![How to Use Cheats in PPSSPP? [2026 Guide + Cheats File]](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/qorvnhsq/production/4c44433bd68d320ab0cf101b72de03e235472190-1672x941.webp?w=1200)
Most people who look up how to use cheats in PPSSPP get stuck in the same place. Not the codes. The folder.
You download a cheat file, drop it somewhere that looks correct, open the Cheats menu, and the list is empty. Nothing is broken. The file is sitting in a folder the emulator is not reading, because PPSSPP does not use the path you assumed it uses.
This guide covers the cheat.db import, manual CWCheat codes for games the database misses, the Android storage problem, and the failures readers actually hit. Verified against PPSSPP 1.20.4, released 16 May 2026.
What PPSSPP cheats actually are
PPSSPP uses CWCheat, the same code format the original PSP homebrew scene used. A CWCheat is a small block of memory addresses and values that get written into the running game every frame. Infinite health is a line telling the emulator to hold one address at one number.
Two things follow from that.
Codes are tied to a specific game release, not a game. Every PSP disc has a game ID like ULUS10289 or ULES00850, and a code written for the US release will do nothing on the European one. When a cheat loads but changes nothing, region mismatch is the first thing to check.
The second thing: cheats live in plain text files you can open and read. There is no hidden system here. Once you know where PPSSPP keeps them, the whole thing stops being mysterious.
The step that breaks setups
Read this before you move any files.
PPSSPP will only read cheats from the Cheats folder inside the memory stick location it is currently configured to use. You cannot point it at a different folder. If you installed with the Windows installer, that location is different from the portable ZIP build. On Android it is a folder you chose on first launch, and most people do not remember choosing it.
So find the real path before you download anything.
Open PPSSPP, go to Settings > System > General, and look at Memory Stick Location. Whatever path is printed there is the one that matters. Your cheats folder is that path plus /PSP/Cheats.
On a standard Windows install that usually resolves to Documents\PPSSPP\PSP\Cheats. On the portable build it resolves to [your PPSSPP folder]\memstick\PSP\Cheats. Both are correct. Only one of them is correct for you.
If the Cheats folder does not exist yet, create it with that exact name.
How to use cheats in PPSSPP with cheat.db
This is the fastest route, and it is the one to try first. The cheat.db file is a community-built database holding CWCheat codes for a large share of the PSP library, and PPSSPP can read from it directly.
1. Get a cheat.db file. It is a single file and the name has to stay exactly cheat.db. Windows hides file extensions by default, so a file saved as cheat.db.txt will look right in Explorer and do nothing in the emulator. Turn extensions on and check.
2. Put it in the Cheats folder you confirmed above. The final path should read .../PSP/Cheats/cheat.db. Nothing else goes in that folder yet.
3. Turn cheats on. In PPSSPP, go to Settings > System and enable Enable Cheats. This is off by default and the Cheats menu will not appear in game without it.
4. Load your game and open the pause menu. On desktop that is the Esc key. On Android it is the back button or the on-screen menu tab. You should now see a Cheats entry that was not there before.
5. Select Import from cheat.db. PPSSPP looks up the loaded game by its game ID, pulls every matching code out of the database, and writes them into a .ini file for that game. You should see a confirmation naming how many cheats were imported.
6. Tick the cheats you want and return to the game. They apply live. If a code has no effect, back out and untick it rather than leaving it running, because a bad address can corrupt a save.
If the import returns zero cheats, the database has no entry for your game ID. That is not a broken setup, and the manual method below is the fix.
How to use cheats in PPSSPP on Android
The steps are identical. The storage is not.
Android 11 and later restrict which folders an app can reach, so PPSSPP asks you to pick a memory stick folder the first time you run it. That folder is where your Cheats directory has to go, and it is often not the obvious one at the root of internal storage. Older guides that tell you to use Internal Storage > PSP were written before scoped storage and will send you to the wrong place on a modern phone.
Check Settings > System > General > Memory Stick Location on the device itself. Then use a file manager to navigate to that exact path and create PSP/Cheats if it is missing.
One more Android detail. If you are running the PPSSPP Legacy Edition, which exists for devices older than Android 5.0, it stores files differently from the current build. Confirm the path in the app rather than assuming it matches a guide.
Everything after that, including the cheat.db import and the manual method, works the same on Android as it does on desktop.
Manual CWCheat codes for games the database misses
When cheat.db has nothing for your game, you add codes by hand. This is how to use cheat codes in PPSSPP that you found on a forum or a cheat site.
Load the game, open the pause menu, go to Cheats, and select Edit Cheat File. PPSSPP generates a blank text file named after your game ID, something like ULUS10177.ini, and opens it. That filename is how you identify which file belongs to which game later, which matters once you have twenty of them.
Paste the CWCheat code into that file exactly as you found it, formatting intact, then save and close. CWCheat blocks have a strict shape and reformatting them breaks them.
Back in the emulator, select Reload Cheats. Your code should now appear in the list.
Two habits worth building. Add one code at a time so you know which one caused a crash. And confirm the code was written for your region before you paste it, because a US code in a European game file will load cleanly and do nothing at all.
Cheats not showing up
The four failures that cover almost everything.
The Cheats menu is missing entirely. Enable Cheats is still off in Settings > System, or you are looking at the main menu instead of the in game pause menu. The Cheats entry only appears while a game is loaded.
The menu opens but the list is empty. The file is in the wrong folder. Go back and check Memory Stick Location, then try Reload Cheats. This is the cause maybe eight times out of ten.
Cheats appear but do nothing. Region mismatch. Compare your game ID against the one the code was written for.
The game crashes when a cheat is on. Untick it and restart the game. Some codes were written against a different emulator build and write to addresses that have moved.
Restart PPSSPP fully after adding files. It caches the cheat list and does not always pick up changes mid session.
PPSSPP cheats in RetroArch
If you run PSP games through the PPSSPP libretro core in RetroArch instead of the standalone app, the built in RetroArch cheat browser will show an empty list for that core. The core does not use RetroArch's cheat system. It uses PPSSPP's own CWCheat files, which means the .ini file has to sit in the core's PSP system directory, and codes get toggled through the core's quick menu rather than the standard cheat menu.
Standalone PPSSPP is the less painful option on mobile. Use RetroArch for PSP cheats only if you are already committed to it as a frontend.
Save file safety
Back up your save before you run heavy cheats. Copy the folder under PSP/SAVEDATA for your game somewhere else.
Cheats will not damage your device or your ISO. They can corrupt a save, particularly the ones that unlock everything at once by writing to large blocks of memory. A copied folder costs you ten seconds and covers you.
Which method to use
Try cheat.db first. It covers the common library, the import is two taps, and it writes correctly formatted files for you. Fall back to manual CWCheat entry only when the import comes back empty.
The step that decides whether any of it works is the one people skip: confirming Memory Stick Location before moving files instead of after. Do that first and the rest is mechanical.
FAQ
How do I use cheats in PPSSPP without a cheat.db file? Use Edit Cheat File in the in game Cheats menu to generate a blank .ini for your game, paste a CWCheat code into it, save, then select Reload Cheats.
Why is my Cheats menu empty in PPSSPP? The cheat file is in a folder PPSSPP is not reading. Check Settings > System > General > Memory Stick Location and confirm your file is at that path plus /PSP/Cheats.
How do I use cheat codes in PPSSPP on Android? Same process as desktop, but check Memory Stick Location on the device first. Android scoped storage means the PSP folder is often not at the root of internal storage.
Do PPSSPP cheats work on any PSP game? Only where a code exists for your specific game ID and region. A US code will not work on a European release of the same title.
Is using cheats in PPSSPP safe? For offline PSP games, yes. The risk is save corruption from aggressive codes, not damage to your device. Back up your save folder first.
Do I need a rooted phone to use cheats in PPSSPP? No. Nothing in this process needs root on any Android version.
Version compatibility
Written against PPSSPP 1.20.4 (16 May 2026). Menu labels shift between releases, so if a path here does not match what you see, check the official PPSSPP site and the release notes for your build. The PPSSPP forums are the right place for a game that will not take codes at all.
Now that you know how to use cheats in PPSSPP, the next question is which codes are worth running for the game in front of you. That varies more than the setup does. Our Ace Combat X cheats walkthrough works through the process on a single title, and the rest of the emulator guides cover the settings side.