In Stellaris, you control an empire that expands into the galaxy. It is a strategy game that requires a dexterous hand and a lot of patience. If you don’t have either trait, you can always use cheats.
Cheats have been around since the early days of video games and while they’re becoming less popular in mainstream games, they’re still mostly loved on PC in the form of console commands. This article describes some of the very best for Stellaris.
Enter a console command by pressing the ”’ key next to the ‘1’ key on your keyboard.
9 Take micromanaging to another level
| Assignment | Effect | Example |
|---|---|---|
| debug tool tip | Enables (or disables) the debug details | questionnaire |
This command is actually fantastic for two reasons!
First, it is an essential tool to be able to perform many of the other commands on this list, as it details the ID numbers of certain systems, planets, ships, etc. All you need to do is enter the command and hover over the thing for which you need the ID number. Then the ID number is inserted into the job as needed.
Second, it gives you a lot of information that you normally wouldn’t get about the moving pieces in your game. For example, think of a planet you inhabit. The game gives you a lot of important information, such as the crime rates on your planet, but the ‘Debug’ menu you get gives you more in-depth information, such as the rate at which your crime rate is increasing or decreasing.
8 Scientific Miracles
| Assignment | Effect | Example |
|---|---|---|
| questionnaire | You automatically explore all planets (requires at least one science ship) | questionnaire |
Surveying nearby systems is a crucial task at the start of a Stellaris game. However, it can also be time consuming and/or expensive. If you’re hoping to skip this unnecessary process altogether, you’ve got the console commands. By typing ‘survey’ into the command bar, you will automatically examine every system in the entire galaxy.
This has different uses in the early and late game phases. In the early game, it’s a great way to see where to start building star bases before your alien neighbors reach them first, or decide which system that takes a lot of resources to follow. In the late game, it’s a great way to get a head start on building a starbase in a newly abandoned system without having to spend time researching it.
7 The gold rush
| Assignment | Effect | Example |
|---|---|---|
| cash [amount] | Adds a specified amount to your energy credit stock | cash 1000 |
| max_resources | All your resource stocks are filled to the max | max_resources |
There are several commands to give you resources, but we’ll cover two of them here: one that: gives you any amount of energy credits (effective money) you want, and one that maximizes all your resource stocks.
Needless to say, these cheats are pretty important and not for people who just want a little boost to get out of a bad jam. We don’t judge either! We all love to feel like an unstoppable galactic overlord once in a while.
6 Read more about your enemies
| Assignment | Effect | Example |
|---|---|---|
| add_intel [target] [amount] | You get the specified amount of information about your target | add_intel 3 100 |
| information | You get information about the whole galaxy | information |
If you are a newer Stellaris player you may not have thought much about it the Intel source yet. Basically it is indicates how much you know about the relationships, systems, military strength, and more of another empire. Under normal circumstances, you can level up your Intel with another realm by sending spies on spy missions or by gaining the trust of that other realm.
Or, of course, you can just use a cheat. The ‘add_intel’ command gives you information about a specific realm, while the more general ‘intel’ command gives you maximum information about all other realms in the galaxy. The latter is similar to, but significantly different from, the search command. Research reveals information about unclaimed systems, while Intel reveals information about (and defog) systems claimed by another empire.
5 influencer
| Assignment | Effect | Example |
|---|---|---|
| influence [amount] | Adds a specified amount to your Influence stock | influence 50 |
If you want to conquer the entire galaxy, you need a lot of influence. It is used for many things, but mainly for claiming systems owned by another empire. Unfortunately, gaining more influence isn’t as easy as building more food production plants.
You could earn influence by breaking deals you’ve made with other realms, even making some of them your rivals, or you could use the ‘influence’ command to add any amount to your inventory. Whether you’re just using it to finish off and make one last claim before going into battle or you want to claim everything in the galaxy on day one, the command is yours to use.
4 The politician’s wet dream
| Assignment | Effect | Example |
|---|---|---|
| free_policies | The player can change the policy of his empire without restrictions | free_policies |
| free_government | The player can change government without time limit | free_government |
One of the reasons Stellaris is so compelling is that it has a robust government system, in which you must adhere to certain ethics and policies, otherwise you risk alienating your population and losing control. There are, of course, ways to change them naturally, but (like all government procedures) takes time and resources.
With the commands ‘free_policies’ and ‘free_government’ you can change those two systems completely freely, without time constraints or resource costs. However, you should be warned that just because you can change everything in the blink of an eye, doesn’t mean there won’t be consequences.
3 untouchable
| Assignment | Effect | Example |
|---|---|---|
| invincible | The player’s ships will not take any damage | invincible |
Combat and war are arguably the hardest mechanics to master in Stellaris. You’ll pick it up over time if you give yourself a chance, but maybe you just don’t feel like it today! That’s where the ‘invincible’ command comes into play.
The ‘invincible’ command, big surprise, makes it impossible for any of your ships to take damage. As is the case with most of these cheats, it can be used sparingly if you just don’t feel like going back to an old save, or too much to dominate all your opponents.
2 Big brother watching
| Assignment | Effect | Example |
|---|---|---|
| to observe | Observer mode is enabled; if the game is not interrupted while observer mode is enabled, an AI will control the player’s realm | to observe |
| play [empire ID] | Observer mode is disabled and the player controls the specified realm | play 2 |
Did you know that it is possible to just observe a game of Stellaris? It’s true! Not only that, but you can even change which empire you rule half way through a game! This fantastic performance is achieved with the ‘watch’ and ‘play’ commands.
When you activate observation mode, you can suddenly see everything about the game, as if you were playing every realm at once. Having this information can fully benefit the success of your own empire, but there are other, more creative ways to use it. For example, some players like to put all their custom realms together in a match to see which one is the winner.
1 Monopoly man has nothing against you
| Assignment | Effect | Example |
|---|---|---|
| own | The player gains control over the fleet, starbase, or planet you currently selected | own |
Last, but certainly not least, the ‘own’ command allows you to suddenly own anything in the game you want. Your enemy’s mightiest fleet? It is yours. Forgot to conquer one planet in your last war? You don’t have to worry. Did you just decide you like the look of that system? No questions asked.
Obviously this is pretty bananas – you could just own the whole galaxy with a few console commands! For a fun and engaging game it is best used conservatively, just when you need a quick dose of dopamine and a power rush.
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