Overview
Cheats in Paralives are commands that allow players to force events or situations in the game, modifying normal gameplay behavior. They can also help identify and debug issues. The cheat system has its origins in the approximately 300 developer cheats created by the Paralives Studio team (known as Paradevs) during the development process. These cheats served as essential testing tools for features being coded and added to the game. However, most of these developer cheats will not be available to players in the final release.
Developer Cheats
During the development of Paralives, the team created roughly 300 cheats to assist with testing and debugging. Many of these cheats served highly technical purposes unrelated to normal gameplay. Examples of developer-only cheats include commands that display texture coverage graphs for character skins and commands that print asset-loading data for memory investigation. These tools were vital for the development process but have no practical use for players.
According to lead developer Jeremie Tessier, most of these development cheats will either be removed, hidden, or have their availability modified before the game reaches its public release. The studio's goal is to provide players with a curated set of cheats that are useful and relevant to gameplay, rather than exposing the full suite of internal development tools.
Player-Accessible Cheats
While the full cheat list has not been publicly disclosed, the developers have confirmed that certain categories of cheats will be available to regular players. These cheats are designed to give players more control over their Parafolk's lives and households.
Cheat Category | Description | Status |
|---|---|---|
Money manipulation | Adjust household funds by adding or removing Paradimes, the in-game currency used for purchases and bills. | Confirmed |
Skill level adjustments | Modify the skill levels of individual Parafolk, allowing players to instantly increase or set specific skill values. | Confirmed |
Needs modifications | Alter a Parafolk's needs (such as hunger, energy, hygiene, and bladder) to fill or drain them as desired. | Confirmed |
Cheats Not Guaranteed
The developers have noted that they have not committed to creating cheats for every aspect of the game. Certain features may not have dedicated cheat commands at launch. Examples of areas where cheats might not be available include specific job extras and particular relationship labels. The team has indicated that they will evaluate which cheats are most useful to the player base and prioritize accordingly.
Accessing Cheats
While the exact method for entering cheats in Paralives has not been fully detailed, the game includes a Console that can be accessed by pressing Ctrl+F1. The Console is primarily documented as a modding tool for monitoring whether modifications cause errors or exceptions, but it may also serve as the input method for cheat commands. The Control Panel, accessible via Ctrl+F2, provides a separate interface for examining how game content is configured and integrated.
Early Access Refinement
A definitive public cheat list has not been disclosed ahead of the Early Access launch on May 25, 2026. The studio plans to refine the set of available cheats during the Early Access period based on player feedback. This means the list of player-accessible cheats may expand or change over time as the community identifies which cheats are most desired and the development team evaluates their impact on gameplay balance.
Players who want to experiment with cheats during Early Access should expect the system to evolve. Features that lack cheat support at launch may gain it in future updates, and new cheats may be introduced alongside new gameplay systems as they are added to the game.
Modding as an Alternative
For players looking for more control than the built-in cheat system provides, the modding system in Paralives offers additional options. Moddable values include economy parameters like electricity and water prices, genetics rules, career definitions, and many other game systems. While modding requires more effort than entering a simple cheat command, it allows for far deeper customization of the game's behavior. Mods can be shared through the Steam Workshop, giving the community access to a wider range of gameplay modifications than the official cheat system alone provides.