To enter a cheat code on GTA San Andreas you simply type the code during normal gameplay — there is no console, no menu and no pause required. Typing HESOYAM gives full health, full armour and $250,000, and it is the single most used code in the game’s history. On PlayStation and Xbox versions the same effects are triggered by controller button combinations instead of typed words.
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San Andreas shipped with well over a hundred cheats, ranging from genuinely useful survival tools to complete nonsense like turning every pedestrian into Elvis. Below are the codes worth knowing, how entry differs by platform, and the important warnings about which cheats can quietly damage your save file.
| Game | Platform | Genre | Why It’s Great | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas | PS2, PS3, Xbox, PC, mobile, Switch | Open-world action | Three cities, RPG stats and the most generous cheat list in the series | 9.5/10 |
| Grand Theft Auto: Vice City | PS2, Xbox, PC, mobile | Open-world action | Peerless 1980s soundtrack and a compact, memorable city | 9.4/10 |
| Grand Theft Auto III | PS2, Xbox, PC, mobile | Open-world action | The game that defined the modern 3D open world | 9.0/10 |
| Grand Theft Auto V | PS3/PS4/PS5, Xbox, PC | Open-world action | Three protagonists and elaborate multi-stage heists | 9.7/10 |
| Bully: Scholarship Edition | Xbox 360, PC, mobile | Open-world action | Rockstar’s school-set sandbox with genuine charm and wit | 8.7/10 |
| Saints Row 2 | PS3, Xbox 360, PC | Open-world action | The closest any rival came to San Andreas-era GTA energy | 8.3/10 |
| Sleeping Dogs | PS3, Xbox 360, PC | Open-world action | Martial-arts combat and a dense, atmospheric Hong Kong | 8.4/10 |
| Mafia: Definitive Edition | PS4, Xbox One, PC | Open-world crime | A full remake with excellent period detail and pacing | 8.0/10 |
How to enter a cheat code on GTA San Andreas
On PC, you type the code while the game is running. There is no input box — the game listens for the letter sequence in the background, so you simply type HESOYAM and a confirmation message appears immediately. Codes are not case sensitive and do not require Enter. If nothing happens, click into the game window first so it has keyboard focus, and make sure you are in normal gameplay rather than a cutscene or menu.
On PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Xbox and Xbox 360 there is no keyboard, so Rockstar mapped every cheat to a controller combination. The health, armour and money cheat on PS2 is R1, R2, L1, X, Left, Down, Right, Up, Left, Down, Right, Up. The jetpack is L1, L2, R1, R2, Up, Down, Left, Right, L1, L2, R1, R2, Up, Down, Left, Right. These have to be entered quickly and in one continuous run, which makes a responsive pad genuinely useful — a retro gaming controller buying guide is worth a look if your original pads have aged badly.
The most useful cheat codes on GTA San Andreas
Survival and resources. HESOYAM restores health and armour and adds $250,000. BAGUVIX grants infinite health, though it will not protect you from drowning or explosions. FULLCLIP gives infinite ammunition with no reloading. AIYPWZQP puts a parachute in your inventory instantly. CVWKXAM grants infinite lung capacity underwater, which makes several missions dramatically easier.
Weapons. LXGIWYL provides weapon set one, PROFESSIONALSKIT gives set two, and UZUMYMW gives set three, the heaviest loadout. OUIQDMW lets you aim freely while driving, which is one of the few cheats that genuinely improves the moment-to-moment feel of the game.
Police. ASNAEB clears your current wanted level. AEZAKMI makes you permanently unwanted until you turn it off. LJSPQK instantly sets a six-star wanted level if you want the chaos.
Vehicle and traversal cheat codes on GTA San Andreas
ROCKETMAN spawns a jetpack, still the fastest way to cross the map and one of the most beloved cheats in any Rockstar game. AIWPRTON spawns a Rhino tank, JUMPJET spawns a Hydra jet, OHDUDE spawns a Hunter attack helicopter, and KGGGDKP spawns a Vortex hovercraft that travels over land and water alike.
For handling, STICKLIKEGLUE gives tighter suspension and vastly better cornering, CHITTYCHITTYBANGBANG makes cars fly, and FLYINGFISH does the same for boats. SPEEDITUP and SLOWITDOWN adjust the game’s overall speed, while KANGAROO gives CJ an enormous vertical jump. Playing at higher speeds on modern displays exposes frame pacing issues in the older builds, which is one reason a gaming monitor buying guide is relevant even for a 2004 game.
Character, weather and world cheats
BUFFMEUP maxes CJ’s muscle, BTCDBCB makes him obese, KVGYZQK makes him skinny, and NATURALTALENT maxes every vehicle skill stat at once — that last one saves hours of grinding driving schools. WORSHIPME maxes respect and HELLOLADIES maxes sex appeal.
Weather codes include ICIKPYH for very sunny, ALNSFMZO for overcast, AUIFRVQS for rain, CFVFGMJ for fog and OFVIAC for a sandstorm. World-changing cheats include STATEOFEMERGENCY for rioting pedestrians, NINJATOWN for a katana-wielding population, BLUESUEDESHOES to turn everyone into Elvis, and CPKTNWT to detonate every nearby vehicle at once. None of these are subtle, and all of them are best saved for after the story.
Warnings before you use any cheat code on GTA San Andreas
This is the part most lists skip. Several San Andreas cheats cannot be switched off once activated in the original release — the pedestrian and traffic cheats in particular persist for the rest of that session, and some carry into saves made afterwards. The safe rule is never to save your game while a world-altering cheat is active.
Some cheats also break missions outright. Flying-car and jetpack cheats can desynchronise scripted sequences, and the infamous Supply Lines mission is notoriously fragile. Spawning tanks during timed missions frequently causes objectives to fail silently. Keep a separate save slot for cheat experiments and a clean one for story progress. Long sessions on old hardware or emulators mean a lot of loading, so an SSD buying guide is more useful here than you would expect.
Cheats in the Definitive Edition and mobile versions
The Definitive Edition remaster keeps almost all classic codes intact. Typed codes still work on PC, and console versions use the traditional button strings. One important difference: activating cheats in the Definitive Edition disables achievements and trophies for that session, so complete anything you want credited before you start playing with codes.
On Android and iOS there is no built-in method for entering typed codes, because the game has no keyboard listener exposed. Players either connect a Bluetooth keyboard or rely on third-party cheat menus, and the latter can corrupt saves. If you play on a phone or handheld regularly, a mobile gaming controller buying guide covers clamp-style pads that make San Andreas far more playable than touch controls ever will.
Should you use cheats at all in San Andreas?
There is a real argument for a first playthrough without them. San Andreas is built around escalating difficulty and stat progression — muscle, stamina, driving skill, weapon skill — and cheats short-circuit the entire system. The gym and shooting range sequences that feel tedious with cheats are actually the game’s progression loop.
Where cheats shine is a second run. Once the story is finished, jetpacks, tanks and infinite ammo turn San Andreas into a genuine sandbox, and that is arguably the game’s best mode. Recording those runs for a highlight reel is easy with modern tools, and a streaming microphone buying guide covers the audio side that most new creators get wrong. For comfort during marathon sessions, a decent gaming headset buying guide is a better investment than another peripheral upgrade.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best cheat code on GTA San Andreas?
HESOYAM is the most useful single code because it fully restores health and armour, repairs the vehicle you are sitting in, and adds $250,000 all at once. Players typically use it to recover mid-mission or to fund weapons and property purchases early in the story without grinding.
Do San Andreas cheats permanently damage your save file?
Some can. World-altering cheats such as rioting pedestrians or the traffic modifiers cannot always be reversed within the same session, and saving while they are active carries the effect forward. Always keep a clean save slot separate from any save made after experimenting with cheats.
Do cheats disable trophies in the Definitive Edition?
Yes. In the Definitive Edition, activating any cheat disables achievements and trophies for that play session as an intentional design choice. Restarting the game restores achievement eligibility, but anything you earned while a cheat was active will not be credited to your account.
Can I enter a cheat code on GTA San Andreas mobile?
Not natively. The Android and iOS releases have no built-in cheat entry method, so players generally connect a physical Bluetooth keyboard and type the codes as they would on PC. Third-party cheat menu apps exist but frequently corrupt save files and are not recommended.
