You've probably spent hours trying to find a wild Xerneas or just wanting to skip the tedious grind of leveling up a team of six. It happens to the best of us. Playing on an emulator like Citra gives you a lot of freedom, but it also opens up a massive rabbit hole of potential glitches. Pokemon X cheats Citra users often look for are usually "Gateway" or "Action Replay" codes, and honestly, they are a mixed bag. Some work perfectly; others will turn your character into a glitchy mess that can't walk through doors.
People think it's as simple as copy-pasting a hex code into a box. It isn't. If you don't know the difference between an encrypted ROM and a decrypted one, or if you forget to enable the "Cheat" menu in the Citra nightly build, you're going to have a bad time.
Why Most Pokemon X Cheats Citra Codes Fail
The biggest headache is the version mismatch. Most people grab a code from a 2014 forum post and wonder why it doesn't work on their 2026 emulator setup. Pokemon X has multiple updates—v1.0, v1.5, and so on. If your cheat code was written for the base game but you’ve downloaded the eShop update, the memory addresses shifted. It’s like trying to find a specific book in a library after someone moved all the shelves three feet to the left.
You also have to deal with the Citra core itself. The emulator handles memory masking differently than a physical 3DS. When you input a Pokemon X cheats Citra command, you're essentially telling the emulator to force a specific value into a specific RAM address. If Citra is trying to use that address for something else, like rendering the 3D depth of Lumiose City, the game crashes. Simple as that.
The Infamous Infinite Money Code
Everyone wants the money. Buying 999 Ultra Balls or every outfit in the boutiques gets expensive fast. The most common code is the "Max Cash" hex. It's usually a single line of code that changes your wallet value to 9,999,999.
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Here is the thing: if you use this code while inside a shop menu, it often fails to trigger. You usually have to input the code, save the settings, and then trigger a "value change" in-game, like selling a single Potion, for the game to realize your bank account just exploded.
Wild Pokemon Encoders and the Danger of Bad Eggs
This is where things get sketchy. Using a cheat to force a specific Pokemon to appear in the wild is the holy grail for collectors. Want a Level 1 Mewtwo on Route 1? It’s possible. But these codes are notorious for creating "Bad Eggs."
In the Pokemon engine, if the data for a caught creature doesn't match the internal checksums—like having a move it can’t possibly learn or being caught in a location that doesn't exist in the encounter table—the game flags it. On Citra, this sometimes results in an egg that never hatches and can never be deleted, permanently taking up a slot in your PC box. It’s a nightmare. Always, and I mean always, back up your .sav file before messing with encounter cheats.
Setting Up Your Citra Cheat Menu Properly
Don't just jump in. First, you need to make sure your Citra is actually looking for the codes.
- Open Citra and right-click your Pokemon X game icon.
- Select "Properties."
- Look for the "Cheats" tab. This is where the magic happens.
- You'll see a space for the "Name" and the "Code."
The name doesn't matter, but the code needs to be formatted correctly. Most Pokemon X cheats Citra uses are Action Replay (AR) codes. They look like two columns of eight characters. If they have a "+" or are just one long string, they probably won't work unless you're using a specific cheat engine plugin.
The Master Code Myth
You'll see people online talking about "Master Codes" or "Enable Codes." On an actual 3DS with an Action Replay hardware piece, these were necessary to bypass the game's security. On Citra? You usually don't need them. The emulator handles the memory injection directly. In fact, adding a Master Code can sometimes cause more instability because it’s trying to "break" a security layer that Citra has already bypassed.
Common Glitches and How to Avoid Them
Walking through walls is probably the coolest cheat, but it’s also the fastest way to soft-lock your game. Pokemon X's script triggers are tied to invisible lines on the floor. If you walk "around" an NPC who was supposed to talk to you, the game might think you never reached that part of the story. You’ll find yourself in the endgame with no way to trigger the Elite Four because the game thinks you’re still in Vaniville Town.
If you use the "EXP Multiplier" cheat, keep it reasonable. Pushing a Pokemon from Level 5 to Level 100 in one battle sounds fun until you realize that your Pokemon won't obey you because you don't have the right gym badges. Plus, the stat growth can sometimes get wonky if the game doesn't calculate the EVs (Effort Values) properly during a massive level jump.
Real Talk on Rare Candy Cheats
The "999x Rare Candy" cheat is the safest bet. Instead of messing with the Pokemon's stats directly, you're just changing the quantity of an item in your bag. This is way less likely to corrupt your save file. Just make sure you have at least one item in the slot you're trying to overwrite. If the slot is empty, the game might get confused about what "quantity" it's supposed to be multiplying.
Solving the "Cheats Not Showing Up" Issue
If you've entered the codes and nothing is happening, check your "Emulation" menu at the top of the Citra window. There is a toggle for "Configure" -> "General" where you need to make sure "Enable Cheats" is checked. It’s a tiny checkbox, but it's the gatekeeper.
Also, verify your region. A US (NTSC) code will not work on a European (PAL) ROM. The memory addresses are different. It’s one of the most common mistakes. People download a "Mega Stone" cheat meant for the Japanese version and wonder why their game keeps freezing at the title screen.
Advanced Tweaks: Beyond Simple Hex
If you really want to get deep, you should look into PKHeX. While not technically an "in-game cheat" in the way a code is, it's the gold standard for Citra players.
PKHeX is a save editor. You take your main file from the Citra save folder, open it in PKHeX on your PC, and you can literally drag and drop any Pokemon you want into your boxes. You can make them Shiny, give them 6IVs, and even change the "Original Trainer" ID so the game thinks you caught them yourself. It’s much safer than active memory hacking because it validates the data before you save. If you create an "illegal" Pokemon, the program will usually show a little red alert icon, warning you that the Pokemon might crash your game or won't be tradeable.
The Actionable Path to Cheating Safely
If you’re ready to start modding your experience, do it in this specific order to save yourself the heartbreak of a lost 40-hour save file:
- Locate your save folder: Right-click Pokemon X in Citra and select "Open Save Data Location." Copy the
mainfile and paste it into a "Backup" folder on your desktop. Do this every single time before you add a new code. - Test one code at a time: Don't enable "Max Money," "Walk Through Walls," and "100% Catch Rate" all at once. If the game crashes, you won't know which one caused the conflict.
- Use the "Cheat" tab property: Stick to the built-in Citra cheat interface rather than external memory editors like Cheat Engine unless you really know what you're doing with pointers.
- Verify your Game ID: Ensure your ROM's Title ID matches the code's intended version. You can find your Title ID in the "Properties" menu of the game in Citra.
Using Pokemon X cheats Citra is essentially a way to customize your game. Whether you're a busy adult who doesn't have time to grind for a Shiny Froakie or a tinkerer who wants to see the map from outside the boundaries, these tools are there to enhance the fun. Just respect the code, back up your saves, and don't be surprised if a "Level 100 Arceus" makes the Gym Leaders look a bit pathetic.
Once you have your codes running, focus on the "All Medicine" and "All Berries" cheats first. These provide the most utility with the least amount of risk to the game's internal logic. Avoid the "National Dex Unlock" cheat until you have at least finished the main story, as forcing the Pokedex to update early can often break the Professor Sycamore story beats. Stick to the item and encounter cheats, and your journey through Kalos will be smooth, fast, and exactly how you want it to be.