Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, B, A

If you're a gamer and haven't heard of this famous button sequence, you likely fall into one of two categories: one, you've got a problem with lying, or two, you've got some sort of amnesia going on… and you might want to get that checked out. Or maybe you're just really good at Contra.

First executed on an NES game (not Contra!) developed by Konami in 1986, the Konami code (and slight variances of it) can now be inputted in more than 125 different computer, video, and arcade games-some of which aren't even developed by Konami, the company that created the code in the first place!

At first the Konami code was strictly used to grant your character something very beneficial, such as weapon power-ups or a boatload of extra lives, but over time, the special button configuration has served other purposes, like providing humorous easter eggs that could only be discovered by inputting the Up-Up-Down-Down at certain times in the game. And it may or may not leave your character in nothing but his underwear. What!? The code has even reached pop culture, appearing in comics, TV shows, music, tattoos and more.

[ThatCanadianGuy]

I think i used that code in one of the Yoshi games,Yoshi's island i think it was.Not sure.That was years ago !

Ahh..brings back memories..

[Marceles]

Oh yeah? Who remembers this code:

Down, R, Up, L, Y, B

[Alain Reyes]

Capcom Street Fighter Code?

[DevilsJoker]

R1 R2 L1 L2 Left, right, up, down, left, right, up, down. Wasnt that like the GTA Cheat at one point. I seem to have it burnt into my head.

[farhsa2008]

joker i dont know if that was the correct one but there was one which was: r1 r2 l1 l2 left down right up left down right up

[UnSelf]

r1. r2. l1. l2. square, triangle, cicle, triangle, l2, l1

blow up all cars in San Andreas FTW!!

[Daver]

The only cheat like that i remember is for blood in Mortal kombat on Sega genesis
A, B, A, C, A, B, B.

[JaPo]

R2, R2, L1, R2, L, D, R, U, L, D, R, U.

Weapons code for GTA III. I'm not the cheating type but that baby is ingrained in my memory.

'Embarrassingly' I haven't heard of the one mentioned in this article.

[El_Colombiano]

Does GTA IV have these awesome cheats like blow up all cars?

[farhsa2008]

i dont remember that combination but i will never forget playing mortal kombat with the likes of scorpion and liu kang and sub zero, ahhh the glory days

[HighDefinition]

Contra.

30 lives code.

[Sev]

What? And you call yourself a gamer?

[DARK WITNESS]

i am 29.

i am very, very ashamed to call myself a gamer now...

i have been playing games on and off since i was about 9 or 8 years old, and i didn't know that code. i never got into the contra games much.

i knew a few cheat codes for other games, but most of them i have forgotten.

please forgive me. :(

[heroicjanitor]

This brings back memories :)

I'm 18 and used that code on one of my snes games when I was 8 or 9 but I can't remember which one I used it on... Crap thanks a lot I'll be asking myself that for ages now >(

I knew absolutely nothing about games at that age so don't start ragging on about having an old games system, I thought it was the best thing ever it was 30 quid apparently and kept me entertained for years, especially Kirby's fun pack, one of the best games ever, I got a playstation at 10 or 11 then ps2 in 2002 or so and the ps3 and wii were the first consoles I ever got at launch, because I knew what they were and when they were coming out.

Anyone else want to share their life story? :)

[Blademask]

25 here ;)

[BulletToothtony]

and i will never forget that cheat code for contra but it was super hard to get the timing right..

[darkequitus]

35 here!
edit:
Genesis Sonic the Hedgehog level select hold A ,Up, Down, Left, Right, start after the ping

can't remember anymore

[HighDefinition]

he loves playing Contra for my NES.

I`m 27.

[UnSelf]

22 here, love that game

[locos85]

23 here. that code is burned into my head :)

[MaximusPrime]

im 26.

i remember the cheat for get super sonic straight away. cant remember the codes.

[thebudgetgamer]

man i gues we are old gamers

:)

thats THE code every gamer should know

[Bonsai1214]

20 here, but i've played games since i was a youngin' on my friend's NES.. good ol' konami kode.

or option 3, you're a noob when it comes to console gaming.. :D

[Sev]

26

[JoySticksFTW]

34

[Aclay]

I'm 20 Years Old.

I'm not a big fan of cheat codes, but I do remember this Contra Code though.

The last game I think that I ever used cheat codes in was Twisted Metal Black in 2001/2002 on the PS2 and haven't used codes since. I try to beat a game first before using cheat codes, but Contra was a hard game to me, LOL.

Bubbles to all of the older gamers that responded to Blademask and bubbles to Blademask as well :)

[Marceles]

25

Down, R, Up, L, Y, B

[Skizelli]

28

[bviperz]

I am old :(

[badz149]

and someone up there already has a son at my age and his son can already play contra!?

[SlyGuy]

LOL i remember that PING for the sonic code!

Sometimes pressing "Up" I would get "Up+right" or "Up+left" with the d-pad though. lol. I still LOVED my genesis gamepad!

[nackno]

29

my favourite is:
A,A,A,A select, select, select, select, right, right, start. gunsmoke nes
But this code has been used many times

[LeonSKennedy4Life]

I'm 19.

I can't believe there are so many older gamers on this site.

Are TheMart, PowerOfGreen, PP, and the rest under the age of 16?

[Sarcasm]

"Are TheMart, PowerOfGreen, PP, and the rest under the age of 16?"

Probably 12

[kesvalk]

21 here...

i discovered this code on contra for nes with my brother...

ah bring back memories...

gonna buy a t-shirt with this code on it XD

[maruchan27six]

24 on January 8th!
Ever since I knew that code in Contra, I tried to put it into every NES game I ever play hahaha.

[specialguest]

Desperately holding on to the few months I have until I exit my 20s.

Ohh the horror!

[butterfinger]

22 here:)

[Blademask]

wow.. in good company. Felt Like I was going to be an old man!

[Halochampian]

wow... Every gamer should know the Contra code.

and I feel young: 18.

[RebornSpy]

With all the fanboys on N4G, I assumed that everyone was 13, but it turns out that many of you are older than me. 18 FTW!

[bakagaijin78]

I'm 30, I'd heard of the konami code but didn't know the button combo (shame on me)

However, I mentioned this article to my husband (who is 33) and he quickly and accurately rattled it off. He's not much of gamer any more, so I was surprised he knew it so well!

[BigPappaPump]

35, young as dirt. Been gaming since Pong. Guess you can call me the old school gamer.

[theusedfake]

A,B,A,C,A,B,B
good old blood code for the Genesis Mortal Kombat.
one of the few codes I remember.

@Blademask
24 here :)

[man0fsteel]

lol, i was just about to mention that

[OOG]

teh ABA CABB lol

[Skizelli]

Named after a Genesis album title "Abacab," for those who didn't know.

[Skizelli]

Er, titled.

[Bathyj]

Holding L1+R2 then U, Triangle, D, Cross, L, Square, R, Circle, Release, then press L1, R1, L2, R2. This enables the code.

By pressing L2+R2, L2+R2 at anytime it will open the programmers debug menu ingame which allow items, health, skipping levels, placing enemies, setting patrol patterns, even place a charactor that you can assign the 2 player controller to for a co op game. Theres lots you can do here.

[San anto]

Ahh tenchu was brilliant, a true shame its absolute crap now.

[locos85]

I remember at the start of Street fighter during the Capcom logo you put this code in to get turbo I think or different color costumes.

[GlibGamer]

"If you're a gamer and haven't heard of this famous button sequence, you likely fall into one of two categories: one, you've got a problem with lying, or two, you've got some sort of amnesia going on…"

Or option 3, you're a casual gaming douchebag.

[ThaGeNeCySt]

*turns on SNES*

*hits reset*

*inputs Up, Down, Left, Right, Y, B*

:)

24 years old here

IDKFA! - for the doom fans... i think the weapon code was idqqd or something close... tried both codes in Heretic... God mode code killed you instantly and the all weapon code stripped you of your ammo

[RAF-TECH]

NTHGTHDGDCRTDTRK

.....

[jspc1989]

im only 19 but even i remember that :-). My favourite retro games have to be out of metal gear 2: Solid Snake, or any of Megadrive sonic games.

Im actually quite impressed with this article, first one in a long time where people on here get together, have a laugh and chat about their hobbies. No sales analyst bull (everyone on here seems to turn into one have u noticed), insults from people who would probably not even dare to look at you in real life and absolutely no ''fanboyism'' (sorry i didnt mean to blaspheme).

Anywho yeah loving thinkin back to the golden years (nes-ps1(n64) days).

laters x

[darkequitus]

It seems like I'm the old git so far LOL!

darkequitus:psn/xbl

[xxchicago33xx]

Been in advertising for a while now (including in game ads)...fyi the median gaming age in the U.S. is 32 so don't feel bad. 24 here

[monkpunk1]

still engraved on my brain is l,r,l,r,l,l,r,r, a....

or.... down, r, up, l, y, b, x, a,

how about..... up, down, left, right, a-Start

Answers below please...

[knightoftears]

OMG, lol....I remember this like it was yesterday. I got so good at contra that I didn't need it anymore, I could go through the entire game without dying one time. Although not a sequence, does anyone remember JUSTIN BAILEY for Metroid?...People just couldn't believe Samus was a female....lol

[Stallone1993]

If you're a gamer and haven't heard of this famous button sequence, you likely fall into one of two categories: one, you've got a problem with lying, or two, you've got some sort of amnesia going on… and you might want to get that checked out. Or maybe I JUST DONT CARE.

[LeonSKennedy4Life]

So, I'll assume you play Halo?

[madjedi]

If you don't care then why did you even bother posting? damn and to think all these yrs i thought it was the contra code(konami code).

[iNcRiMiNaTi]

i remember seeing my brother use that code when i was little to for metroid on the NES to have pretty much all the guns and powerups, and with samus in a bikini

[edit] aww dammit knightoftears beat me to it :(

[hotrider12]

wish konami make new contra for ps3 look like call of duty graphic wise that would be sweet

[pixelsword]

...it's U,U,D,D,L,R,L,R,(B),(A),(START ).

if you don't push start, that code won't work.

[HighDefinition]

Select, Start.

[iceman2885]

Seriously, everyone forgets the select start. Don't tell me you weren't playing with a buddy who also needed 30 lives.

[The Snake]

Try B A B A up down B A left right B A start for level select and 10 lives in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2 for NES.

[Acidicpack]

Now that was a sweet game on the NES and arcade. I must have blown $1.000.00 on the arcade game back when I was a Kid lol

[bviperz]

Ikari Warriors on NES. The never-ending game.

[ONYX737]

What ever happened to codes in games? almost every game used to have them

[LeonSKennedy4Life]

Up, Down, Left, Right, Right, Left, Down, Up...

God mode on Twisted Metal 2...

I'll never forget it.

[IWentBrokeForGaming]

and must say I admire the rememberance we all share up in here of our old games.

But I must say there are 2 ways of cheating in games I know I will never forget...

Game Genie and Game Shark

[kesvalk]

game shark was a savior...

i remember playing ff tactics with the last boss of the game on my team... 2 of them... XD

[poeo]

i'm 26 and i think i only ever used this code like twice maybe, when i was pretty young. but i still remember it vividly, imputting it and being like "yay!". lol.

[InMyOpinion]

TIMBO F5.

[Lets-Game]

at least one article not fanboy war related. refreshing and something i have missed for a while.

contra was awesome played it a lot but never really finished it all.
and didnt know any cheats so yea i im a gamer for like 8-9 years but never heard if this code.

shame on me :)

oh yea i remember vice city cheats thought r1 r2 l1 r2 left down right up left down (last one can be down right or up depends one what package you want :P)

[kesvalk]

they should put more articles like these in here...

[HighDefinition]

Fanboy articals are fun and have a purpose. Just don`t take them seriously. IMO, atleast.

[JEDI WOLVERINE]

Just call me Dad! - cant remember that particular code but do remember having to input 8 digit/letter codes as a level select for Spectrum games along time ago.....

*Shuffles off to find his slippers and cup of tea*

[yz250]

29 next month. in the u.s we have the "dtv switch"- thats the day i turn another yr older :( and i only used this code in contra.

[Acidicpack]

Out of all the peeps here talking about this code I guess no one remembers how to get 30 lives for you and the 2nd player in Contra. Since we r getting so old. ( Points at self ----->)

I believe its - up up down down left right left right B A select start.

I could be wrong its been so long since i played that great game. I wish my NES still worked lol

[thematrix1298]

wasn't there a cheat menu for MK3 with that sequence?

[CiRCuiTz]

007-373-5963

[JustinSaneV2]

Argh, the code!

[JeepCreeper86]

i will never forget the sequence for Jax (Mortal Kombat) to uppercut an enemy and send them to a spikey grave... Back, Dwn, Frwd, High Punch... Ahh, good times.

[DHAV0K]

my very first console was the sega genesis but i started gaming since mario bros/duck hunt whenever i went to my cousins house. virgin mega store should be ashamed of themselves. they're selling a belt with the wrong code!

[SSCOOLCHEA]

i would enter the code and still try to go through out the whole game without dying....