How to identify your GTA version before using cheats

In brief: Before entering a GTA cheat, check three things in order: the exact game, the platform and generation it's running on, and the edition, such as original, port, Definitive, Enhanced or Legacy. Each combination can use a different input method. Read the full title in your console library or launcher, look for a "PS4" label on PS5, and on PC check whether you're running GTA V Enhanced or Legacy. Then open the cheat sheet for that version.

When a cheat "doesn't work", the code is often fine. It's just being entered in a different version from the one the list was written for. GTA cheats use several input systems: typed words on PC, button sequences on consoles and handhelds, phone numbers in GTA IV and GTA V, and name-entry codes in the early games. Remasters and ports can also change inputs or drop cheats altogether. When the Definitive Edition launched, Game Informer reported that Rockstar had removed "a couple of cheats" for technical reasons. Checking your version first saves time and protects your save.

Step 1: Identify the exact game

Start with the full product name, not the city. "Vice City" could mean Vice City or Vice City Stories. "San Andreas" could mean the 2004 game or the version inside The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition. "GTA IV" could be the base game, The Lost and Damned, The Ballad of Gay Tony or the PC Complete Edition that includes all three.

NextPlayIntel original diagram · Not a gameplay screenshot

Where to look:

• Console library or launcher title. Official names include "The Definitive Edition", "Enhanced", "Legacy" and "The Complete Edition".

• Title screen. The Definitive Edition and each GTA IV episode show their own logos.

• Box or manual. For disc and cartridge versions, the edition and platform are printed on the cover.

Step 2: Identify the platform and generation

• PS5 — How to check: Game Library → highlight the game → [...] options. PlayStation says PS4 versions show "PS4" beside the title.; Why it matters for cheats: A PS4 version on PS5 is still the PS4 edition. Follow lists labelled for that edition.

• PS4 — How to check: The product name in your library; Why it matters for cheats: PS4 can have GTA V, the Definitive Edition or PS2-on-PS4 classics. Each needs its own list.

• Xbox Series X|S / Xbox One — How to check: My games & apps → the product name. Store pages show "Optimised for Xbox Series X|S" for current-generation versions.; Why it matters for cheats: Xbox controller labels differ from PlayStation and Nintendo labels.

• PC — How to check: Steam lists "Grand Theft Auto V Enhanced" and "Grand Theft Auto V Legacy" as separate products. Rockstar's launcher shows "GTAV Legacy" for the old version.; Why it matters for cheats: Legacy and Enhanced are separate versions. Check what your list covers.

• Nintendo Switch — How to check: Switch has the Definitive Edition, not the original 2000s releases; Why it matters for cheats: Nintendo button positions differ from Xbox even where the letters match.

• Mobile — How to check: The app name and publisher. Original ports and Definitive Edition apps are separate products.; Why it matters for cheats: Entry methods differ, and some rely on keyboards or extra software.

• PSP / DS / older consoles — How to check: Label on the UMD, cartridge or disc; Why it matters for cheats: Handheld GTA games have their own button lists.

NextPlayIntel original diagram · Not a gameplay screenshot

Don't convert a list by matching button letters. Our San Andreas cheat guide points out that the Switch's B button is in a different position from Xbox's B, so a copied sequence can fail even though the letters look right.

Step 3: Identify the edition and input method

• Original PC releases: typed words, usually entered during play, as in the San Andreas list.

• Console originals and remasters: button sequences entered during play. The Definitive Edition sheet has separate columns because the mappings aren't interchangeable.

• GTA IV and its episodes: numbers dialled on the in-game phone.

• GTA V: button sequences on console, in-game phone numbers, and on PC a command window. GamesRadar says the console opens with the tilde (~) key.

• Early overhead games: codes entered as a player name in some versions. Our sheets for GTA (1997), London and GTA 2 give the method for each version.

• GTA Online: no story-style cheat system. Ignore any "GTA Online cheat code" promising money.

• GTA VI: not released yet, and no reliable cheat list exists. Our GTA VI cheat status page will only list confirmed inputs.

Find your cheat sheet

Each game has a filterable cheat sheet. Most also have a longer guide explaining limits and side effects.

• Grand Theft Auto (1997) — Cheat sheet: GTA 1 cheat sheet; Cheat guide: GTA 1 cheats guide

• GTA London 1969 — Cheat sheet: London 1969 sheet; Cheat guide: London 1969 cheats guide

• GTA London 1961 — Cheat sheet: London 1961 status; Cheat guide: London 1961 version limits

• GTA 2 — Cheat sheet: GTA 2 sheet; Cheat guide: GTA 2 cheats guide

• GTA III (original) — Cheat sheet: GTA III sheet; Cheat guide: GTA III cheats guide

• GTA Vice City (original) — Cheat sheet: Vice City sheet; Cheat guide: Vice City cheats guide

• GTA San Andreas (original and ports) — Cheat sheet: San Andreas sheet; Cheat guide: San Andreas cheats guide

• GTA Advance — Cheat sheet: GTA Advance sheet; Cheat guide: GTA Advance cheat mode guide

• Liberty City Stories — Cheat sheet: LCS sheet; Cheat guide: LCS cheats guide

• Vice City Stories — Cheat sheet: VCS sheet; Cheat guide: VCS cheats guide

• GTA IV — Cheat sheet: GTA IV sheet; Cheat guide: GTA IV phone cheats guide

• The Lost and Damned — Cheat sheet: TLAD sheet; Cheat guide: TLAD cheats guide

• Chinatown Wars — Cheat sheet: Chinatown Wars sheet; Cheat guide: Chinatown Wars cheats guide

• The Ballad of Gay Tony — Cheat sheet: TBoGT sheet; Cheat guide: TBoGT cheats guide

• Episodes from Liberty City — Cheat sheet: Episodes sheet; Cheat guide: Use the TLAD and TBoGT guides

• GTA V — Cheat sheet: GTA V sheet; Cheat guide: GTA V cheats guide

• GTA Online — Cheat sheet: GTA Online status; Cheat guide: —

• The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition — Cheat sheet: Definitive Edition sheet; Cheat guide: Definitive Edition cheats guide

• GTA VI — Cheat sheet: GTA VI status; Cheat guide: —

You can also start from the cheat sheets hub or check a game and device pair in the platform and edition checker.

Before you enter any code

1. Make a separate save. Some cheats change the game world in ways that typing the code again won't undo. Our guides point out effects that can interfere with missions.

2. Expect trophies and achievements to be affected. GamesRadar reports that GTA V cheats disable trophies and achievements, and recommends a separate save. Game Informer warns that Definitive Edition cheats "lock certain trophies/achievements". The exact rules differ by game, so read any warning the game shows when you enter a code.

3. Enter the code during play, not in a menu, unless the sheet says otherwise. Enter it steadily, and check the shoulder buttons and triggers.

4. If it fails, check your version before trying again. Compare the full title, platform and edition with the sheet's label. Our sheets only list PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo and mobile inputs for the editions they name.

How we verified this

On 27 October 2026 we checked how each platform identifies versions against PlayStation's support article on switching between PS4 and PS5 versions, Steam's separate GTA V Enhanced and Legacy listings, Rockstar's March 2025 PC announcement, and Xbox store labels. Notes on inputs and trophies come from Game Informer, GamesRadar and our existing cheat references, which list their own sources. NextPlayIntel hasn't tested every code on every edition. The steps in this article are for identifying your version, not for confirming that any particular code works. This article was drafted with AI assistance and fact-checked against the sources below. To report an error, use our corrections policy.