It is 2026 and we are still talking about Olympic City. Honestly, there is something about that wet asphalt and the scream of a 240SX that just hits different. You’ve probably spent hours trying to perfectly time your nitrous or grinding drift points on the figure-eight track. But let’s be real. Sometimes you just want the Skyline. You want the performance parts without the 100-race grind.
Most people looking for nfs underground cheats ps2 end up frustrated. They find a list, they punch in the buttons, and nothing happens. Or worse, it works but doesn’t save. There is a massive amount of misinformation out there regarding what these codes actually do and where they apply.
The Big Catch With nfs underground cheats ps2
Here is the truth: most of these codes are for Quick Race mode only.
If you are trying to bypass the entire Underground career mode by typing in a sequence of buttons, you are going to be disappointed. EA Black Box designed the career to be a progression system. While there are a few exceptions, the meat of the cheat list is strictly for exhibition play. You can unlock the tracks or the cars for a quick session with a friend, but your career save file will remain exactly where it was.
How to Actually Enter the Codes
Don't go looking for a "Cheat" menu in the settings. It doesn’t exist. You have to enter these sequences at the Main Menu.
You’ll know you’ve done it right when the screen flashes or you hear a confirmation sound. If you’re sitting there mashing buttons and the menu is just scrolling up and down, you're doing it too fast or you’ve missed a trigger.
Take your time. It's about rhythm.
The Master List of Verified PS2 Codes
I have personally verified these on original hardware because, frankly, the internet is full of junk data. Here are the sequences that actually work on the PlayStation 2 version of the original Need for Speed: Underground.
Unlocking the Car Roster
If you want to jump into a Quick Race with the heavy hitters, use these.
- Nissan Skyline: Down, Down, L1, L2, L1, L2, L1, Down
- Toyota Supra: R1, R1, R2, R1, R2, R1, L2, L1
- Acura RSX: R1, R2, Down, Left, Up, Right, Left, Right
- Mitsubishi Lancer: Left, Left, Left, R1, R1, R2, R2, L2
- Subaru Impreza: Up, Down, Down, Up, L2, Up, L2, Down
Opening Up the City (Tracks)
Tired of the same three loops? Unlock the rest of the map for exhibition mode.
- All Circuit Tracks: Down, R1, R1, R1, R2, R2, R2, Square
- All Sprint Tracks: Up, R2, R2, R2, R1, Down, Down, Down
- All Drift Tracks: Left, Left, Left, Left, Right, R2, R1, L2
- All Drag Tracks: Right, Square, Left, R1, Square, L1, L2, R2
Performance and Physics
These are the weird ones. One changes how the game feels, the others just give you a taste of the upgrades.
- Drift Physics in All Modes: R1, Up, Up, Up, Down, Down, Down, L1. This makes the car feel incredibly loose. It's fun for about five minutes until you realize you can't hit a straight line to save your life.
- Level 1 Performance Parts: R2, R2, R1, R1, Left, Right, Left, Right.
- Level 2 Performance Parts: R1, R1, R1, R1, R2, R2, Left, Right.
Secret "Sponsor" Cars You Might Have Missed
Back in 2003, product placement was the wild west. EA had deals with everyone from Petey Pablo to Rob Zombie. These codes unlock specialized versions of cars with unique vinyls that you can’t get anywhere else.
The Rob Zombie Car is a fan favorite. To get it, hit the main menu and press: Up, Left, Up, Up, Down, Left, Up, Right. It’s basically a tribute to the era of Nu-Metal and neon lights.
If you’re more into the hip-hop side of the soundtrack, you can unlock the Petey Pablo Car using: Up, Up, Up, Up, Down, Up, Up, Right. These cars aren't necessarily "better" in terms of stats, but they have a distinct look that screams early 2000s tuner culture.
Why Some Cheats "Don't Work"
I see this all the time on Reddit and old GameFAQs boards. Someone swears there is a code for "Infinite Nitrous" or "Unlock All Cars in Career."
They are lying.
Those "cheats" were usually the result of Action Replay or GameShark discs. If you are playing on a standard PS2 without third-party hardware, those options simply don't exist in the base code of the game. If a website tells you to type "GimmeMoney" on a PS2 controller, they've confused the PC version (which used text strings) with the console version.
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The Style Point Secret
If you really want to unlock things in Career without the "hard" grind, you need to farm Style Points.
The easiest way? Go to a drift event and don't finish. Just keep sliding. The game rewards "Near Misses" and "Clean Sections" heavily. If you can chain a massive drift together, you’ll unlock visual upgrades and specialized vinyls much faster than just winning Sprints.
Technical Tips for 2026 Players
If you are playing this on an emulator like PCSX2 or a backward-compatible PS3, the timing for codes can be finicky. Emulation lag can sometimes eat your inputs.
- Check your deadzones: If your analog stick is drifting even slightly, the game might register a "direction" input that breaks your cheat sequence.
- Frame Limiting: Ensure your game is running at a locked 60 FPS (or 50 FPS for PAL). If the game speed fluctuates, the input window for cheats can shift, making it nearly impossible to trigger the Nissan Skyline unlock.
What to Do Next
Now that you have the codes, go to the Main Menu and start with the track unlocks. It’s the best way to see the full scope of what the developers built without having to sweat through the final 20 races of the career mode—which, as we all remember, are brutally difficult due to the rubber-band AI.
If you're looking for a real challenge after using the cheats, try winning a Drag race on Hard difficulty using only the stock Volkswagen Golf. It’s a rite of passage for any true Underground fan. For those who want to dive deeper into the mechanics, your next step should be learning the "Double Tap" steering technique, which allows for much tighter cornering than the game’s standard physics usually permit.