How to Cheat on Plants Vs Zombies: Tips & Tricks

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Unlock unlimited sun, coins, instant recharge, & more
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Plants Vs. Zombies is a very popular game and has a very distinct style. You can take that style even further by changing the Zombies' costumes. Some of the later levels can be extremely challenging. While there are no in-game cheat codes, you can use a free program called Cheat Engine to hack the game and gain some advantages that will help you win. This wikiHow article teaches you how to cheat on the PC version of Plants vs Zombies.

Cheating in Plants vs Zombies

There are a few codes you can enter in the game to change the zombies' appearance. To truly cheat at the game, you can use a free program called Cheat Engine to gain unlimited sunlight, unlimited coins, instant plant recharge, plants immune to bites, zombies that die with one hit, and more

Method 1
Method 1 of 6:

Changing the Zombies' Appearance

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  1. Step 1 Start the game.
    You can use special codes to change the way the zombies look during regular gameplay. These codes do not affect the way the game plays, and you will not be penalized for activating them. You can use these cheats on any Adventure level.[1]
    • These codes also work on the Mac and game console versions.
    • To enter these codes on game consoles, press R2 + R1 + L2 + L1 on PlayStation, or RT + LT + RB + LB on Xbox.
    • In some cases, your Tree of Wisdom will need to be a certain height, or the codes will need to be given to you in-game before they will work.
  2. Step 2 Enter a code.
    Once you have started a level, you can use your keyboard to enter the following cheats. These will change the appearance of the zombies or the lawnmowers:
    • pinata - The zombies will explode in a shower of candy when they are destroyed.
    • mustache - Zombies will stop shaving and sport a fancy mustache.
    • future - The zombies have traveled from the future where everyone wears sunglasses.
    • daisies - Dead zombies leave behind a pleasant patch of daisies.
    • sukhbir - Zombies' cries for brains sound a little different.
    • trickedout - Give your lawnmowers a makeover with this code.
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Method 2
Method 2 of 6:

Gaining Unlimited Sun

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  1. Step 1 Download Cheat Engine.
    This is a free cheating program that allows you to hack and modify the assembly code of a variety of games. You can download Cheat Engine directly from the developer's website.
    • Cheat Engine comes bundled with OpenCandy, an adware service. If you don't want this, there is a link on the Cheat Engine Downloads page to download the program without the automated installer. This is the recommended way to install it.
    • Extract the RAR file into a folder on your desktop.
    • Cheat Engine works by injecting new machine code that alters the variables of various tasks that run on your computer. Your antivirus software may mistake this for a virus. You may need to set your antivirus software to allow Cheat Engine or temporarily disable your antivirus software.
  2. Step 2 Open Cheat Engine.
    Click the Cheat Engine icon in your Windows Start menu or desktop to open Cheat Engine.
  3. 3
    Open Plants vs Zombies in Cheat Engine. Use the following steps to do so:
    • Click the icon that resembles a magnifying glass over a computer screen.
    • Click the Processes tab.
    • Click PlantsVsZombies.exe or Popcapgame1.
    • Click Open.
  4. Step 4 Start a level in Plants Vs Zombies.
    The game will need to be running to allow Cheat Engine to make any changes. Open the game and then start the level that you want to cheat on.
    • Once the game starts, note how much Sun you start with (usually 50).
  5. Step 5 Pause the game and switch to Cheat Engine.
    To do so, press Esc on the keyboard. You can either uncheck the “Fullscreen” option in the Pause menu to play in window mode, or you can press the Win key to return to your Windows desktop.
  6. Step 6 Enter the amount of sun you have into the Hex value box.
    This will most likely be 50 or 75. Enter the amount of Sun you have in the box next to “Hex” in Cheat Engine.
  7. 7
    Click FIrst Scan. It’s above the Hex value box. This will scan the game in your computer’s memory for values that match the number you entered. They will be displayed in the box to the left. There will be too many values for you to know which one represents Sun.
  8. 8
    Return to the game and collect more Sun. Unpause Plants vs Zombies and either use or collect more sunlight.
  9. 9
    Pause the game and switch back to Cheat Engine. Once you have a new value for the amount of sunlight you have, pause the game again and switch back to Cheat Engine.
  10. 10
    Enter the sun value in Cheat Engine and click Next Scan. Again, enter the new Sun value in the Hex value box and click Next Scan at the top. This will narrow the values on the left to the ones that just changed to the new value you entered
  11. Step 11 Right-click the matching value and Add selected addresses to the address list.
    There should be one remaining value in the box to the left. Right-click and add it to the address list. The value will get added to the bottom frame of the window.
  12. Step 12 Check the box for the newly-added entry.
    In the list at the bottom of the window, check the box next to the entry you just added. The "Address" column should match the Address in the match list.
  13. Step 13 Change the value to a high number of sun.
    With the entry checked, double-click the value at the bottom of the screen, enter whatever value you want for your sunlight (“9999” should do the trick) and click Ok.[2]
    • You will see your new Sun amount appear in the game immediately.
  14. 14
    Return to your game. You will now permanently have the amount of sun you entered.
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Method 3
Method 3 of 6:

Gaining Instant Recharge

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  1. Step 1 Open Cheat Engine.
    Click the Cheat Engine icon in your Windows Start menu or desktop to open Cheat Engine.
  2. 2
    Open Plants vs Zombies in Cheat Engine. Use the following steps to do so:
    • Click the icon that resembles a magnifying glass over a computer screen.
    • Click the Processes tab.
    • Click PlantsVsZombies.exe or Popcapgame1.
    • Click Open.
  3. Step 3 Start a level in Plants Vs Zombies.
    The game will need to be running to allow Cheat Engine to make any changes. Open the game and then start the level that you want to cheat on.
    • Once the game starts, note how much Sun you start with (usually 50).
  4. Step 4 Pause the game and switch to Cheat Engine.
    To do so, press Esc on the keyboard. You can either uncheck the “Fullscreen” option in the Pause menu to play in window mode, or you can press the Win key to return to your Windows desktop.
  5. 5
    Click Memory View. It’s below the address window on the left in Cheat Engine.
  6. 6
    Right-click an address and click Go to Address. Right-click any function in the list and select Go to Address at the top of the menu.
  7. 7
    Enter one of the following addresses and click Ok. Depending on which version of the game you have, you’ll need to enter one of the following addresses:
    • Original PC Version: 0048728C
    • Game of the Year Edition: 00491E4C
  8. 8
    Double-click the first color text. This opens the assembly code function.
    • Game of the Year Edition: If the colored text isn’t “inc [edi+24]”, click Search in the menu bar at the top and then click Find assembly code. Enter inc [edi+24] and click Scan. Double-click the first entry that pops up.
  9. 9
    Change the code to one of the following and click Ok. You’ll need to change the code to one of the following:
    • Old PC Version: Change the “01” to “200” behind the comma. If there is no number behind a comma at the end, enter ,200 after the function.
    • Game of the Year Edition: add [edi+24],200
  10. 10
    Click Yes. This will remove a function from some of the code. This is normal.
  11. 11
    Return to your game. Now your plants will instantly recharge after you plant them, allowing you to plant as many plants as needed. [3]
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Method 4
Method 4 of 6:

Gaining Unlimited Coins

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  1. Step 1 Open Cheat Engine.
    Click the Cheat Engine icon in your Windows Start menu or desktop to open Cheat Engine.
  2. 2
    Open Plants vs Zombies in Cheat Engine. Use the following steps to do so:
    • Click the icon that resembles a magnifying glass over a computer screen.
    • Click the Processes tab.
    • Click PlantsVsZombies.exe or Popcapgame1.
    • Click Open.
  3. 3
    Start Plants vs Zombies and go to the shop. After you’ve beat level 3-4, you can access the shop from the title screen.
  4. Step 4 Pause the game and switch to Cheat Engine.
    To do so, press Esc on the keyboard. You can either uncheck the “Fullscreen” option in the Pause menu to play in window mode, or you can press the Win key to return to your Windows desktop.
  5. 5
    Divide the number of coins you have by 10 and enter it in the Hex value bar. For example. For example, if you have 12,300 coins, you would enter 1230 in the Hex value bar in Cheat Engine.
  6. 6
    Click First Scan. It’s in the menu bar at the top. This will display values from the game with the number you entered in the window to the left.
  7. 7
    Spend some coins in the shop. Switch back to the game and buy something in the shop. You can buy anything. You just need to spend a little bit of coin.
  8. 8
    Divide the new number of coins you have and enter it in the Hex value bar. Just like you did the first time, divide the number of coins you have by 10 and enter it in the “Hex” value bar.
  9. 9
    Click Next Scan. This will narrow down the values in the window to the left.
  10. 10
    Right-click the matching value and Add selected addresses to the address list. There should be one remaining value in the box to the left. Right-click and add it to the address list. The value will get added to the bottom frame of the window.
  11. 11
    Check the box for the newly-added entry. In the list at the bottom of the window, check the box next to the entry you just added. The "Address" column should match the Address in the match list.
  12. 12
    Change the value to a high number of coins. With the entry checked, double-click the value at the bottom of the screen. Enter whatever value you want for your coin and click Ok.
  13. 13
    Return to the game. You will receive 10 times the number of coins in the game.
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Method 5
Method 5 of 6:

Gaining One-Hit Kill Zombies

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  1. Step 1 Open Cheat Engine.
    Click the Cheat Engine icon in your Windows Start menu or desktop to open Cheat Engine.
  2. 2
    Open Plants vs Zombies in Cheat Engine. Use the following steps to do so:
    • Click the icon that resembles a magnifying glass over a computer screen.
    • Click the Processes tab.
    • Click PlantsVsZombies.exe or Popcapgame1.
    • Click Open.
  3. Step 3 Start a level in Plants Vs Zombies.
    The game will need to be running to allow Cheat Engine to make any changes. Open the game and then start the level that you want to cheat on.
  4. Step 4 Pause the game and switch to Cheat Engine.
    To do so, press Esc on the keyboard. You can either uncheck the “Fullscreen” option in the Pause menu to play in window mode, or you can press the Win key to return to your Windows desktop.
  5. 5
    Click Memory View. It’s below the address window on the left in Cheat Engine.
  6. 6
    Right-click an address and click Go to Address. Right-click any function in the list and select Go to Address at the top of the menu.
  7. 7
    Enter one of the following addresses and click Ok. Depending on which version of the game you have, you’ll need to enter one of the following addresses:
    • Original PC Version: 0053130F
    • Game of the Year Edition: 00541CDA
  8. 8
    Double-click the address at the top of the list. This will open the assembly code in the changer.
  9. 9
    Change the code to one of the following and click Ok. Depending on which version of the game you have, you’ll need to change the code to one of the following. If prompted, click Yes in the dialogue box.
    • Original PC Version: sub edi,[esp]
    • Game of the Year Edition: sub ebp,ebp
  10. 10
    Right-click an address and click Go to Address. Right-click any function in the list and select Go to Address at the top of the menu. You’ll need to change a few codes for this cheat.
  11. 11
    Enter one of the following addresses and click Ok. Depending on which version of the game you have, you’ll need to enter one of the following addresses:
    • Original PC Version: 00531053
    • Game of the Year Edition: 00542223
  12. 12
    Double-click the address at the top of the list. This will open the assembly code in the changer.
  13. 13
    Change the code to one of the following and click Ok. Depending on which version of the game you have, you’ll need to change the code to one of the following.
    • Original PC Version: jmp 0053105E
    • Game of the Year Edition: jmp 0054222d
  14. 14
    Right-click an address and click Go to Address. Right-click any function in the list and select Go to Address at the top of the menu. You’ll need to change a few codes for this cheat.
  15. 15
    Enter one of the following addresses and click Ok. Depending on which version of the game you have, you’ll need to enter one of the following addresses:
    • Original PC Version: 0053105E
    • Game of the Year Edition: 00542214
  16. 16
    Double-click the address at the top of the list. This will open the assembly code in the changer.
  17. 17
    Change the code to one of the following and click Ok. Depending on which version of the game you have, you’ll need to change the code to one of the following.
    • Original PC Version: sub ecx,[ebp+000000d0]
    • Game of the Year Edition: nop
  18. 18
    Right-click an address and click Go to Address. Right-click any function in the list and select Go to Address at the top of the menu. You’ll need to change a few codes for this cheat.
  19. 19
    Enter one of the following addresses and click Ok. Depending on which version of the game you have, you’ll need to enter one of the following addresses:
    • Original PC Version: 00530CA1
    • Game of the Year Edition: 00542214
  20. 20
    Double-click the address at the top of the list. This will open the assembly code in the changer.
  21. 21
    Change the code to one of the following and click Ok. Depending on which version of the game you have, you’ll need to change the code to one of the following.
    • Original PC Version: mov [esi+000000dc],eax
    • Game of the Year Edition: add [eax+40],edx
  22. 22
    Return to your game. Zombies will die with a single hit.
    • Zombies with shields and headwear will require an extra hit
    • This cheat only works in Whack-a-Zombie if you use an ice-shroom
    • This cheat does not work in Walnut Bowling
    • Killing a newspaper zombie may crash the game.
    • This cheat does not work on Last Stand’s shield and newspaper.
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Method 6
Method 6 of 6:

Gaining Immunity to Bites

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  1. Step 1 Open Cheat Engine.
    Click the Cheat Engine icon in your Windows Start menu or desktop to open Cheat Engine.
  2. 2
    Open Plants vs Zombies in Cheat Engine. Use the following steps to do so:
    • Click the icon that resembles a magnifying glass over a computer screen.
    • Click the Processes tab.
    • Click PlantsVsZombies.exe or Popcapgame1.
    • Click Open.
  3. Step 3 Start a level in Plants Vs Zombies.
    The game will need to be running to allow Cheat Engine to make any changes. Open the game and then start the level that you want to cheat on.
  4. Step 4 Pause the game and switch to Cheat Engine.
    To do so, press Esc on the keyboard. You can either uncheck the “Fullscreen” option in the Pause menu to play in window mode, or you can press the Win key to return to your Windows desktop.
  5. 5
    Click Memory View. It’s below the address window on the left in Cheat Engine.
  6. 6
    Right-click an address and click Go to Address. Right-click any function in the list and select Go to Address at the top of the menu.
  7. 7
    Enter one of the following addresses and click Ok. Depending on which version of the game you have, you’ll need to enter one of the following addresses:
    • Original PC Version: 0052FCF0
    • Game of the Year Edition: 00540680
  8. 8
    Double-click the address at the top of the list. This will open the assembly code in the changer.
  9. 9
    Change the code to nop and click Ok. If prompted, click Yes in the dialogue box.
  10. 10
    Return to your game. Your plants will be immune to zombie bites.
    • This cheat will remain even after you close Cheat Engine.
    • Plants are only immune to zombie bites. They are not immune to other types of damage.
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Community Q&A

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  • Question
    How to summon any zombies using the cheat engine?
    Community Answer
    Community Answer
    Change your game mode to I, Zombie by checking the ID of your current game mode. For convenience, I'll use 43 as zen garden and 50 for Tree of Wisdom. Go to your zen garden, type 43 in the value bar and do a scan. Then go to the tree and input 50 and scan again. You should have one address in the table on the left (if not, repeat the process). Double-click that address. Then, go onto any level and pick your plants. Change game mode value to 63 - 70 by pressing Enter with the address selected at the south table. You should be in the I, Zombie game mode. Drag a plant (seed packets don't change) and it should turn into a zombie.
    Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
     Thank you for your feedback.
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    Yes No
    Not Helpful 5 Helpful 26
  • Question
    Why I cant find the single address?
    Community Answer
    Community Answer
    Games like PvsZ have very good encryption to prevent people form hacking using cheat engine and similar programs.
    Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
     Thank you for your feedback.
     If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
    Yes No
    Not Helpful 17 Helpful 32
  • Question
    Is there a way to turn mustache mode off and undo my purchase of Stinky the Snail?
    Community Answer
    Community Answer
    Type mustache again to turn off zombies wearing mustaches, but you cannot get a refund for Stinky the Snail.
    Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
     Thank you for your feedback.
     If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
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    Not Helpful 8 Helpful 20
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Warnings

  • Cheat Engine may cause errors and glitches with your game, and even cause your game to crash. If your game gets too corrupt, you may need to uninstall and reinstall the game.
    Thanks
    Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
  • Cheat Engine may be detected by online gaming services such as Steam, Punkbuster, and Origin, and could result in your account getting banned. To be safe, do not run Cheat Engine while you are connected to any online gaming services.
    Thanks
    Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
  • "too hot" is a popular code for unlimited Sun thrown around online, but it does not work. You will need to use Cheat Engine to get unlimited Sun.
    Thanks
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References

  1. ↑ https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/pc/959255-plants-vs-zombies/cheats
  2. ↑ https://plantsvszombies.fandom.com/wiki/Hacking_guide
  3. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JtA_9lDI3R8

About This Article

wikiHow is a “wiki,” similar to Wikipedia, which means that many of our articles are co-written by multiple authors. To create this article, 23 people, some anonymous, worked to edit and improve it over time. This article has been viewed 360,861 times.
57 votes - 78%
Co-authors: 23
Updated: March 9, 2026
Views: 360,861
Categories: Multi Platform Games
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Reader Success Stories

  • Adarsh Naik

    Adarsh Naik

    Sep 8, 2019

    "This article helped me a lot and showed me how to skip levels in the game. Thank you."
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