Debug menu

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A debug menu is a section of a game that game developers use for testing a game and that can usually allow one to do actions unavailable in the actual game. Debug menus that have been left on a game's data are normally only able to be found using hacking devices such as the Action Replay or GameShark, but some may be found through glitches in the game or through cheat codes. Super Smash Bros. Melee, a popular game for the GameCube, has one of the more well-known debug menus. Some of the most popular debug menus are the ones found in many of the Sonic the Hedgehog games.


Options commonly found in debug menus include:

  • Editing of character stats
  • Ability to play any level, sometimes including levels not normally used in the game
  • Functions to test sound playback or view character models
  • Cheating options (infinite health, levitation, etc)
  • Ability to modify game parameters (e.g. remaining time, current power-up) during play
  • Ability to move the character and/or camera anywhere within the environment, disregarding hit detection
  • Ability to run the game in slow motion or advance one frame at a time
  • Display of various statistics, such as CPU and memory usage, during gameplay
  • Ability to create, delete, or change reactions of items


Many games have simple debug menus or debugging options built in that can only be activated by hacking. Developers, however, typically remove most of the debugging options from the final version. Versions which haven't had these options removed are called debug or developer versions. Usually these are not released to the public, but they are occasionally leaked. These versions generally contain extensive amounts of debug features, most of which are accessible from menus or simple button combinations. They may also contain additional unused content that is not present in the final version, such as test levels, and may use different data storage methods such as not compressing their files. These differences make these versions highly sought after by hackers, who can take advantage of the features and changes to easily locate and reverse-engineer the game data.

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