History Main / NoFairCheating

** Trying to save a game with an abundance of skill points crashes the game because of a buffer overflow. This was never fixed and probably intentionally.

* In ''VideoGame/PaperMarioTheThousandYearDoor'', attempting to cheat the (realtime) daily Happy Lucky Lottery by setting the [[UsefulNotes/NintendoGameCube GameCube]]'s internal clock ''backward'' will result in the Bob-Omb who runs the lottery calling you a cheater and forcing you to buy another ticket. At 500 coins. [[ZigZaggingTrope However]], setting the clock ''forward'' is fair game.

*** He doesn't appear if you reset while in someone else's town, but you still get punished in the UsefulNotes/NintendoGameCube version; your face turns into a Gyroid and all the items in your inventory disappear.

** In one of Creator/HideoKojima's many [[NoFourthWall many fourth wall breakages]], during the torture rack sequence in ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid'', Revolver Ocelot warns his prey not to "even ''think'' about using auto-fire, or I'll know." And in the [[UsefulNotes/NintendoGameCube GameCube]] [[VideoGameRemake remake]] he actually turns and points accusingly at the player as he says it. That would be awesome enough on its own, but he's not bluffing: Depending on the type of controller, it ''might'' go unnoticed, but if the game does detect it, it's an automatic Game Over since it won't let you [[PressXToNotDie input X to raise your Stamina]], and Snake dies of electrocution. There is no additional meta dialog past that point.

* The UsefulNotes/PlayStation3 introduced [[BraggingRightsReward Trophies]]. In games that allow cheat codes, using them will disable the ability to gain trophies on that particular playthrough, and will also mark said save game as Cheat. Same for the UsefulNotes/{{Xbox 360}}, except with achievements.

* Entering the infinite time cheat in the old UsefulNotes/ZXSpectrum game ''Spindizzy'' (not part of the ''VideoGame/{{Dizzy}}'' series) would remove one of the jewels, rendering the game {{Unwinnable}} and basically relegating it to one giant explore-em-up.

* Creator/{{Valve|Software}} Anti-Cheat. When logging into a VAC-secured server, {{UsefulNotes/Steam}} verifies that critical game files have not been modified in some way (i.e., to allow players to do things they're not supposed to). If such modifications are detected, their ''entire Steam account'' will be banned from ever logging into VAC-secured servers again. If they want to be able to play the game again, they'll have to create a new account, and have the choice between repeatedly switching accounts to play different games or buying ''all'' of their games over again. (VAC is also enabled on many non-Valve games, such as the ''VideoGame/CallOfDuty'' games[[note]]the FAQ specifically mentions the ''Modern Warfare'' games, though later games such as ''Ghosts'' also have VAC enabled[[/note]] and ''VideoGame/DungeonDefenders'', full list [[http://store.steampowered.com/search/?category2=8 here]].)

** The UsefulNotes/Nintendo64 version of the first game (which they're unlockable) will acknowledge that you used cheats on the Victory/Defeat screen.

* Many ''VideoGame/MarioParty'' minigames that would be completely cheesed by pausing (typically counting and memorization games) will have certain elements disappear while the minigame is paused, only reappearing when the game is resumed. The ''Mario Party 8'' Challenge minigame "Fruit Picker" even accounts for the UsefulNotes/{{Wii}}'s Home Menu button being used.

** Similarly, in some UsefulNotes/NintendoDS games, coming out of sleep mode while cheats are active can make the game freeze.

* The forklift race in ''Videogame/Shenmue'' has a very obvious shortcut that lets you skip nearly half of the full track, but it's actually SchmuckBait; the shortcut does not count as a completed lap, so you'll be stuck in fifth place if you make the mistake of taking it.

->''NO CHEATING.''

* ''VideoGame/RhythmHeaven'': In ''Megamix'''s Final Remix, if you try to cheese your way through the "Clap Trap" segment by repeatedly tapping/pressing A, the game will penalize you by locking out your inputs for the duration of the subsequent "Jungle Gymnast" and "Karate Man Senior" segments.

[[folder:Beat 'Em Up]]

*** In ''Pokemon [=FireRed=] And [=LeafGreen=]'', if you hack Mew or Deoxys into the game to skip having to need the events for them, since they don't get a special flag otherwise, they will disobey your every command. {{Downplayed|Trope}} in the sense that the anti-cheat measure only worked if you directly hacked them into your game. Hacking to teleport to their location and catching them there wouldn't.

*** ''VideoGame/PokemonDiamondAndPearl'': This is the reason why ''Diamond and Pearl'' never got Oak's Letter or the Member Card released for the Shaymin and Darkrai events. Players were getting them all the time through tweaking and surf glitch, so Game Freak just gave out events by wi-fi instead. Also, getting Shaymin by the glitch methods doesn't trigger the fateful encounter flag, so you can't get the Gracidea flower to change its form.
*** ''[[VideoGame/PokemonStadium Pokémon Battle Revolution]]'': Used the statbreaker glitch to hack your mons' stats or imported obviously hacked pokémon? Then in ''Battle Revolution'', all those pokémon are now just Bad Eggs, essentially making them useless for the game. They only go away once the offending Pokémon has left the DS game and its stock is reuploaded.

*** Cheat in the game, and after beating the champion, you will be arrested, just before you register your team in the Hall of Fame. This effectively soft-locks your game, trapping your character in a jail cell forever. There's a noose in the corner, labeled [[DrivenToSuicide "the easy way out"]], but using it ''deletes your save file''. Note that things like emulator save states are fair game; the game will do this only if you do stuff like hacking items in or getting Legendary Pokemon you have no possible way to obtain before becoming Champion illegitimately.
*** As of Version 1.2, '''''DO NOT EVEN BOTHER''''' trying to activate a "Walk Through Walls" cheat in an attempt to skip some of the obstacles or get into a place where you have no business being in before you even complete the Elite Four because if you pull that stunt, the game will immediately teleport you to that room. As in, straight away, no matter where you are when the code is activated. But, should you be stupid enough to do that, you can delete the code from your cheat list; merely disabling the WTW cheat is not enough because the game still thinks you have it on, thus triggering the failsafe. Though, if you didn't think to save your game and/or make a save state before you activated the code, well... it really sucks to be you, in that case.

* 'The first "three" ''VideoGame/WanganMidnight Maximum Tune'' games will cost you a loss in story mode if you pull a NonStandardGameOver by turning your car way around. No longer the case from ''4'' onwards.

* 'The first "three" 'VideoGame/WanganMidnight Maximum Tune'' games will cost you a loss in story mode if you pull a NonStandardGameOver by turning your car way around. No longer the case from ''4'' onwards.

* ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAuto'' routinely prevents you from get HundredPercentCompletion should you cheat, at least in the later games (''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoIII'' onwards). (Although nobody's sure if that was a coding error or deliberately put there.)

** If you activate the cheat that causes every NPC in the game to become an active combatant in ''[[VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoSanAndreas San Andreas]]'', the mission to prevent Madd Dogg's suicide becomes impossible and the game {{Unwinnable}}. Plus, there's no way to disable the cheat once it's activated, so if you activate it and then save, it's impossible to reach the end of the story, and you have to load a new save file. Quite harsh considering it happens in the final third of the game.

* The original ''VideoGame/FZero'' has, in at least one course, a massive shortcut you can take by hitting a jump pad at full speed and turning hard right to land on the track opposite of you - but a flying saucer will take your machine and drop it off where it's supposed to be, thereby negating your progress. In ''F-Zero GX'', taking such a shortcut without some clever exploitation of the course's hidden checkpoints will cause your machine to simply explode.

* In ''VideoGameTonyHawksProSkater 2'' (and possibly other games in that series), using any cheat will result in your picture (next to your score) being stamped with the word "POSEUR". It doesn't appear to do anything else, though.

* In ''Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2'' (and possibly other games in that series), using any cheat will result in your picture (next to your score) being stamped with the word "POSEUR". It doesn't appear to do anything else, though.

* A strip of the webcomic ''Webcomic/KidRadd'' spoofed this with them entering an ''VideoGame/EarthBound''-like game, and beating the boss in a way that the game coding did not allow. They got sent to a BadEnding for those who used cheat devices.

** ''Bloons Tower Defense 6'': While you can always quit out to the home page midgame in case of a leak about to happen, if you attempt this on [[HarderThanHard C.H.I.M.P.S.]], clearing the mode would only give you the red C.H.I.M.P.S. medal when you reloaded it and if you cleared the other game modes for that map, only a gold border rather than the pristine black border.

[[folder:First Person Shooter]]

[[folder:Third Person Shooter]]

* Freeware ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog'' fangame ''Sonic Gather Battle'' quickly gained infamy for having a ludicrously invasive anti-cheat DRM. This includes invading your computer to steal information such as your IP address to upload to a cloud server, changing files in your OS' registry, and force-closing your internet browser if you even so much as type "cheat" or "hack" into it. It's so bad, that the game is considered by many to be malware disguised as a game.

* ''VideoGame/BloonsTDBattles'' has no mercy if you cheat, especially if you're on mobile or Steam. If the mobile version detects you have been using cheats to get tons of medallions, earn a lot of battle energy, or if you play the game on a jailbroken device, then the game will look normal, but you are actually sent into a hacker pool where you can only play against other hackers in the hacker pool and won't be able to earn medallion rewards from weekly leaderboards or be able to join clans. Both versions (flash and mobile) also detects hacks throughout the game and instantly disconnects you if you use a hack to place towers or upgrade towers for free.

* ''Treasure Master'' was a game developed for a contest that gave you a chance to win real money and prizes, so attempting to play it through a Game Genie would cause the game to refuse to load.

*** Cheat in the game, and after beating the champion, you will be arrested, just before you register your team in the Hall of Fame. This effectively soft-locks your game, trapping your character in a jail cell forever. There's a noose in the corner, labeled [[DrivenToSuicide "the easy way out"]], but using it ''deletes your save file''. Note that things like emulator save states are fair game; the game will do this only if you do stuff like hacking items in or getting Legendary Pokemon you have no possible way to obtain before becoming Champion illegitimately.
*** As of Version 1.2, '''''DO NOT EVEN BOTHER''''' trying to activate a "Walk Through Walls" cheat in an attempt to skip some of the obstacles or get into a place where you have no business being in before you even complete the Elite Four because if you pull that stunt, the game will immediately teleport you to that room. As in, straight away, no matter where you are when the code is activated. But, should you be stupid enough to do that, you can delete the code from your cheat list; merely disabling the WTW cheat is not enough because the game still thinks you have it on, thus triggering the failsafe. Though, if you didn't think to save your game and/or make a save state before you activated the code, well... it really sucks to be you, in that case.

--->'''Clair:''' You did not get that at Dragon's Den. Trying to cheat like that... I'm disappointed in you.

*** It's impossible to transfer a Mew that was created with a glitch from the UsefulNotes/VirtualConsole [[VideoGame/PokemonRedAndBlue Generation 1 games]] or the Celebi Egg Glitch in [[VideoGame/PokemonGoldAndSilver Generation 2 games]] into Pokémon Bank, unless you go through [[https://www.reddit.com/r/pokemon/comments/5q4meg/how_to_trick_pokebank_into_thinking_your_gen_1/ a really elaborate process]] or soft resetting your Trainer ID to be 22796 with the name GF before you obtained the Mew.

** If you activate the cheat that causes every NPC in the game to become an active combatant in ''[[VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoSanAndreas San Andreas]]'', the mission to prevent Madd Dogg's suicide becomes impossible and the game {{Unwinnable}}. Quite harsh considering it happens in the final third of the game.
*** There's no way to disable the cheat once it's activated, so if you activate it and then save...