Looking for a new edge in Dead Space? Those necromorphs can be tough to put down again, especially during challenging boss battles. Don’t worry! From the original game straight through to the astonishing Remake, we have the codes to help give you a boost. Here’s everything you need to know about conquering Dead Space.
Dead Space Summary
Dead Space is a survival horror series primarily following engineer Isaac Clarke. Along the way, he battles fearsome undead necromorphs and evil cults bent on sacrificing humanity. The series includes a trilogy of games, each set in a different sci-fi location, a future era of space exploration. There is also a remake and expanded version of the original game featuring new quests and other developments. Dead Space, particularly the first title, has been lauded for its atmosphere and well-implemented horror aspects.
Dead Space Premise
The Dead Space video game series is set in a distant future sometime during the 2500s. At this time, humankind is currently looking for new habitable spots in the galaxy after Earth has been essentially destroyed. The game follows a space engineer named Isaac Clarke, whose team receives a distress call. That leads them to the gigantic mining ship USG Ishimura.
The team quickly discovers that the ship is, well, dead in space, a floating apocalypse filled with hideous, hard-to-kill monstrosities. These monsters are formed from the bodies of dead people – eventually known as necromorphs. Clarke is quickly isolated and forced to navigate the ship alone, using his high-tech engineering suit for protection. He implements a variety of engineering tools to help fight necromorphs and find out if there’s anyone left to save. The monsters in Dead Space are infamously hard to kill unless you aim for their limbs, as opposed to the usual weak spots. This requires a bit more planning and the use of tools like stasis and kinesis.
Along his rescue attempt, Clarke stumbles onto strange conspiracies, paranormal ancient ruins, and a cult called Unitology. This cult embraces the undead flood of necromorphs, with an eye on twisted immortality.
As the games progress, the stakes rise and more secrets are revealed. Dead Space is notable for its evolving mechanics as the games progress. It moves from slower survival horror gameplay to faster, action-oriented gameplay, eventually including co-op play. The Dead Space Remake, released in 2023, is a return to form that embraces the original survival horror of the first title.
Dead Space Main Characters
Dead Space has several main characters that players will become acquainted with across the series. In the interest of protecting major spoilers, we’re not going to say everything about these characters. But here’s who you can expect to meet, work with, and play as:
Isaac Clarke: Isaac is a hapless space engineer thrown into cosmic horror events while out on a mission. He is forced to repurpose his tools and skills to fight the undead while making some very timely ship repairs. Unfortunately, the secrets he uncovers make him an ongoing target for enemies both living and dead. They also drive him a little insane.
Nicole Brenna: Nicole is Isaac Clarke’s girlfriend. She was originally assigned to the USG Ishimura, and was one of the people responsible for asking for help. One of Isaac’s goals in visiting the Ishimura is to discover what happened to her.
Ellie Langford: Ellie Langford is one of the few living survivors after the necromorph event on the Sprawl space station. She eventually agrees to work with Isaac so they can escape together.
Nolan Stross: Stross is a senior scientist in Dead Space 2 who is cared for by Ellie Langford and Isaac Clarke as they attempted to escape the Sprawl. Like Isaac Clarke, Stross struggles with a collapse into madness after exposure to the strange materials linked to necromorphs, but his condition appears to be much worse than Isaac’s.
John Carver: A soldier from Earth’s defense force who has survived multiple necromorph outbreaks. His wife led a key expedition to discover and stop the source of the necromorphs. While Carver has suffered trauma similar to Isaac Clarke, he has a more combat-oriented style when dealing with monsters. When the two meet in Dead Space 3, they quickly partner up to try and save humanity.
Jacob Danik: The Unitology cult developed many branches, but Jacob Danik rose as the leader of the most ruthless sect. He will stop at nothing to help humanity achieve ascension into a terrifying undeath, even if that means sacrificing them all.
Dead Space: Titles of Video Games in the Series
Dead Space includes the games:
- Dead Space (2008)
- Dead Space 2 (2011)
- Dead Space 3 (2013)
- Dead Space Remake (2023)
Note: There are a couple of tie-in titles for the Dead Space series, such as a no-longer-available mobile game from the studio IronMonkey. Since this content has little impact on the primary series, we’re not covering it here. However, players can explore comics and other content to pick up more of the story.
Dead Space Cheat Codes
Dead Space cheat codes can vary a bit throughout the games, and change a lot when it comes to the remake. Here are some of the most useful codes for each game, what they do, and how you need to input them.
Important note: If you see a code for Xbox, you can always translate it to PlayStation buttons if needed: X is Square, A is Cross, B is Circle, and Y is Triangle. Then the same process should work on PlayStation as well. If you’re on PC, try the same Xbox codes on your keyboard to see if they work — many can work across both platforms since they’re so interconnected.
Dead Space (2008)
To start using a cheat code in Dead Space, begin by bringing up the pause menu with the Start button or whatever equivalent button you have. This is different from going into your upgrade screens, which doesn’t typically pause the game. Then you can try codes like these:
- Refill oxygen in environments where you can suffocate: X X Y Y Y
- Refill your stasis and kinesis energy bars: X Y Y X Y
- Automatically give yourself 5 additional nodes for upgrading/unlocking: Y X Y X X Y X X Y X X Y
- Automatically give yourself 2 nodes for upgrading/unlocking: Y X X X Y
- Give yourself 1,000 credits: X X X Y X
- Give yourself 5,000 credits: X X X Y X Y
- Give yourself 10,000 credits: X Y Y Y X X Y
Dead Space 2 (2011)
It would be nice if the Dead Space codes worked on every Dead Space game, but they don’t. Codes were removed from the series after the first Dead Space, so if you try the same tricks in Dead Space 2, they won’t work. However, there are a couple of minor glitches you can utilize to stock up on money and supplies.
First, if you have the add-ons called Martial Law or Supernova, you can use them to get free credits with a little patience. Head into the shop at any store kiosk in the game, and buy one of the Detonator weapons for 0 credits — they should be free to purchase as part of the add-on bonuses. Fire all the minutes the Detonator weapon has, then use the secondary fire to recall the mines. This should place the mines into your inventory as ammo. Now go back to the shop, and sell all the mine ammo and the gun. Then purchase another Detonator weapon and repeat the process to get as much money as you need.
Second, you can find node-locked rooms near save points at several spots in the game, including Chapter 6, Chapter 7, Chapter 14, and Chapter 15. Unlock the rooms and you can pick up items including pricey semiconductors to sell, additional nodes (that part is important) and more. However, glitches at these locations reset the rooms when you reload the game. Clear out the stash, save, and reload: You should be able to visit the room again and once again collect your bounty. Please note this method may have been patched in some versions of the game.
Dead Space 3 (2013)
Dead Space 3 also removes any input-based cheat codes. However, some glitches present in early versions of the game do allow for a few basic tricks at the right times.
Throughout the game, you can find Artifacts to collect. In subsequent playthroughs, these Artifacts are replaced with goodies like semiconductors and other useful things. However, that change immediately happens when the location is reloaded. So all you need to do is find a door that leads to another location, walk through, and let that door close as the new location loads. Then go back through the door, and return to the spot where you found the Artifact. It should have reloaded as a resource. You can repeat this as much as you want.
Dead Space 3 also introduces co-op, which includes trading. Another glitch allows you to duplicate items if you trade with a friend. Give your friend an item through the trade menu, then complete the trade and immediately exit to the main menu. As you are doing that, have your friend save and quit using the pause menu. If you’re fast enough, when you reload the game you should both have a copy of the item you traded.
Dead Space Remake (2023)
The Dead Space Remake is an entirely different animal when it comes to cheat codes. The studio that remade the game removed all the original input-based cheat codes in the game. That means that none of the codes we discussed above for the 2008 game will work if you’re playing the remake. But all is not lost. There are a few tricks you can still use to help out during your gameplay. Keep these in mind when things start getting tough.
Find the Peng Treasure
Throughout the Dead Space series, there’s an item called the Peng Treasure that’s hidden in various locations. It can be sold at shop interfaces for an enormous amount of money. With all the cheats removed from this version of the game, Peng’s treasure is the best way to get some currency fast. The trick is that the treasure has been moved since the first game. Even if you found it before, you need to know the new location now.
In the Remake, find the Peng Treasure in Chapter 11, by which time you should be very familiar with kinesis. Visit the Cargo Bay via the Tram, and head down a floor to explore the cargo. Take out any lurking necromorphs here. Then, to your left, you should find an area where you can spot a green-light locker in the corner covered in stickers. However, there’s a pallet in your way. Move the pallet with kinesis, then open the locker to find the Peng Treasure. Sell it and reap the credits for your next big buy.
Learn Break Room Codes
While older codes don’t exist, the Dead Space Remake has its own little “cheat” system, which is enabled through gameplay and can technically be found by any player if they put all the clues together.
To start, you’ll need to access the break room in the Bridge, which you should be able to reach by elevator around Chapter 4 after your encounter with the mini-boss Brute. In the break room, you’ll find a glowing red circle on the floor. It looks like more Unitology madness, but it holds an important purpose. When you step inside the circle, you can input codes using either your Stomp button (feet) or your Melee button (hands). Since these inputs are based on normal controls, you can use them on any platform.
There are three different codes you can input from clues around the ship, although only one is particularly useful from a cheat perspective:
- Give yourself two power nodes: M M S M M S S M M M S S
- Unlock a lore-based text log: M S S S M S M S S S M S
- Unlock a lore-based audio log with a sea shanty: M S M M S M S M M M M S
Try not to push yourself out of the circle when using the codes or you may have to start over.
Dead Space Cheat Code FAQs
Let’s go over a few questions to help clear common issues up.
What’s the Best Way to Enter Cheat Codes in Dead Space?
Use the pause menu. Ideally, you want the game fully paused when you enter the code. This only applies to the original Dead Space, which is the only one that supports input codes like this. For the Remake, you’ll need to stand in the red circle in the Bridge break room before trying any codes.
Do All Cheats Work Across Different Platforms?
Most cheats should work across major platforms like Xbox, PlayStation, and PC. However, you may need to do a little translation to make sure you’re pushing the right buttons or keys. Some common glitches may have been patched out in versions of the game.
Does the Dead Space Remake Have Cheat Codes, Too?
No, not in the traditional sense. In the Remake, cheat codes have removed. There are codes available in-game that require you to Melee/Stomp in a certain location, but they don’t unlock much that affects your gameplay. Look at our cheat notes above to learn more.
Is There An Impossible Mode Glitch in the Dead Space Remake?
Currently, Impossible Mode in the Remake does have a glitch. Normally, this disables your resurrection ability so you can’t die – turning it into a hardcore playthrough. You get one save slot for Impossible Mode, but the game is pretty fuzzy about just when you can use it. With fast reflexes, you can immediately reload and save yourself from all kinds of dangerous situations. That includes taking a ton of damage, getting swarmed unexpectedly, or using unnecessary amounts of precious ammo. The re-load even works after you die if you’re fast enough.
The image featured at the top of this post is ©Steam.