Action Replay Code Guide

Tired of keying all those long codes into your Action Replay without knowing what they mean? Want to know why two lines of codes will give you tons of cash in your game? Well, this is the place (hopefully) where you can learn these things and much more. The purpose of this guide is to explain how to generate codes for the Action Replay for PS2 (AR2).  Grand Theft Auto 3 will be used for all the examples in this guide, since it seems to be so popular.

Disclaimer: The information contained in this site is the colaboration of several individuals (see Thanks page).  This information is in no way endorsed or supported by CodeJunkies.com or Datel, Ltd.

Hacking the PS2...

In order to hack for the PS2 effectively, you'll need to have basic understanding of memory addresses and values and how they work.  A good understanding of the hexadecimal and binary number systems is also very helpful.  There are probably many tutorials on the web to explain these.  You can use Altavista or Google to find them.

The Action Replay works by modifying memory values in your PS2 after a game has loaded.  Most of these codes work by repeatedly writing a specified value to a specified address.  Other codes, like Joker Commands, work by comparing values that are in memory.  What a certain code does depends mostly on the address that it is modifying.  That address could be changing the underlying code of the game (for codes like "Cars Don't Stop For Pedestrians"), or it could just be setting the value of a variable in memory (for codes like "Infinite Uzi Ammo").

I can tell you how to use the Action Replay and its commands to their fullest potential.  The rest is up to you...

On to the codes...

An AR2 code is made up of four parts:

1. Command
2. Address
3. Value
4. Encryption

The Command tells the AR2 how to process the address and value that are specified.  It also determines the format of the code.  Most commands require only one line of code, while others require two.

The Address specifies where in memory the operation is going to take place.  Determining new addresses of codes is probably the most difficult part of hacking. Most codes, like Infinite Ammo, require special hardware to determine the proper addresses to modify. However, using PS2DIS, you can sometimes find very useful addresses, especially if the game's coding is labeled (see the PS2DIS guide here for more information).

The Value specifies the quantity to be used in the command.  This value is usually either placed in memory or a memory value is tested against it.

Last, but definitely not least, the entire code is encrypted.  This, I guess, is to keep other companies from easily stealing Action Replay codes.  It also prevents home-hackers like us from easily creating new codes.

These components are described in detail in this guide.  Use the bar on the left to navigate through the site.

If you have any information to be contributed to this guide, please e-mail me at hellion00@comcast.net.