FAQ

What is Cheat Engine?

Cheat Engine is a tool that helps you figure out how a game or application works and make modifications to it. It has extensive scripting support, so you can create many kinds of modifications. See the About page for more.

How do I install Cheat Engine?

Click the download button on the downloads page, run the installer, and follow the steps. When it finishes, you can use Cheat Engine. For step-by-step learning, see our Tutorials. If you have trouble, see our Guides and FAQ.

How do I uninstall Cheat Engine?

Use the uninstall option in the Start Menu, or go to Windows Settings → Apps → Apps & features and remove Cheat Engine from there.

Is there a Mac version?

Yes. There is a Mac version; it may still have bugs, so report issues you find.

Will Cheat Engine work on online games?

Most of the time, no. The developer (Dark Byte) will not help with online games. If you e-mail asking how to cheat in an online game, he will not reply or may reply in a way that makes that clear. Do not use Cheat Engine for online games.

I edited money in an online game and it showed on screen, but after buying something it reverted.

You only changed the display value. The server holds the real balance. Same idea: if you use speedhack on a web game to get more resources, after logout everything will be as before — the server never saw your local changes.

Can I use Cheat Engine to hack, crack, or unprotect other programs?

No. You may only use Cheat Engine for legal activities. If a game’s license says not to disassemble it, do not use Cheat Engine’s disassembler for that (unless you are in a jurisdiction like parts of Europe where law gives you the right to reverse engineer for personal use).

Can I use Cheat Engine to get things I normally have to pay for?

No. That would violate the agreement you accept when installing Cheat Engine, and you would have to uninstall.

Do I have to pay for Cheat Engine?

No. Cheat Engine is free.

Can I have the source code?

Yes. Get it from the downloads page. You may not publish your own version of “Cheat Engine” online; the source is for education and private use. You are free to use and compile it privately.

Why give source if it’s not open source?

To teach programming and to be transparent about what the program does.

My antivirus says Cheat Engine contains a virus!

Cheat Engine can manipulate any running program (including admin apps) and run scripts from cheat tables. Antivirus software often classifies it as a “hacktool” without analyzing the scripting language. As long as you download Cheat Engine from a trusted source and only use .CT files from trusted sources (you can open .CT files in a text editor — they’re XML), you should be fine. Many users add an exception or temporarily disable AV for install. Download only from our downloads page.

When will the next version come out?

Someday. There is no fixed schedule.

Will the next version be undetected by anti-cheat?

Most likely not. Cheat Engine is not intended for bypassing anti-cheat in online games.

Why does the installer connect to the internet?

An advertiser component fetches a list of optional software to offer during install. You can decline. If you accept by mistake, you can remove those programs from Windows. After that, the installer downloads Cheat Engine.

Is Cheat Engine digitally signed?

Yes. It is signed now. It still comes from the same author, so in practice nothing changed except the signature.