Gameshark Cheat Code Compendium Goes Live On Kickstarter

If you grew up playing video games at any time from the late 80s to the early 2000s, then you remember hacking devices like Gameshark, Game Genie and Action Replay….third-party discs or plug-in gizmos that overwrote areas of a game’s code to allow for things the developers never intended. Cheats like infinite lives, invulnerability, and taking out enemies in one hit were now possible — and in the NES era when games were extremely tough, there was definitely a demand. Nintendo wasn’t pleased, and tried to sue to stop the Game Genie from existing, but they were unsuccessful and cheat devices became common in stores wherever games were sold. Cheat devices pretty much died around the PS3 / 360 generation. What killed them? Several things…for one, the level of complexity in your average game had eclipsed the convenient ability to hack it with just one or two codes. Second, game console makers got better at detecting and rejecting such devices. Third and most importantly, it was the era when online gaming took over, and cheating simply could not be allowed under those circumstances — it had to be fair. Todd Hays, one of the men involved in the creation of […]
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Oh wow, Todd Hays is the real deal. Didn’t know one of the GameShark guys was behind this. That alone makes me trust it more than some random fan book. I had every version of GameShark from PS1 to PS2 and ruined so many games in the best way. The vault with every code ever is calling my name. $99 hurts the wallet but I’m doing it. This is for the real ones who remember.

Reading this made me smile. My brother and I used to stay up late entering codes on Game Boy Color just to see what would happen. Sometimes the game would crash, sometimes you’d get god mode. Pure fun. This book seems to capture that feeling perfectly. Full color, collector edition, bonus content… yeah I’m sold. Snagged the early bird already. Can’t wait to have it on my table. Retro gaming needs more love like this.

I remember spending hours with my SNES Gameshark trying to get infinite lives in Super Mario World. That feeling when a code actually worked never got old. Seeing a hardcover book that collects all of that feels like a real nostalgia hit. I like that it’s not just codes but also stories from the people who made them. It’s interesting to think about how something as small as a little device could change how we played completely. The digital expansion sounds cool too—I’d love to unlock extra content online, especially for games I played as a kid but never beat. Honestly, $49 for an early copy feels fair if it’s packed with hundreds of games. I’m curious if it includes lesser-known cheat codes that were really tricky to figure out back then. This is definitely the kind of thing a retro gamer would want to have on their shelf, especially if you’re the type who likes to remember how gaming used to be before everything went online.

I never actually used a Game Genie or Gameshark back in the day, but I remember my friends talking about them nonstop. They made the hardest games manageable, and sometimes it was just fun to experiment with glitches. Reading that this book has behind-the-scenes stories makes me think it will feel more like a history of gaming rather than just a manual of cheats. I’m a little hesitant about spending $99 for the Code Vault, but the idea of having every cheat ever made sounds kind of tempting. Honestly, even the hardcover alone seems worth it if it’s well-printed. I like that they included consoles from multiple generations; it’s nice to see stuff beyond the SNES and Genesis. It feels like a real collector’s piece. I’m curious if they’ll show old ads or packaging too—that was always part of the charm. Overall, it’s a neat way to remember what gaming felt like before everything became so polished.

Honestly didn’t expect a whole book about cheat codes to get crowdfunded in 2026. Shows how many people still care about that era. I used CodeBreaker on Dreamcast mostly, made Shenmue do crazy things. The premium hardcover idea is nice, it’ll look good on the shelf next to strategy guides. $49 early bird is tempting. I think I’m gonna jump on it before the price goes up. Feels like a piece of gaming history.