Learn the basics of cheating your 3DS games with our definitive tutorial on how to use cheats on Citra!
Featured Videos
As the leading emulator for the Nintendo 3DS platform, Citra is a classic software program that allows us to play some of our favorite Pokemon games, specifically those from the sixth and seventh generations.
Regardless if it’s your first time playing Pokemon games from the Nintendo 3DS or not, you might be wondering how you can use cheats to make your experience more exciting.
So, since we always find ways to help our Pokemoncoders community, we prepared a guide for you guys!
The process of activating cheats using the Citra emulator may slightly vary across PC and Android, so we provided a couple of sections for players who use any of the two platforms.
Table of Contents
How to Use Cheats on Citra 3DS Emulator (For Android)
If you want to use Citra cheats using Android, we highly recommend downloading Citra MMJ, an unofficial version of the Citra emulator specially designed for Android:
While Citra’s official site also offers an Android port, Citra MMJ is known to be more stable, and it has more built-in features than its vanilla counterpart.
Here’s how you can use cheats with Citra MMJ:
Step 1: Open Your Game
Find your game from Citra’s game library.
Step 2: Select the Home Button
The location of Citra MMJ’s home button depends on the orientation of your device.
If you’re using Citra in portrait mode, the home button will be on the lower right corner of the screen. On the other hand, if you’re playing in landscape mode, the home button will be on the top right.
Step 3: Head Over to Cheat Code
The home symbol will direct you to a list of options, including the section for using cheats.
Step 4: Add a Cheat
To add a cheat, select Edit Cheat.
You can get cheats from various sources online, such as here at Pokemoncoders, but make sure that the cheats list you have is compatible with your chosen game.
Once you already have a cheats list, look for a cheat you want to use. We’re going with this Max Money cheat for Pokemon Sun as an example.
Copy the entire cheat code together with the name, and paste it as plain text on the cheats list on Citra’s Edit Cheat section. Be sure to paste it as plain text so Citra can properly read the code.
Upon pasting the code, press done and select Cheat List. You can add as many cheats as you want as long as you copy and paste them properly on the Edit Cheat section.
Step 5: Enable the Cheat
In the Cheat List section, you can now enable the cheats you added by checking their boxes on the right side of the screen.
Step 6: Check if the Cheat Worked and Enjoy!
As you can see in the screenshot above, the Max Money cheat worked. Feel free to repeat the process for other cheats.
Take note that some cheats for the 3DS may require additional instructions like pressing particular buttons in order for them to take effect.
How to Use Cheats on Citra 3DS Emulator (For PC)
Older versions of the Citra 3DS emulator used to have its cheats option under the emulation tab, but it’s not the same case anymore with the newer versions.
Nevertheless, you can still cheat Pokemon games on Citra with this method:
Step 1: Click on Emulation and Select Configure
You can now access most of Citra’s settings through the Configure options.
Step 2: Go to System and Enable 3GX Plugin Loader
Check the box that enables 3GX Plugin Loader and hit OK. This option is crucial for activating cheats for 3DS games.
Step 3: Open Your Game
Initiate your game from your Citra’s game library. This will enable you to access the Configure Current Game options.
Step 4: Under Configure Current Game, Go to the Cheats Tab
The Cheats Tab will grant you access to the settings where you can manage your cheats for your chosen 3DS game.
Step 5: Click on Add Cheat
The Add Cheat section will provide you with some text boxes where you will copy and paste the name of a cheat and its corresponding code.
This time, we’re going to use the Walk-Through-Walls cheat as an example. Copy the code from your cheats list and return to Citra’s Add Cheat section.
Paste the code on the code text box and you can either type or copy and paste the name of the cheat on the text box above. Click Apply, check the box in the Available Cheats section, and OK.
Step 6: Test the Cheat and You’re Done
Check your cheat list if there are any additional instructions required for a cheat to work, such as pressing specific buttons.
With our Walk-Through-Walls cheat, we were able to make it work by holding the R button as we went through impassable walls.
Try this method again if you’re planning to use multiple cheats at once.
What if the Cheats on Citra Aren’t Working?
If any of you are experiencing issues with Citra cheats, consider doing the following:
- Check if your selected cheat needs some additional controls for it to trigger.
- Check if you correctly pasted the right code on Citra.
- Restart the game or Citra app.
- Erasing the code and putting it again.
Final Thoughts
And that, our fellow trainers, is how to use cheats on Citra. It should be now easier for you to bust through your favorite 3DS Pokemon games.
For those who haven’t got their copies of cheats list yet, we got your back, because we’ll be covering 3DS cheats soon!
Once our 3DS cheats are published, we’ll update this article again so you can access them by reading this guide.
Would you like more cheat guides for other Pokemon games? Be sure to check out our other contents here at Pokemoncoders:
- How to Use Cheats in mGBA
- How to Use Cheats on Visual Boy Advance (VBA)
- Pokemon ROM Hacks Playing and Cheating Beginner’s Guide
