All RDR2 Cheat Codes & How to Enter Them

Every Red Dead Redemption 2 cheat code is listed below, organized by whether it requires a specific newspaper or works right away. To activate any cheat: pause the game → Settings → press Triangle (PS4/PS5) or Y (Xbox) to open the Cheats menu → press the same button again to bring up the keyboard → type the phrase exactly as written. Once entered, the cheat unlocks permanently and can be toggled on or off at any time — no re-entering required.

One hard rule before you start: activating any cheat disables manual saving and blocks all single-player Trophy and Achievement progress for that session. If trophies still matter to you, finish that playthrough first.

Quick Reference: All RDR2 Cheat Codes

The table below covers every cheat in the game. “No requirement” means you can enter it from Chapter 1, Day 1. Newspaper-gated cheats are flagged with their exact unlock condition — those details are broken out further in the section below.

How to Activate Cheats in Red Dead Redemption 2

The process is the same on PlayStation and Xbox — only the button differs.

1. While in-game, press Options (PS4/PS5) or Menu (Xbox) to pause.
2. Scroll down to Settings and enter it.
3. Press Triangle (PlayStation) or Y (Xbox). The Cheats screen opens.
4. Press Triangle / Y again to bring up the on-screen keyboard.
5. Type the cheat phrase exactly — capitalization and punctuation matter. “Ballance. All is balance” uses a double-L; enter it wrong and nothing happens.
6. Confirm. The cheat appears in your list and is permanently unlocked — you never have to type it again.

From that point on, any unlocked cheat can be toggled on or off directly from the Cheats menu without re-entering the text. That toggle behavior is worth keeping in mind: cheats like Infinite Stamina or Infinite Dead Eye stay active across fast travel and missions until you manually switch them off.

On PC, the process is identical — pause, Settings, then press the key bound to “enter cheat” (default ~ or as shown in the menu prompt). The keyboard input works the same way.

One common point of confusion: the game won’t warn you if you type a phrase that requires a newspaper you haven’t bought yet. The code will simply not register. If an entry doesn’t unlock after typing it correctly, check the newspaper requirement column above before assuming you made a typo.

Newspaper-Gated Cheats & Where to Find Them

Eight cheats in RDR2 are locked behind specific issues of The Saint Denis Times. You buy the paper, it logs to your collection, and the associated cheat phrase becomes enterable. You don’t need to keep the newspaper — owning it once is enough.

The Saint Denis Times vendor stands near the train station in Saint Denis. New issues become available as you progress through the story, so you can’t rush-buy all of them in Chapter 1. Here’s the full breakdown by issue:

A practical note: Infinite Ammo (issue #43) is available earliest — after the very first chapter — and is arguably the most useful cheat in the entire list for anyone running combat-heavy sessions. Grab it the moment you reach Saint Denis for the first time. The Fortify bars cheat from issue #52 is worth picking up in late Chapter 6 if you want to stress-test fights without the constant stat management.

The two Epilogue-locked cheats (War Horse, Circus Wagon) are mostly novelty items at that point in the game, but collectors will want them for a complete unlock list.

What Happens When You Cheat

This section matters more than most cheat guides acknowledge, so it’s worth being specific about the actual consequences rather than just listing them.

Saving is disabled for the entire session. The moment you activate a cheat — even just toggling one on and immediately back off — the game blocks manual saves and autosaves until you reload a previous save. This means if you cheat mid-playthrough, progress from that session is gone when you quit. The intended use is clearly a fresh sandbox session or a post-credits playthrough where you no longer care about advancement.

Trophies and Achievements are locked out. Any Trophy or Achievement that would have triggered during a cheats-enabled session simply won’t fire. This applies even to achievements with no obvious connection to the cheats you’re using — the game flags the whole session, not individual actions.

Online is completely separate. RDR2 cheats are strictly a single-player feature. None of the codes carry over to Red Dead Online, and attempting to use them there isn’t possible through the normal cheat menu.

What doesn’t happen: your save file isn’t corrupted, your existing unlocks aren’t wiped, and the cheats themselves stay permanently available once entered. The restriction is session-based, not permanent. Load a clean save, don’t toggle any cheats, and everything works normally again.

The practical upshot: keep a dedicated “chaos” save file separate from your main playthrough if you want to experiment freely without any risk to your progress.

FAQ: RDR2 Cheats

Do RDR2 cheat codes work on PC?

Yes — the same phrases work on PC. Access the Cheats menu through Settings while paused, then use the keyboard prompt shown on screen. All 37 cheats function identically across PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.

Can I save after using cheats if I turn them off?

No. Once a cheat has been activated in a session — even briefly — saving is disabled for the remainder of that session. Turning the cheat back off doesn’t restore save functionality. You need to quit to the main menu and reload a save to get normal saving back.

Do I need to buy every issue of the Saint Denis Times?

Only the eight issues listed in the table above affect cheat access. The other six issues (#44, #45, #50, #51, and so on) don’t unlock any cheats. Buy those eight when they become available and you’ll have access to every cheat in the game.

The cheat phrase isn’t working — what am I doing wrong?

Three common causes: the phrase requires a newspaper you haven’t purchased yet; there’s a typo or punctuation error (including the double-L in “Ballance”); or you’re trying to enter it in Red Dead Online instead of story mode. Copy the phrase from the table above character-by-character if you’re stuck.

Does “You long for sight and see nothing” reveal the full map permanently?

Yes — once you use the Fog of War cheat (requires Saint Denis Times #47), the full map stays revealed even after that cheat is toggled off. It’s a one-time permanent unlock rather than a toggle, which makes it one of the more useful cheats even in a normal playthrough — though of course activating it blocks saves for that session.

Are there infinite health cheats in RDR2?

There’s no true “god mode” or infinite health cheat. The closest options are You flourish before you die (fully refills all three bars on demand) and You seek more than the world offers (fortifies the bars, making them drain significantly slower). Stacking both gives you a very durable Arthur, but it’s not outright invincibility.