Crossing the frontier in Red Dead Redemption 2 is a grueling test of endurance, management, and morality. Sometimes, the slow burn of the Wild West needs a little acceleration. Whether you are looking to create pure chaos in Saint Denis or simply want a fast horse without the grind, the built-in cheat system offers a traditional Rockstar-style escape.

Before entering any phrase, it is vital to understand the trade-off. Activating a cheat code in this game is a permanent toggle for your current session that disables the ability to save your progress manually and prevents the unlocking of any trophies or achievements. The common practice is to create a separate manual save file before experimenting, ensuring your primary journey remains untainted.

How to Enter Cheats in Red Dead Redemption 2

The interface for cheating is hidden within the game’s settings. Accessing it is straightforward but requires precise input.

  1. Pause the game and navigate to the Settings menu.
  2. On your controller or keyboard, press the designated button for Cheats (Triangle on PlayStation, Y on Xbox, or Shift on PC).
  3. You will be presented with a list of locked cheats. Press the button for Enter Cheat to bring up the text box.
  4. Type the phrases exactly as they are listed. While capitalization is not required, punctuation must be included for the code to validate.
  5. Once a code is successfully entered, a notification will appear, and you can toggle it on or off from the menu.

The Survival and Core Enhancement Codes

These codes focus on Arthur’s physical capabilities. In a game where managing your cores is constant, these phrases offer a way to bypass the hunger and fatigue mechanics.

  • You flourish before you die: This phrase instantly refills your health, stamina, and Dead Eye meters. It is the most practical code for surviving a massive lawman ambush when you are out of tonics.
  • Seek all the bounty of this place: Unlike the refill code, this permanently increases the maximum levels of your health, stamina, and Dead Eye meters. It is a shortcut to reaching peak physical performance without completing every challenge.
  • The lucky be strong evermore: This provides infinite stamina for Arthur. Note that this code is locked behind a newspaper purchase after completing Chapter 5. It allows for endless sprinting and swimming, which is particularly useful for exploring the rugged terrain of New Austin.
  • Be greedy only for foresight: Provides infinite Dead Eye. This turns the game into a pure shooter, allowing you to stay in slow-motion indefinitely. It does not require a newspaper, making it available from the start of the game.
  • You seek more than the world offers: This code refills all meters and fortifies your cores. It is essentially a "God Mode" light, ensuring you are at maximum efficiency for a long duration. This requires the newspaper unlocked after "The King's Son" in Chapter 6.

Weaponry and Ammunition Overhauls

The weapon progression in Red Dead Redemption 2 is tied to story milestones and gunsmith visits. These cheat codes bypass the lock and give you high-tier firepower immediately.

  • Abundance is the dullest desire: Provides infinite ammunition for all weapons in your inventory. This is the ultimate chaos code. It requires the newspaper available after Chapter 1.
  • A simple life, a beautiful death: Instantly grants a set of basic weapons. This usually includes the cattleman revolver and some early-game rifles, perfect for a fresh start without visiting a store.
  • Greed is American virtue: This grants a set of heavy weapons, including high-powered shotguns and rifles. You must purchase a newspaper after the mission "Advertising, the New American Art" in Chapter 3 to use this.
  • Death is silence: Provides a set of stealth weapons. This is excellent for players who want to clear camps using throwing knives, tomahawks, and bows without being detected.
  • History is written by fools: Instantly unlocks all weapons featured in the Gunslinger side missions. If you don't want to hunt down the legendary outlaws to collect their unique revolvers, this code puts them in your satchel.

Horse and Vehicle Spawning Codes

Transportation is the backbone of the RDR2 experience. While bonding with a horse is a core mechanic, sometimes you just need a fast ride or a specific vehicle for a roleplay scenario.

  • You want more than you have: Spawns a Superior Horse. This is almost always a high-tier Rose Grey Bay Arabian, one of the fastest and most responsive horses in the game.
  • You are a beast built for war: Spawns a War Horse. These horses have high health and are less likely to buck you during a gunfight or when predators are nearby. Requires the newspaper after the Epilogue.
  • Run! Run! Run!: Spawns a dedicated race horse. If speed is your only concern, this is the code to use.
  • You want something new: Spawns a completely random horse. This can be anything from a common Morgan to a rare mustang. It’s a gamble every time you use it.
  • The best of the old ways: Spawns a stagecoach. Useful if you want to travel with a group or simply enjoy the aesthetic of the high-end transport.
  • Keep your dreams simple: Spawns a basic wagon with a single horse.
  • Would you be happier as a clown?: Spawns a Circus Wagon. This is one of the more eccentric codes in the game and requires the newspaper available after the Epilogue.
  • My kingdom is a horse: Instantly increases your horse bonding level for your current mount. This unlocks advanced maneuvers like the skid turn and dressage.
  • Better than my dog: Allows you to call your horse from any distance. No longer will you be stranded in the mountains while your horse is at the base; a whistle will bring them to you instantly.

World, Law, and Honor Manipulation

These codes allow you to play God with the game’s systems, such as the fog of war on the map or the social standing of Arthur.

  • You long for sight and see nothing: Removes the fog of war from the entire map. This reveals all towns, paths, and points of interest immediately. Requires the newspaper after "Blood Feuds, Ancient and Modern" in Chapter 3.
  • Virtue unearned is not virtue: Instantly raises your Honor to the maximum level. This is helpful if you want store discounts and the hero's dialogue without spending hours greeting NPCs in Saint Denis. Requires the Chapter 4 newspaper after "Urban Pleasures."
  • You revel in your disgrace, i see: Drops your Honor to the absolute minimum. Ideal for players who want to experience the darker dialogue options and more aggressive law responses.
  • Balance. All is balance: Resets your Honor to a neutral state.
  • You want freedom: Drops your current wanted level and clears your bounties. This is a life-saver when you accidentally start a shootout in a town and want to walk away without paying the fine.
  • You want punishment: Increases your current wanted level. Use this if you are looking for a fight and want the law to hunt you down with increasing intensity.
  • You want everyone to go away: Removes your notoriety and all bounties worldwide. Unlike the "freedom" code, this is more of a global reset for your criminal status.
  • Greed is now a virtue: Grants Arthur $500. This code can be entered repeatedly to stack wealth, allowing you to fully upgrade the camp or buy every item in the catalog early in the game.
  • Vanity. All is vanity: Instantly unlocks all in-game outfits in your wardrobe. This includes outfits that are usually locked behind high honor or specific trapper requirements.
  • Eat of knowledge: Teaches Arthur every crafting recipe in the game. You will still need the ingredients, but you won't need to find the specific pamphlets at fences or in the world.
  • Share: Unlocks every camp upgrade available at Ledger. This includes the fast travel map and improved medical supplies.

The Dead Eye Leveling System

For those who want specific control over the Dead Eye mechanic rather than just infinite use, there are five individual codes for each level of the skill. These do not require newspapers.

  1. Guide me better: Level 1 - Auto-paints targets in your crosshairs.
  2. Make me better: Level 2 - Allows you to manually mark targets with the shoulder button.
  3. I shall be better: Level 3 - Allows you to stay in Dead Eye after firing, as long as you have meter.
  4. I still seek more: Level 4 - Highlights fatal areas like the head and heart.
  5. I seek and i find: Level 5 - Highlights critical areas like lungs and stomach for extra damage.

Important: The Newspaper Unlock Requirement

A common frustration is entering a correct phrase and receiving a "Requirements Not Met" error. This is because Rockstar tied about half of the cheats to the physical ownership of newspapers within the game world.

In the late 1890s and early 1900s setting of the game, news is your gateway to these secrets. You must go to a newspaper seller in Valentine, Saint Denis, or Blackwater and buy the latest edition of the New Hanover Gazette, Saint Denis Times, or Blackwater Ledger.

You must have the newspaper in your satchel at the time of entering the code. If you have already progressed to the Epilogue, you may need to visit multiple towns to find the specific back-issues that contain the phrases you missed during earlier chapters.

Why Use Cheats in 2026?

As Red Dead Redemption 2 matures into a classic of the open-world genre, the way people play it has shifted. Many are on their third or fourth playthrough and are less interested in the survival grind and more interested in the cinematic possibilities. Using the "Infinite Dead Eye" or "Unlock All Outfits" codes allows for high-quality virtual photography and a more relaxed exploration of the incredibly detailed world.

Furthermore, for those who find the movement speed or the weight of the combat slightly too methodical, codes like "Infinite Stamina" or the high-level Dead Eye cheats can make the game feel more like a traditional action title.

Conclusion and Final Warnings

Cheating in the Wild West is a double-edged sword. It provides immediate gratification—be it $500 or a Circus Wagon—but it fundamentally alters the stakes of the story. Because you cannot save your game, cheats are best used for "rampage sessions." Go into a town, trigger your infinite ammo and health, see how long you can last, and then quit the game to return to your legitimate save file.

If you are planning to use cheats to speed through a specific mission you find difficult, remember that you will have to finish that mission and then continue playing without being able to save. If the game crashes, you will lose all progress made since the last legitimate save before the cheat was activated.

Always double-check your spelling and punctuation. The phrase "Abundance is the dullest desire" will fail if you miss the space or a letter. The frontier is unforgiving, even to those who try to bend its rules. Use these phrases wisely, and you might just find a whole new way to experience the tragedy of the Van der Linde gang.