You’re standing on the corner of Vinewood Boulevard, five stars flashing on your HUD, and the LSPD is closing in with enough hardware to start a small war. You could try to drive away. You’ll probably fail. Or, you could tap a specific sequence of buttons on your DualShock 4 and suddenly fall from the sky like a god. That’s the beauty of GTA five PS4 cheat codes. They aren't just legacy features; they are the literal lifeblood of the Los Santos sandbox experience.
Rockstar Games has a long history of letting players break their games for fun. It’s a tradition. But honestly, most people mess this up. They enter a code, save their game, and then realize they’ve permanently locked themselves out of earning that Platinum trophy. It happens way more often than you’d think.
The Reality of Using Cheats on Sony Hardware
Using GTA five PS4 cheat codes isn't like playing on PC where you just pull up a console command and type "god mode." On the PS4, you have two choices. You can go old school with the D-pad and face buttons, or you can use the in-game cell phone. Most veteran players prefer the button combos. Why? Because they’re faster. When a Buzzard Attack Chopper is breathing down your neck, you don't want to be scrolling through a digital contact list.
One thing you’ve got to remember: cheats reset every time you close the game. They don't stick. If you spawn a Comet and then go start a mission, don't expect that car to be waiting for you when the cutscene ends. Also, "Invincibility" in this game is a bit of a lie. It only lasts for five minutes. You have to re-enter the code every five minutes or you'll find out the hard way that "invincible" doesn't mean "immortal" once the timer hits zero.
The Big Warning: Trophies and Saving
Let’s get the technical stuff out of the way. If you input a cheat, trophies are disabled for that session. Period. It doesn't matter if it's a "harmless" cheat like changing the weather. The game sees you’ve tweaked the code and it shuts down the rewards.
The smart way to do this is to keep a "Clean Save" and a "Chaos Save." Before you start spawning tanks, go to your safehouse and save. Then, go nuts. When you’re done being a menace to society, reload that clean save. If you don't do this, you might find yourself 80 hours into a 100% completion run only to realize a stray cheat code from three weeks ago bricked your progress. It’s a nightmare.
The Most Essential Button Combos
You don't need every code. You need the ones that keep you alive.
The "Get Out of Jail Free" Card
The Lower Wanted Level cheat is arguably the most used button sequence in the game. It’s R1, R1, Circle, R2, Right, Left, Right, Left, Right, Left. It feels like a workout for your thumbs, but it’s better than spending ten minutes hiding in a subway tunnel.
Max Health and Armor
If you’re mid-gunfight and your screen is turning red, hit Circle, L1, Triangle, R2, X, Square, Circle, Right, Square, L1, L1, L1. It refills your health and gives you a fresh vest. It’s basically a second life.
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The Explosive Melee
This one is just for pure, unadulterated chaos. Right, Left, X, Triangle, R1, Circle, Circle, Circle, L2. Every time you punch someone, they explode. It makes the physics engine go absolutely haywire. Cars fly. Pedestrians scream. It’s great.
Spawning Vehicles Without a Garage
Cars in GTA V are expensive. If you’re playing as Franklin and you’ve spent all your money on "investments" (or just customizing his Buffalo), you can just spawn a high-end ride for free.
The Rapid GT is the go-to for speed: R2, L1, Circle, Right, L1, R1, Right, Left, Circle, R2.
If you need to go off-road, the Sanchez is better: Circle, X, L1, Circle, Circle, L1, Circle, R1, R2, L2, L1, L1.
Actually, the most useful vehicle isn't a car at all. It’s the Buzzard Attack Chopper. It comes equipped with missiles and a minigun. The code is Circle, Circle, L1, Circle, Circle, Circle, L1, L2, R1, Triangle, Circle, Triangle. Be careful where you spawn it, though. If you’re in a tight alleyway, the blades will hit the wall, and you’ll be sitting in a very expensive, very loud paperweight that’s about to explode.
Physics and World Modifiers
Sometimes you just want the world to feel different. Rockstar included a few "flavor" cheats that change how the game handles.
- Moon Gravity: Left, Left, L1, R1, L1, Right, Left, L1, Left. This makes driving incredibly difficult but hilarious. You hit a bump and you’re airborne for thirty seconds.
- Drunk Mode: Triangle, Right, Right, Left, Right, Square, Circle, Left. Don't try to fly a plane like this. Or do. It’s your game.
- Slippery Cars: Triangle, R1, R1, Left, R1, L1, R2, L1. This turns every road into an ice rink. It’s the easiest way to practice drifting, or the easiest way to fly off a cliff at 120 mph.
Why Some Cheats "Fail" to Activate
I’ve seen people complain that their GTA five PS4 cheat codes aren't working. Usually, it’s one of three things.
First, you might be in a mission. Certain missions lock out cheats entirely to prevent you from breaking the scripted events. If Michael is in the middle of a dramatic monologue, the game isn't going to let you spawn a stunt plane in his living room.
Second, space. If you’re trying to spawn a Trashmaster (the garbage truck) in a narrow driveway, the game will give you an "Area Not Spacious Enough" error. Move to the middle of the street.
Third, speed. You have to put these codes in fast. If you pause for more than a second between button presses, the game thinks you’re just playing and ignores the sequence. It’s all about muscle memory.
The Cell Phone Method
If the button combos are too much of a hassle, pull out the phone (Up on the D-pad). Navigate to your contacts and hit Square to bring up the keypad. You can dial specific numbers to trigger the same effects.
For example, dialing 1-999-4653-48-7 (1-999-HOLIDAY) changes the weather. Dialing 1-999-759-3255 (1-999-SKYFALL) teleports you into the air for a high-altitude skydive. The phone method is technically slower, but it’s harder to mess up a number than it is to mess up a 12-button combo.
One weird quirk: the "Skyfall" cheat. You can't use a parachute with it. You have to land flat on your face or into water to survive. It’s a classic Rockstar prank.
Actionable Steps for Your Next Session
If you’re about to jump back into Los Santos, here is exactly how you should handle your cheats to get the most out of them:
- Hard Save First: Go to your bedroom, use the bed, and create a manual save slot specifically for your "Clean" run.
- Toggle Invincibility Strategically: Remember the 5-minute timer. If you’re planning a massive rampage at Fort Zancudo, keep a timer on your real-world phone. Re-enter the code at the 4-minute mark.
- Combine Cheats: Use "Super Jump" (Left, Left, Triangle, Triangle, Right, Right, Left, Right, Square, R1, R2) along with "Explosive Bullets" (Right, Square, X, Left, R1, R2, Left, Right, Right, L1, L1, L1) to become a literal superhero.
- Avoid Autosave: Turn off autosave in the settings before you start cheating. This prevents the game from accidentally overwriting your clean progress after you do something like buy a property or finish a random encounter while cheats are active.
- Use the Skyfall Recovery: If you use the Skyfall cheat, try to aim for the swimming pools in the Vinewood Hills. It’s the ultimate "did I just survive that?" moment.
Using these codes keeps a game from 2013 feeling fresh in 2026. Whether you're trying to find all the hidden packages or just want to see how many police cars you can stack in a pile, these shortcuts are the key to unlocking the true "Grand Theft Auto" experience. Just remember: save often, and don't expect a trophy for blowing up half the city with a spawned tank.