Age of Empires 2: The Age of Kings Cheats for PC

Instant victory and more AOE 2 cheats for Windows and Mac

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By
Robert Earl Wells III
Robert Earl Wells
Robert Earl Wells III
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  • University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Robert Wells is a professional writer and amateur game developer. His specialties include web development, cryptocurrency, and cybersecurity.
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Updated on 01/21/21

Age of Empires 2: The Age of Kings has seen multiple re-releases, HD remasters, and expansion packs since it debuted on Windows and Mac in 1999. 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, Mac, and PlayStation 2. There are separate cheat codes for Age of Empires III and Age of Mythology on PC.

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 don't work in multiplayer modes. In the HD version, enabling cheats disables 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 II: Age of Kings on PC

Age of Empires 2 Japanese Edition Cheat Codes

When you play 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

On the PC and Mac versions, the 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 mov (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 15 to 20 workers and 4 or 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 marketplaces near your allies, take advantage of trade carts to earn extra gold from long-distance commerce.
  • Food cost: When purchasing new units, 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 worry 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.