Cheats & Secrets - Celeste

Cheats & Secrets Guide for Celeste

Celeste does not contain traditional cheat codes (e.g., invincibility, infinite stamina, level skips via button combinations). The game’s developers intentionally avoided such systems to preserve the challenge and emotional journey. However, the game includes a variety of official accessibility features, hidden content, Easter eggs, and developer-intended secrets that serve as the closest equivalents. Below is a comprehensive list of all known hidden content and legitimate secrets.

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Official Accessibility & Cheat-Like Features

#### Assist Mode (Built-in)

Location: Pause Menu → Options → Assist Mode

What it does: Enables sliders for game speed (down to 50%), infinite stamina, invincibility, unlimited dashes, and room skipping (by holding right/left).

How to activate: Toggle Assist Mode ON. No requirement to unlock; it’s available from the start.

Notes: Using Assist Mode does not disable achievements or prevent story progression. It is the intended way to reduce difficulty without external cheats.

What it is: A developer debug console hidden in the game’s code.

How to enable:

In-game hotkeys (once enabled):

Caution: Debug mode can break saves and softlock the game. Use only for experimentation. Not available on consoles.

Hidden Collectibles & Secrets

What they are: Special hidden items used to unlock the final level (Chapter 9).

Count: 25 total (24 in main chapters + 1 in Chapter 9).

How to find: Each chapter (except 9) has a hidden heart, often requiring puzzle-solving or exploring off-screen paths. Chapter 9 itself has 12 hearts, but only 1 is required for full completion.

Secret: Hearts glow and emit a sound cue when in the same room. Use the in-game journal to track which chapters you’ve collected.

What they are: Customary collectibles; 175 total (including golden strawberries).

Secret: Some strawberries are hidden behind invisible walls or require specific sequences.

Golden Strawberries: Appear after completing a chapter normally. Collecting a golden strawberry requires completing that chapter without dying. Doing so unlocks a special medal and a secret message.

What it is: A single extremely well-hidden strawberry in Chapter 9 (Farewell).

Location: After the “>_<” block section, you’ll find a secret room by dashing into a specific wall that looks like a dead end.

Significance: Collecting it gives a hidden dialogue and a unique achievement.

Easter Eggs & Developer Hidden Content

Where to find: At the end of Chapter 3 (Hotel), in a secret room accessible by climbing the left wall after the first screen. A small green computer is there; press up to play a miniature version of the original Pico-8 game.

What it is: A fully playable 8-bit recreation of the original concept. You can exit by pressing `Esc`.

Secrets within the mini-game:

How to access: In Chapter 7 (Summit), before the final room, the player can detour into a hidden area. Specifically, in the room with the five pillars near the top, dash through the leftmost pillar to enter a small room with portraits of the developers.

What’s inside: A photo of the Maddy Makes Games team, a thank-you note, and a secret message: “Thanks for playing!”

In Chapter 5 (Mirror Temple), after grabbing the crystal heart in the secret area, the mirror at the end of the chapter shows a different reflection, hinting at Badeline’s backstory. This is a narrative Easter egg, not a gameplay cheat.

What it is: If you beat the final screen of Chapter 9 with the moon berry already collected, the game’s ending cutscene changes slightly, showing Madeline holding a moon berry and a different line of dialogue from Granny.

Built-in speedrun timer: Activated by completing a chapter without dying or loading saves. The timer appears in the menu. There is a hidden leaderboard on PC that tracks your personal bests (Farewell excluded).

What it is: If you complete the entire game (all A-sides) without dying, the credits roll with a special “No Deaths” checkmark. No gameplay changes, just a bragging right.

Hidden Gameplay Modifiers & Exploit-Free Secrets

Not official: The game has no built-in cheat engine, but the community created a “Variants Mode” mod (via Everest mod manager) that allows toggling infinite dashes, gravity reversal, low-friction, and more. This is not part of the vanilla game but is widely used among modders.

Developer stance: Not endorsed or prohibited, but the official Assist Mode covers similar ground.

With debug mode enabled, you can change Madeline’s dash type (e.g., infinite, super, ultra) by editing variables in the debug console. This is only for testing and not intended for normal play.

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Conclusion

Celeste respects its design philosophy: no god-mode codes, but extensive assist features and a treasure trove of hidden content for explorers. For players seeking the full experience without cheating, seeking out all crystal hearts, the moon berry, and the Pico-8 secret are the ultimate non-cheat challenges. If you absolutely want invulnerability, use Assist Mode—it’s the developer’s intended override.

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This guide was last updated for version 1.4.0.0 (PC/Mac/Linux).