If you could create the universe, how would you do it? Spore provided us with a means of answering that question when it dropped back in 2008, and it’s been one of those games like The Sims, which coincidentally is also made by Spore’s creator Will Wright, that keeps me coming back time and time again.
This evolution sim game is pure genius; it’s much better than Black & White was back in the day and I really enjoy the Sci-Fi theme (instead of Muppets in Space, think Sims in Space with some intergalactic planet snagging added in for good measure). But while I enjoy the premise of the game Wright has set out for me, it doesn’t mean that I want to play by his rules. He must have guessed this because there are a whole bunch of cheats (some of which come with a penalty) to spice gameplay up a little bit or to make things easier.
Breaking the rules might not be clever, but it is fun. Check out our Spores cheat list below and go rogue with your creature creations!
Table of Contents
How To Use Cheats In Spore (PC & Mac)
Before we go into all the different cheats in Spore, it’s worth knowing how to actually enter codes into the game. Don’t worry, you don’t need to open up Terminal or turn into a computer hacker every time you add a cheat – it’s super simple.
If you’re on a PC, just press Ctrl + Shift + C simultaneously on your keyboard, type in your cheat, and then press Enter.
If you’re on a Mac, then you’ll press Command + Shift + C and then type your code in and press enter. See, simple!
The Mystery Of The Joker Badge
Some of you who haven’t played this game before might have heard that there’s a mark that you get branded with from cheating. It’s nothing so sinister that people in the street will talk about you behind your back or anything – it’s called the Joker Badge, and it marks your game as having been cheated with, like the ‘void’ mark when you open up tech.
Having the Joker Badge cancels achievements for the rest of the game, so keep that in mind if you do want to go down ‘the easy route’. I’ve marked the Joker Badge cheats below so you know which ones to look out for.
One other thing, if you use a single cheat 50 or more times, then you’ll get a Pathological Cheater achievement, which if we’re being honest sounds like something that could have been the title of a Jerry Springer show. Sometimes you can avoid gaining the Joker Badge if you use a cheat while the game is paused, so that’s worth a try if you want further achievements and don’t want people to know you’ve had some extra help.
Cheats That Trigger The Joker Badge
They trigger the Joker Badge for a reason – this is the good stuff right here, the cheats that are going to make your life in the game much easier and allow you to concentrate on enjoying the game rather than searching for items and racking up money.
Remember, you’ll need to use the specific command for either PC or Mac before entering these cheats.
- addDNA – Use this code to increase your DNA by 150 when playing the normal version of the game or while in Creature Creator. You’ll get 150 budget in the Outfit Creator too.
- evoadvantage – This allows the user to unlock and pick any creature from the Sporepedia, including creatures that are more evolved. You’ll need to enter it from the main menu when starting a new Creature Game. As you’re using this code in the main menu before actually starting, you can still pick up achievements in the game.
- freedom – Want to create the most complex creatures possible with far fewer restrictions? Add way more parts and limbs using the code ‘freedom’ to get rid of the usual complexity limits while using editors not in the main game.
- moreMoney – Money makes the world go round, and using this code allows you to bump up your funds in both the Civilization Stage (fourth stage) and Space Stage (fifth stage). ‘moreMoney’ increases your stash by 2,000 during the Civilisation Stage and a whopping 1,000,000 while in the Space Stage
- levels -unlock & unlockAdventures – This is a bit of a double-whammy; using ‘levels -unlock’ literally does what it says and allows gamers to start from any of the five game stages, whereas levels -unlockAdventures unlocks all of the Maxis adventures. As with the ‘evoadvantage’ cheat above, if you enter it in the main menu then you might not get the Joker Badge
- refillMotives – Want to refill all of your health and motives? This is the code for you!
- SetConsequenceTrait (trait) – What is a consequence trait? Well, they affect your creature by giving them certain traits and archetypes, and in turn super powers that will help you in the game. Each of the following consequence traits has different features, and to pick one you’ll simply need to replace (trait) in the code above with your chosen trait below.
- cell carnivore
- cell_herbivore
- cell_omnivore
- creature_aggressive
- creature_social
- creature_mixed
- tribe_aggressive
- tribe_social
- tribe_mixed
- civ_military
- civ_economic
- civ_religious
- space_bard
- space_diplomat
- space_ecologist
- space_knight
- space_scientist
- space_shaman
- space_trader
- space_wanderer
- space_warrior
- space_zealot
- spaceCreate – If you’re in Space Mode and want to get fully creative (like the name suggests) without any hindrances, then this code allows you to unlock and also recharge all the creative tools.
- universeSimulatorPirateRaidAllyFrequency (number) – You want to keep your friends close, right? Use this code to manually decide on the number of times pirates can steal allies.
- universeSimulatorPirateRaidFrequency (number) – If you want to take chance out of the equation and know exactly what you’re dealing with, then you can use this code to modify the number of raids pirates can make on the player’s system.
- universeSimulatorPirateRaidPlunderFrequency (number) – You’ve not worked hard to have Pirates stealing your spice as many times as they please. Use this code to determine how many times they can nab off with your precious goods.
- unlockSuperWeapons – I feel like this one is pretty self-explanatory; use this code to unlock all super weapons for your chosen civilization type.
Useful Utilities
Listen, cheat code windows aren’t just for getting super weapons or big heads like they used to be back in the day. They’re also useful for inputting utility commands that can help you change specific elements of your gaming experience, from helping you to remember commands to changing the way your camera follows you around. Here’s a list of useful utility commands to keep handy while gaming.
- blocksmode – Want your creature to be the new kid on the block? Use this code to turn characters blocky, and just input it again to turn it off.
- capturePlanetGIF – Sometimes you just want to show off to your mates when you’re doing well. This cheat simply makes a GIF of the planet you’re on, a short spinning movie that’s stored in your AnimatedAvatars folder.
- colladaexport – Use this cheat to make a 3D mesh file of the creature you’re currently looking at.
- clear – Sometimes it pays to wipe the slate clean – this command clears all other commands and lets you start fresh.
- freeCam – Let your camera roam free! Zoom and spin the angle to your heart’s content now that you’re no longer hindered by the standard camera settings. Once enabled, you can take advantage of this cheat on Galactic Adventures and while in the Creature Stage.
- help -full – We all need help now and again, and this command shows you all of the commands you can use. If you use help (command), replacing ‘command’ with a specific code command, then it will tell you how that command works… I should have started with these really…
- history – See what commands you’ve previously used.
- killallhints – Don’t want any help while in the game? Hints making you feel like you’re not working on your own merit? Just use this code!
- movie – Grab the popcorn, it’s time to watch all the movies in the game!
- option – See all of your available options (in the game, not in life).
- prop – Discover all the available display/modify properties.
- pauseUIVisible – Use this code to determine whether the pause frame is drawn.
- quit – Want to rage quit in a dignified way? This is it!
- rename planet new name – If you want to play God and change the name of a specific planet, then this is the cheat for you. To make this work you need to leave a space between the words ‘rename’ and ‘planet’.
- rename star new name – Like the planet code above, this code changes Star names. Again, you’ll need a space between ‘rename’ and ‘star’. You can also rename other objects in the galaxy like Black Holes.
- SetTime (h, m) – Reset the time and date, and adjust a speed multiplier.
- toggleCaptureUI – This code does what it says on the tin – it Toggles UI for when you want to image capture.
Have A Change Of Style
Sometimes a change is as good as a rest, and the following codes mix up your gameplay without slapping a Joker Badge on you for everyone to see.
- highresTextureLevel [off/low/medium/high] – If you’ve always fancied yourself as a Bob Ross or David Bailey, then you can adjust the different textures of all the buildings and vehicles to different levels using this code.
- stylefilter -none – Turn your style back to normal after using other effects.
- styleFilter -filmNoir – See the game like an old Film Noir movie (or in other words, black and white).
- styleFilter -microscope – View from above like you’re watching the world through a microscope.
- styleFilter -norainbows – Want to feel more like you’re playing Dark Souls? No problem, this is the code for you.
- styleFilter -nextgen – Applies a fog effect and uses muted colors, imitating the graphical effects commonly used in 7th Generation games (considered “next gen” when Spore was released) to achieve a realistic look.
- styleFilter -oilPaint – Give everything an oil painting effect.
An Alternative Adventure
adventureLook filters are different from styleFilter cheats but have a similar effect on your game. Experiment with them below to find a quirky style that suits you!
- adventureLook -none – Cancel any looks that you’ve used.
- adventureLook -eightbit – What would Spore look like on the Game Boy Color? I think this could be the answer.
- adventureLook -filmnoir – Let’s get moody with some Black & White visuals.
- adventureLook -norainbows – Gets rid of a lot of color from your Galactic Adventure.
- adventureLook -sepia – You know those old photo’s your Granny shows you? Well, this cheat makes the game feel like them.
- adventureLook -sixteenbit – Feel like you’re heading back to the days of Sonic the Hedgehog with this blocky cheat!
- adventureLook -watercolor – Feel like you’re in a watercolour painting!
