Jump to:
- Your State’s Most Searched Video Game Cheat Code
- Interesting Findings
- How Do Americans Feel about Using Cheat Codes?
- Survey Findings
- What does Each Generation think about Cheat Codes?
- Methodology
- About All Home Connections
Cheat codes have been around since the early days of video games. Back when video games were first invented, it was common coders who painstakingly figured out how to cut corners in their favorite games through trial and error code changes. Now, cheat codes are often embedded in the games by the creators themselves—all you have to do is type a few words into Google to elevate your gameplay.
Whether stirring up a little chaos in the Grand Theft Auto series or supplying your virtual family with infinite money in The Sims, many gamers have used cheat codes to enhance their gaming experience. Although cheating has become somewhat normalized in the gaming world, however, many Americans are still undecided on whether or not it is acceptable to cheat in games.
With 37% of gamers admitting to cheating, the team at All Home Connections wanted to find out which video game each state cheats in most and what Americans really think about cheating in video games.
Interesting Findings:
- Grand Theft Auto V players may be the biggest cheaters: 14 states google “GTA 5 cheats” most. The search term “GTA 5 cheats” has a monthly search volume of 246,000. Cheat codes have been an iconic part of the Grand Theft Auto series for over 20 years, so it makes sense that players are taking advantage of the 34 codes available in the game.
- Nine states are searching for “Fortnite cheats” most. Unfortunately for Fortnite fans, it was announced last month that the game will not become available on Steam Deck due to cheating concerns.
- Seven states google “Valheim cheats” most. The game boasts an impressive list of 32 cheats that allow players to do everything from enabling God mode to taming all nearby animals.
- Six states want to cheat in the multiplayer game Among Us the most. No surprise here, a quick scan of the Among Us subreddit reveals a long list of cheating complaints.
- The states that have googled cheat codes most in the past year are West Virginia, Arkansas, Mississippi, Wyoming and Oklahoma.
Bonus Thoughts
- Out of the 46% of Americans who said that cheat codes don’t count as cheating, 22% said hacking the game would be cheating.
- 43% of respondents said only certain games should have cheat codes—particularly single-player games.
- 34% of Americans said using cheat codes makes the game less engaging because it becomes too easy.
- Men are more likely than women to use cheat codes.
- 63% of male respondents said they use cheat codes either sometimes or regularly, compared to 53% of female respondents.
Methodology
To find the most searched cheats, we first compiled a list of the 50 most popular video games based on data gathered from PC Gamer, Tech Radar, Ranker, and IGN. We then determined which 11 video game cheat codes have the highest search volume in SEMrush by searching for “[game] cheats” or “[game] cheat code” and used Google Trends to find the cheat code that each state has googled most in the past 12 months.
Finally, we surveyed 1,000 Americans on Pollfish to learn how frequently each generation uses cheat codes, whether using cheat codes is really considered cheating, and whether using cheat codes adds to Americans’ gaming experience or takes away from it.
About All Home Connections
All Home Connections is an authorized AT&T retailer.
Reporters can email questions to zoi@attsavings.com.
| State | Most Cheated in Video Game |
|---|---|
| Alabama | Call of Duty |
| Alaska | GTA 5 |
| Arizona | Fortnite |
| Arkansas | GTA 5 |
| California | Resident Evil Village |
| Colorado | Fortnite |
| Connecticut | Among Us |
| Delaware | GTA 5 |
| Florida | Resident Evil Village |
| Georgia | The Witcher 3 |
| Hawaii | Valheim |
| Idaho | Valheim |
| Illinois | Fortnite |
| Indiana | Among Us |
| Iowa | GTA 5 |
| Kansas | Valheim |
| Kentucky | Among Us |
| Louisiana | Fortnite |
| Maine | GTA 5 |
| Maryland | GTA 5 |
| Massachusetts | Among Us |
| Michigan | Animal Crossing |
| Minnesota | Fortnite |
| Mississippi | Animal Crossing |
| Missouri | Among Us |
| Montana | Red Dead Redemption 2 |
| Nebraska | Doom Eternal |
| Nevada | GTA 5 |
| New Hampshire | Valheim |
| New Jersey | Fortnite |
| New Mexico | GTA 5 |
| New York | The Witcher 3 |
| North Carolina | Fortnite |
| North Dakota | GTA 5 |
| Ohio | Resident Evil Village |
| Oklahoma | Valheim |
| Oregon | Valheim |
| Pennsylvania | The Witcher 3 |
| Rhode Island | Animal Crossing |
| South Carolina | Fortnite |
| South Dakota | GTA 5 |
| Tennessee | GTA 5 |
| Texas | Minecraft |
| Utah | Valheim |
| Vermont | GTA 5 |
| Virginia | Call of Duty |
| Washington | Among Us |
| West Virginia | GTA 5 |
| Wisconsin | Fortnite |
| Wyoming | GTA 5 |