Age of Empires 2: The Age of Kings has seen multiple re-releases, HD remasters, and expansion packs since its release in 2000. All of the original Age of Empires 2 cheat codes work in every version of the game, but some cheats in Age of Empires 2 HD and the Japanese edition have different effects.
These cheats apply to all versions of Age of Empires 2: The Age of Kings on Windows and Mac.
Also check out our Age of Empires III PC cheat codes and Age of Mythology cheat codes.
Age of Empires 2 and AOE 2 HD Cheat Codes
At any time while playing, press Enter to bring up the chat window and enter the following codes to activate the corresponding cheats:
These cheats do not work in multiplayer modes. In the HD version, enabling cheats will disable achievements.
| Effect | Cheat Code |
|
Get 1,000 gold (10,000 in AOE 2 HD) |
robin hood |
| Get 1,000 wood (10,000 in AOE 2 HD) | lumberjack |
| Get 1,000 stone (10,000 in AOE 2 HD) | rock on |
|
Get 1,000 food (10,000 in AOE 2 HD) |
cheese steak jimmy's |
| Get 100,000 of every resource (requires "The Forgotten" expansion pack) | ninjaconnor |
| Instant victory | i r winner |
| Instant loss | resign |
| Fast building | aegis |
|
See full map |
marco |
| Kill a specific opponent (check their slot number) | torpedo number |
| Kill all opponents | black death |
| No shadows | polo |
|
Control animals |
natural wonders |
| Summon VDML unit in your town center | i love the monkey head |
| Summon Cobra Car | how do you turn this on |
| Summon Saboteur | to smithereens |
|
Commit suicide |
wimpywimpywimpy |
| Mute taunts | !mute |
| Unmute taunts | !nomute |
|
Summon Flying Dog |
woof woof |
| Summon Little Monkey | furious the monkey boy |
Age of Empires 2 Japanese Edition Cheat Codes
If you're playing an imported version of the game, some cheat codes are different.
| Effect | Cheat Code |
|
Get 1000 gold |
coinage |
| Get 1000 wood | woodstock |
| Get 1000 stone | quarry |
|
Get 1000 food |
pepperoni pizza |
| Instant building | steroids |
| Full map | reveal map |
| Control animals | gaia |
Age of Empires 2 Keyboard Shortcut Cheats
These following keyboard shortcuts can be used at any time:
If playing on Mac, replace "Ctrl" with the Command key.
| Effect | Shortcut |
|
Fast construction |
Ctrl+Q |
| Build immutable structure | Ctrl+P |
Age of Empires 2 Command Line Cheats
Launch the game with the following command line parameters for various effects.
| Effect | Command Line Parameter |
|
800 x 600 screen resolution (Standard edition only) |
800 |
| 1024 x 768 screen resolution (Standard edition only) | 1024 |
| 1280 x 1024 screen resolution (Standard edition only) | 1280 |
| Auto save game | AutoMPsave |
|
Standard mouse pointer |
NormalMouse |
| Fixes display issues on some PCs | Mfill |
| Fixes sound issues on some PCs | Msync |
| Disable terrain sounds | NoTerrainSound |
|
Disable music |
NoMusic |
| Disable all sounds except during FMV sequences | NoSound |
| No pre-game FMV sequences | NoStartUp |
|
Faster processing speed (HD Edition only) |
FASTVALIDATE |
| Disable mods and skip the intro move. (HD Edition only) | NOMODS |
| Change in-game text to Lucida Blackletter font. (HD Edition only) | OLD_SCHOOL |
| Disable "The Forgotten" expansion pack without uninstalling it. (HD Edition only) | DLC1_HIDDEN |
| Disable "African Kingdoms" expansion pack without uninstalling it. (HD Edition only) | DLC2_HIDDEN |
|
Disable "Rise of the Rajas" expansion pack without uninstalling it. (HD Edition only) |
DLC3_HIDDEN |
| Disable "The Conquerors" expansion pack without uninstalling it. (HD Edition only) | BASEGAME_HIDDEN |
| Watch replays in fast motion. (HD Edition only) | FASTREPLAY |
How to Build Your Economy
Follow these tips to build a strong economy for your empire:
- Population: The key to a thriving economy is maintaining a large population, so protect your villagers at all costs. You should ideally have at least 15-20 workers and 4-5 builders.
- Mines: Establish a military presence around nearby mines as soon as possible to stock up on resources and expand your territory.
- Trade carts: Instead of building marketplace near your allies, take advantage of trade carts to earn extra gold from long-distance commerce.
- Food cost: When purchasing new units, don't forget to factor the cost of food into the overall price tag. You must make sure you have enough money to feed them.
Defensive Strategies
Defending your territory should be your top priority at all times. A good strategy is as follows:
- Castle placement: As soon as you acquire enough stones, build castles close to your precious resources and fortify them with archers.
- Towers and walls: Build towers and stone walls around your castles, and place trebuchets behind the walls for extra security.
- Reinforce Trebuchets: Back up your trebuchets with light cavalry units. Call in the cavalry to deal with powerful enemies.
- Cavalry losses: Don't worrying about losing light cavalry as they are inexpensive to replace.
Offensive Strategies
Keep these tips in mind when plotting your attack:
- Utilize Cavalry: Cavalry units are by far your biggest asset in battle. They can quickly traverse the map, so you can send them in to attack, and then have them retreat.
- Defend before attacking: Before attacking an enemy's fortifications, put all units in a defensive stance to keep them from wandering too far away to pursue enemies.
- Cavalry placement: Place cavalry units by your trebuchets to protect them from counterattacks.
- Knights and Archers: After you get through a wall, send in knights, and back them up with heavy horse archers to take out enemy trebuchets.
