,ZR,L,ZR,Left,Down,Right,Up,Left,Down,Down,Down |
| Infinite Ammo | Removes ammo depletion for the current weapon | L1,R1,Square,R1,Left,R2,R1,Left,Square,Down,L1,L1 | L,R,Y,R,Left,ZR,R,Left,Y,Down,L,L |
Player, stats, and money
| Cheat | Effect | PS5 / PS4 | Switch |
|---|---|---|---|
| Full Health, Armor & $250,000 | Restores health and armor, grants $250,000, and repairs the current vehicle | R1,R2,L1,X,Left,Down,Right,Up,Left,Down,Right,Up | R,ZR,L,B,Left,Down,Right,Up,Left,Down,Right,Up |
| Infinite Lung Capacity | Removes the underwater breath limit | Down,Left,L1,Down,Down,R2,Down,L2,Down | Down,Left,L,Down,Down,ZR,Down,ZL,Down |
| Raise Wanted Level | Adds two wanted stars | R1,R1,Circle,R2,Right,Left,Right,Left,Right,Left | R,R,A,ZR,Right,Left,Right,Left,Right,Left |
| Lower Wanted Level | Gradually clears wanted stars | R1,R1,Circle,R2,Up,Down,Up,Down,Up,Down | R,R,A,ZR,Up,Down,Up,Down,Up,Down |
| Lock Wanted Level | Freezes the wanted level at its current value | Circle,Right,Circle,Right,Left,Square,Triangle,Up | A,Right,A,Right,Left,Y,X,Up |
| Six-Star Wanted Level | Instantly sets the wanted level to maximum | Circle,Right,Circle,Right,Left,Square,X,Down | A,Right,A,Right,Left,Y,B,Down |
| Maximum Fat | Sets CJ's body fat stat to maximum | Triangle,Up,Up,Left,Right,Square,Circle,Down | X,Up,Up,Left,Right,Y,A,Down |
| Maximum Muscle | Sets CJ's muscle stat to maximum | Triangle,Up,Up,Left,Right,Square,Circle,Left | X,Up,Up,Left,Right,Y,A,Left |
| Minimum Fat & Muscle | Resets CJ's body stats to lean | Triangle,Up,Up,Left,Right,Square,Circle,Right | X,Up,Up,Left,Right,Y,A,Right |
| Maximum Respect | Sets the respect stat to maximum | L1,R1,Triangle,Down,R2,X,L1,Up,L2,L2,L1,L1 | L,R,X,Down,ZR,B,L,Up,ZL,ZL,L,L |
| Super Jump | Greatly increases jump height | Up,Up,Triangle,Triangle,Up,Up,Left,Right,Square,R2,R2 | Up,Up,X,X,Up,Up,Left,Right,Y,ZR,ZR |
| Super Punch | Gives a one-hit knockback punch | Up,Left,X,Triangle,R1,Circle,Circle,Circle,L2 | Up,Left,B,X,R,A,A,A,ZL |
Pedestrians and the game itself
| Cheat | Effect | PS5 / PS4 | Switch |
|---|---|---|---|
| Big Head Mode | Enlarges every character's head; this one is a Definitive Edition addition, not a classic holdover | Up,Up,Down,Down,Left,Right,Left,Right,Circle,X | Up,Up,Down,Down,Left,Right,Left,Right,A,B |
| Armed Pedestrians | Pedestrians carry and use weapons | R2,R1,X,Triangle,X,Triangle,Up,Down | ZR,R,B,X,B,X,Up,Down |
| Angry Pedestrians | Pedestrians turn hostile toward you | Down,Up,Up,Up,X,R2,R1,L2,L2 | Down,Up,Up,Up,B,ZR,R,ZL,ZL |
| Rioting Pedestrians | Triggers a city-wide pedestrian riot | Down,Left,Up,Left,X,R2,R1,L2,L1 | Down,Left,Up,Left,B,ZR,R,ZL,L |
| No Pedestrians | Clears every pedestrian from the streets | X,Down,Up,R2,Down,Triangle,L1,Triangle,Left | B,Down,Up,ZR,Down,X,L,X,Left |
| Faster Gameplay | Speeds up the game clock and physics | Triangle,Up,Right,Down,L2,L1,Square | X,Up,Right,Down,ZL,L,Y |
| Slower Gameplay | Slows down the game clock and physics | Triangle,Up,Right,Down,Square,R2,R1 | X,Up,Right,Down,Y,ZR,R |
One warning that guides agree on: pedestrian-behavior codes can break some mission scripts, so leave them off during story missions. The riot code is worse still, because third-party guides report it stays on permanently once triggered on a save and cannot be switched back off.
Vehicles and spawns
| Cheat | Effect | PS5 / PS4 | Switch |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flying Cars | Ground vehicles gain flight | Square,Down,L2,Up,L1,Circle,Up,X,Left | Y,Down,ZL,Up,L,A,Up,B,Left |
| Flying Boats | Boats gain flight | R2,Circle,Up,L1,Right,R1,Right,Up,Square,Triangle | ZR,A,Up,L,Right,R,Right,Up,Y,X |
| Pink Traffic | Turns all traffic vehicles pink | Circle,L1,Down,L2,Left,X,R1,L1,Right,Circle | A,L,Down,ZL,Left,B,R,L,Right,A |
| Black Traffic | Turns all traffic vehicles black | Circle,L2,Up,R1,Left,X,R1,L1,Left,Circle | A,ZL,Up,R,Left,B,R,L,Left,A |
| Aggressive Traffic | AI drivers turn reckless and aggressive | R2,Circle,R1,L2,Left,R1,L1,R2,L2 | ZR,A,R,ZL,Left,R,L,ZR,ZL |
| Spawn Rhino Tank | Drops in a Rhino military tank | Circle,Circle,L1,Circle,Circle,Circle,L1,L2,R1,Triangle,Circle,Triangle | A,A,L,A,A,A,L,ZL,R,X,A,X |
| Spawn Jetpack | Drops in a jetpack | Left,Right,L1,L2,R1,R2,Up,Down,Left,Right | Left,Right,L,ZL,R,ZR,Up,Down,Left,Right |
| Spawn Monster Truck | Drops in a monster truck | Right,Up,R1,R1,R1,Down,Triangle,Triangle,X,Circle,L1,L1 | Right,Up,R,R,R,Down,X,X,B,A,L,L |
| Spawn Parachute | Adds a parachute to your inventory | Left,Right,L1,L2,R1,R2,R2,Up,Down,Right,L1 | Left,Right,L,ZL,R,ZR,ZR,Up,Down,Right,L |
| Spawn Hunter | Drops in a Hunter attack helicopter | Circle,X,L1,Circle,Circle,L1,Circle,R1,R2,L2,L1,L1 | A,B,L,A,A,L,A,R,ZR,ZL,L,L |
| Spawn Hydra | Drops in a Hydra VTOL jet | Triangle,Triangle,Square,Circle,X,L1,L1,Down,Up | X,X,Y,A,B,L,L,Down,Up |
| Spawn Vortex | Drops in a Vortex hovercraft | Triangle,Triangle,Square,Circle,X,L1,L2,Down,Down | X,X,Y,A,B,L,ZL,Down,Down |
A quick note on the jetpack. One roundup of missing cheats flagged it as cut, but the major code guides, Game Informer and Inverse among them, still list this exact sequence, so we're keeping it in the working list.
How to enter cheats on each platform
On PS5 and PS4, key the button sequence in live during normal gameplay with the game unpaused. For console-specific steps, see the GTA San Andreas PS5 cheats. A small on-screen notification pops up to confirm a code landed.
You can start entering codes the moment the game begins. Unlike the old cheats' reputation for demanding fast fingers, there's no time limit between button presses here.
Nintendo Switch works the same way. The San Andreas cheats on Switch list the Nintendo button labels. Enter the sequence live during unpaused play using the Joy-Con or Pro Controller buttons shown in the Switch column, and watch for the same confirmation message.
Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One share this single code list; enter the same sequences using the controller's equivalent face buttons and triggers.
PC and mobile skip button combos entirely and use typed words. Type them directly during unpaused gameplay, with no Enter key or menu needed. Three examples: INEEDSOMEHELP for full health, armor, and $250,000, THUGSARMOURY for Weapon Set 1, and KANGAROO for Super Jump.
What cheats switch off: trophies, achievements, and saves
Push Square, Inverse, and GTABase all report the same rule: turn on any cheat and trophy and achievement progress stops on that save file. There's no dedicated Rockstar Support article confirming it for the Definitive Edition specifically, so treat it as the settled consensus of the major guides rather than a first-party statement.
The fix every outlet recommends is simple. Keep one save for a clean, trophy-eligible playthrough, and a separate save where you spawn tanks and turn traffic pink. The same rule covers the GTA San Andreas PS4 cheats in this edition.
Pedestrian cheats carry a second risk beyond trophies, since armed, angry, no-pedestrian, and riot effects can break mission scripts mid-story. We'd only fire those up in free roam, well away from an active mission.
Cheats that were removed from the Definitive Edition
This is where the remaster differs most from the PS2 disc. The GTA 3 Definitive Edition cheats lost a couple of codes to the same engine switch. Several codes long-time players reach for by muscle memory are simply gone, and no button sequence brings them back.
- Infinite Health. Confirmed removed. Rockstar could not port it as a toggleable invincibility cheat on the Unreal-engine remaster.
- Never Get Hungry. The classic no-hunger code is gone.
- Cars Float on Collision. Removed.
- Destroy All Cars. Removed.
- Invisible Cars. Removed.
- Adrenaline Mode. Removed.
- Pedestrian costume themes. The old Kinky, Rural, and Yakuza-Triad pedestrian-outfit cheats are all gone, reported under slightly different names across outlets.
Inverse notes the full code set still runs to more than 70 entries across every category once you count the weather and color variants, so the list above is the well-corroborated core rather than every last toggle.
Where to point your cheat run next
Start with a throwaway save, grab Weapon Set 3 and a jetpack, and leave the pedestrian chaos codes off until you're clear of a mission. For another Rockstar open-world with cheats, the RDR2 cheats hide behind the pause menu. That gets you the full sandbox without quietly locking your trophies or breaking a story script. For a current open-world game, Grand Theft Auto V heads up our best PS5 open-world games list.
Turn your next gaming session into rewards
Cheat codes can make San Andreas more rewarding. HeyCash goes one step further and pays you points for the mobile games you already play, which convert straight to PayPal cash. Free to use, and some reward options start at $1.