How to Add Cheats to Citron Emulator: A Complete Guide

Citron is a Nintendo Switch emulator built on the foundation of the now-discontinued Yuzu project. Like many emulators, it supports cheat functionality — giving players access to infinite health, unlocked items, speed modifiers, and other gameplay tweaks. If you're trying to get cheats working in Citron, the process involves a few moving parts, and whether it works smoothly depends on your game version, cheat file format, and how your emulator is configured.

Here's a clear breakdown of how the system works and what you need to know before diving in.

How Citron Handles Cheats

Citron uses a cheat file system based on the same structure as Yuzu. Cheats are stored as plain text files with a .txt extension and placed in a specific directory tied to each game's unique Title ID — a hexadecimal identifier that tells the emulator which game a cheat file belongs to.

These cheat files contain Patcher-style codes or Gateway codes, written in a format the emulator can parse at runtime. When a game is launched, Citron reads the cheat folder associated with that Title ID and makes those codes available through the emulator's interface.

This is different from how some older emulators work. There's no universal cheat database baked into the application — you're responsible for sourcing the files and placing them correctly.

Step-by-Step: Adding Cheats to Citron

1. Find Your Game's Title ID

Before anything else, you need the correct Title ID for your game.

• Open Citron and right-click the game in your library
• Select Properties or Information
• The Title ID will be displayed — it looks something like 0100ABF008968000

This ID is version-specific in some cases, so make note of the exact string shown.

2. Locate the Cheats Directory

Citron stores user data in an application data folder on your system. The path varies by operating system:

• Windows:%APPDATA%Citron or %LOCALAPPDATA%Citron
• Linux:~/.local/share/citron/

Inside that folder, navigate to:

load > [TitleID] > cheats 

If the cheats folder doesn't exist yet, create it manually. The full path for a Windows user might look like:

C:UsersYourNameAppDataRoamingCitronload100ABF008968000cheats 

3. Obtain Cheat Files

Cheat files for Switch emulators are widely shared in emulation communities. You're looking for .txt files formatted for Yuzu/Citron compatibility, since Citron inherits the same cheat engine.

Common sources include:

• GitHub repositories dedicated to Switch cheats
• Emulation forums and subreddits
• Game-specific modding communities

⚠️ Make sure the cheat codes match your game version (1.0.0, 1.2.0, etc.). Cheats are tied to specific game builds — using codes for the wrong version will either do nothing or cause crashes.

4. Place the File Correctly

The cheat file should be named after the build ID or simply named cheats.txt depending on the format used. Drop it into the cheats folder you created in Step 2.

Each cheat entry in the file follows a format like this:

[Cheat Name] CODE_LINE_1 CODE_LINE_2 

Multiple cheats can exist in a single file, each separated by their label in brackets.

5. Enable Cheats in Citron

Once the file is in place:

• Launch the game through Citron
• While the game is running, access the emulator's Tools or Emulation menu
• Look for a Cheats option — this opens a dialog listing all recognized cheats from the file
• Toggle individual cheats on or off using the checkboxes

Some cheats take effect immediately; others require a level reload or game restart to activate.

Variables That Affect Whether Cheats Work 🎮

Getting cheats recognized by the emulator sounds straightforward, but several factors influence the outcome:

The most common failure point is a version mismatch between the cheat file and the installed game dump. If cheats appear in the menu but do nothing in-game, this is almost always the cause.

Different User Situations Lead to Different Experiences

Someone running a freshly installed game at version 1.0.0 with a matching cheat file will usually have a smooth experience. A player who has applied multiple updates to their game dump, or who is running modded game files alongside cheats, may find that codes interact unpredictably — or not at all.

Technical skill level also plays a role. Editing cheat files manually, sourcing the right build-specific codes, and troubleshooting conflicts requires comfort with file systems and a basic understanding of how memory patching works. Users who are newer to emulation may find the process more trial-and-error than the step-by-step implies.

The emulator's cheat support is also an evolving feature. As Citron continues development independent of its Yuzu origins, cheat handling may be refined, extended, or restructured in future builds — meaning the workflow described here reflects current behavior rather than a permanent standard.

What works cleanly for one setup, game, and version combination may need adjustment for another — which is exactly why your specific configuration is the piece that determines the actual outcome.