GTA PS2 Cheat Codes Which DualShock 2 cheats are actually useful?
S-tier weapons and health versus F-tier riot codes that you should never park on a story slot.
Not every built-in PlayStation 2 cheat is equal. A weapon set lets you finish a tough shootout and then walk away. A riot code can turn every sidewalk into a brawl that never shuts off. This hub ranks DualShock 2 combinations by how much they help a single-player story, how easy they are to reverse, and how likely they are to ruin a save you still care about.
The ranking covers GTA III (2001), Vice City (2002), San Andreas (2004), Liberty City Stories (2006 on PS2), and Vice City Stories (2007 on PS2). Combos do not cross discs. If you need the exact buttons, open the game page or the cheat finder instead of guessing from memory.
Use this list before you mash a sequence you saw on a blurry photo. Then split your plan in two: mission-friendly cheats for a run you intend to finish, and chaos cheats for a throwaway slot. Keep a clean file either way. The save-file warnings explain why some pedestrian codes never toggle off.
How this ranking works
S-tier codes restore resources, drop a practical loadout, or clear heat without rewriting traffic, weather, or pedestrian brains. A-tier codes are powerful but loud: a Rhino tank ends a chase and also fails missions that expect you on foot or in a specific car. B-tier codes change the world in ways you can usually reverse. C-tier codes are cosmetic. F-tier codes attack the simulation itself.
The rank is for original PlayStation 2 discs and DualShock 2 input. PC keyboard words such as HESOYAM are a different language; see PS2 vs PC codes and fake codes. Later re-releases can disable trophies or strip effects. This wiki does not treat The Definitive Edition as a copy of the PS2 build.
Enter sequences in live play with the D-pad, not the analog stick. Do not pause. If you have never heard the confirmation sting, read how to enter cheats and check controls for camera and vehicle buttons after a spawn.
S-tier: help first, damage later
Weapon sets sit at the top because they solve the most common wall: you showed up to a mission under-armed. GTA III has one all-weapons dump. Vice City, San Andreas, and the Stories games split loadouts into three tiers. Full lists live on the weapons page. Re-entering a set restocks ammo. That is usually enough.
Health and armor are the other S-tier staples. Vice City restores them as two separate combos and does not add cash. San Andreas folds health, armor, and $250,000 into one famous pad sequence. GTA III, Liberty City Stories, and Vice City Stories each have a cash drop of their own. If a site promises millions of dollars in Vice City on a DualShock 2, it is mixing games. Flag it with the fake-code decoder.
Clear wanted belongs in S-tier because stars, not health, end most failed chases. San Andreas also has a never-wanted lock that is gentler than spawning a tank in downtown Los Santos. Use a one-step clear when you only need to lose a current chase. Save the lock for grinding or exploring.
San Andreas jetpack is S-tier for that disc only. It is the fastest legal-feeling way off a roof, across a river, or onto a mountain. It does not exist in III, Vice City, or the Stories games. Do not paste a San Andreas jetpack combo onto another title. The dedicated steps are in how to get the jetpack.
A-tier: strong, with strings
The Rhino is the A-tier mascot. Every game in this lineup can drop a tank, but the button string is not shared. GTA III uses a long Circle opener. Vice City and San Andreas share a different Circle-and-shoulder pattern. Liberty City Stories and Vice City Stories use shorter L1/R1 shapes. Details and spawn space are on how to spawn a tank. A Rhino crushes wanted stars and also fails escort, race, and “do not destroy the car” missions.
San Andreas infinite ammo is A-tier because it removes reloads and scarcity. It is easy to forget you turned it on, and it makes later ports picky about trophies. Keep it off a 100 percent file if you still care about a clean completion.
Never wanted in San Andreas, Liberty City Stories, and Vice City Stories is A-tier rather than S-tier because it hides a core tension of the games. Police chases are how several missions teach you the map. Use it to recover from a botched combo, not as a default state for the whole story.
B-tier: weather, handling, parachute
Weather codes, perfect handling, and the San Andreas parachute are B-tier. They change how the city feels without usually locking you into a broken pedestrian brain. Sunny weather can make a long drive readable. Fog can hide a skyline you wanted to see. Handling codes make cars stick, which helps races and also hides how a stock vehicle actually drives.
The parachute is a San Andreas toy that is safer than the jetpack in tight alleys and worse for long travel. Toggle weather if a mission script expects rain or night. If a scene will not start, reload the clean slot instead of stacking more B-tier effects.
C-tier: skins and traffic colors
Pedestrian outfits, chrome traffic, black cars, white cars, and similar paint-job codes are C-tier. They are fun for a screenshot and almost never help a mission timer. Some clothing codes are one-way until you visit a safehouse wardrobe. Traffic color codes can make wanted vehicles harder to spot. Use them on a spare slot if you like the look.
C-tier is also where players waste time. A page that leads with “all pink cars” and buries weapon sets is entertainment, not a strategy guide. Start from the codes hub when you need a working loadout.
F-tier: avoid on story saves
Riot, pedestrians attack, chaos mode, vehicle of death, destroy all cars, six stars, and suicide belong in F for any file you still want to finish. Vice City’s pedestrians-attack combo is infamous because it cannot be disabled. San Andreas chaos mode and beach-party / Elvis skins rewrite the population. Destroy-all-cars will blow up the vehicle you are sitting in. Suicide is a joke button that still counts as a wasted hospital trip mid-mission.
Flying cars sit on the border. They are a blast on an empty highway and a mission killer when a checkpoint expects wheels on the ground. Treat them as chaos, not as a travel tool, and park them on the chaos cheats page.
If you already entered an F-tier code on a file you liked, stop saving. Reload the clean slot. If you never made one, you are in for a reset. That is cheaper than fighting an entire city that now hates you.
How to use the list tonight
- Copy the story save to a second memory-card slot.
- Open the codes page for the disc in the tray.
- Enter only S-tier or A-tier combos from mission-friendly cheats if you still need to pass missions.
- Move to a throwaway slot before anything on the chaos list.
- Confirm the combo against the cheat finder so you are not typing a PC word into a DualShock 2.
This ranking will not make a tank polite or give Vice City a money cheat it never shipped. It will keep you from turning a 40-hour story into a riot you cannot switch off.
Frequently Asked Questions
Quick answers for DualShock 2 codes, saves, and fake lists.
What is S-tier on this GTA PS2 cheat list?
Weapon sets, health and armor restores, wanted-level clears, the San Andreas health-armor-money combo, and the San Andreas jetpack. They help a story run without rewriting pedestrian AI. Full buttons are on each game page from the codes hub.
Why is the Rhino tank only A-tier?
It wins chases and fails missions that need a specific vehicle or a quiet street. Spawn it from how to spawn a tank on a spare slot if you only want the spectacle.
Which cheats should never touch a story save?
Riot, pedestrians attack, chaos mode, vehicle of death, destroy all cars, max wanted, and suicide. Vice City’s attack code cannot be turned off. Details are on chaos cheats and save-file warnings.
Does Vice City have an S-tier money cheat on PS2?
No. Original PlayStation 2 Vice City has health and armor, not a cash drop. Lists that promise millions are mixing San Andreas, GTA III, or PC words. See fake codes.
Is the jetpack S-tier in every PS2 GTA?
No. The jetpack exists only in San Andreas. III, Vice City, Liberty City Stories, and Vice City Stories have no built-in jetpack combo. Use how to get the jetpack on the correct disc.
Should I use this ranking on The Definitive Edition?
Use it as a warning about effects, not as a guarantee. Some original PS2 toys were removed or change trophies on later ports. Compare input styles in PS2 vs PC codes.