“You and your friends are dead. Game Over.”

If you’ve ever played Friday the 13th on the Nintendo Entertainment System, there’s a good chance those words are permanently burned into your memory. Released in 1989 by LJN, this notoriously confusing horror game has frustrated generations of NES players with its unforgiving difficulty, cryptic objectives and, of course, Jason Voorhees himself.

But what if we could turn the tables on everyone’s favourite hockey-mask-wearing maniac?

That’s exactly what we’re doing today! Armed with the legendary Game Genie, we’re heading back to Camp Crystal Lake to experiment with some absolutely ridiculous cheat codes. We’re talking invincibility, turbo running, instant enemy kills, unlimited weapons and even… infinite children?!

Yes, that’s really a cheat. Don’t ask me why.

So grab your machete, keep an eye on those pesky zombies and let’s see what happens when Friday the 13th gets absolutely SLASHED by the Game Genie!

1. Invincibility – SZEXSYAX

Naturally, one of the first cheats worth trying in a notoriously difficult NES game is invincibility.

Enter SZEXSYAX into your Game Genie, and those irritating zombies wandering around Camp Crystal Lake suddenly become much less threatening.

Instead of taking damage every time one of these undead pests touches you, you’re free to stroll straight through them without a care in the world. Finally, some peace and quiet!

Unfortunately, there’s a rather important catch.

Jason Voorhees apparently didn’t get the memo.

The moment our hockey-masked friend showed up, he proceeded to beat the living daylights out of my poor camp counsellor before disappearing again. So while this cheat protects you against ordinary enemies, Jason can still ruin your day.

And as I quickly discovered, invincibility doesn’t help much when you fall into a pit, either.

Goodbye, counsellor number one. Your sacrifice will probably be forgotten.

2. Infinite Children – SZSLUEVK + IYKLSEAY

Now we’re getting into the really weird stuff.

One of the most bizarrely named Game Genie cheats I’ve ever encountered is Infinite Children.

To activate it, enter these two codes together:

SZSLUEVK

IYKLSEAY

If you’ve never played Friday the 13th before, one of your responsibilities is protecting the children staying at Camp Crystal Lake.

Unfortunately, Jason isn’t particularly concerned about their wellbeing, and he’ll happily attack them while you’re busy getting lost in the woods or trying to work out which cabin you’re supposed to visit.

Normally, allowing too many children to perish will bring your adventure to an unpleasant end.

But with this cheat activated, your children counter is effectively protected from Jason’s murderous activities.

Infinite children! What could possibly go wrong?

I’m sure their parents signed some kind of waiver.

Unfortunately, the cheat doesn’t stop that incredibly annoying alarm sound that plays whenever Jason attacks the kids. So while you no longer have to worry about running out of children, you’ll still have to put up with the constant beeping.

It’s a small price to pay for being the world’s most irresponsible camp counsellor.

3. Hit Enemies from Anywhere – AIKIUGEI

If there’s one thing that makes Friday the 13th particularly frustrating, it’s the combat.

Early in the game, you’re stuck throwing rocks at enemies. Unfortunately, these rocks travel in a ridiculous arc, meaning you can be standing directly in front of a zombie and somehow still miss it.

Enter the code AIKIUGEI, and suddenly your aiming problems are a thing of the past!

This cheat allows you to damage enemies from anywhere on the screen.

No carefully lining up your shots. No worrying about awkward projectile trajectories. Just hammer the attack button and watch the enemies take damage.

Best of all, this cheat also works against Jason himself!

During my testing, Jason decided to pay me a visit in the forest, only to discover that I could hit him without needing to get anywhere near him.

Who’s the scary one now, Jason?

For anyone who finds the original game’s combat frustrating, this is one of the most genuinely useful Game Genie cheats available.

4. Enemies Die Automatically – AESGXZZZ

Want to make the game even easier?

Try AESGXZZZ, a spectacular cheat that causes enemies to die automatically.

And when I say automatically, I mean it.

Zombies? Gone.

Cave dwellers? Finished.

Those strange creatures lurking around the lake? See ya!

Enemies effectively bite the dust the moment they appear on screen, turning Friday the 13th into a rather peaceful stroll through Camp Crystal Lake.

Even Jason isn’t immune to this ridiculous power.

During one particularly heroic rescue attempt, Jason appeared inside a cabin and immediately dropped dead before he could cause any trouble.

That’s right, I saved a fellow counsellor without having to lift a finger.

Unfortunately, my adventures came to an unexpected end when I got stuck in a boat on the lake.

For the life of me, I couldn’t work out how to get back onto dry land. Apparently you’re supposed to press up on the D-pad at the appropriate dock or cabin entrance, but it simply wasn’t working for me.

Whether this was caused by the cheat or my own spectacular incompetence remains a mystery.

Still, automatically defeating every enemy you encounter is pretty satisfying.

5. One-Hit Kills – AEOSOGZP

If watching enemies spontaneously drop dead isn’t quite exciting enough, perhaps you’d prefer to do the dirty work yourself.

Enter AEOSOGZP to enable one-hit kills.

As the name suggests, this cheat allows you to defeat enemies with a single successful attack.

Forget throwing endless rocks at zombies. One hit and they’re history.

Those weird lake creatures? One hit.

And yes, Jason Voorhees can also be defeated with a single blow!

This makes encounters with the game’s most dangerous enemy considerably less terrifying.

However, things became rather strange during my testing.

After defeating Jason twice inside cabins, he unexpectedly appeared again while I was travelling around the map. Naturally, I attacked him and immediately defeated him with a single hit.

Unfortunately, the game seemed to become stuck in its combat state, leaving me unable to progress normally.

Luckily, there was still a cabin visible on screen, and entering it appeared to resolve the problem.

So while this cheat is incredibly powerful, it can also produce some rather bizarre behaviour.

Then again, when you’re messing around with Game Genie codes, half the fun is seeing what breaks!

6. High Jump – GAEUZIAE

Sometimes you don’t need to be invincible or ridiculously overpowered.

Sometimes you just want to jump like an absolute maniac.

Enter GAEUZIAE, and your camp counsellors gain a significantly improved jumping ability.

Suddenly, hopping around Camp Crystal Lake becomes much more entertaining.

During my testing, Mark demonstrated some particularly beautiful jumping form.

Honestly, the technique was immaculate.

Mwah! Chef’s kiss!

Something I hadn’t initially realised was that the game’s different playable counsellors have their own strengths and weaknesses, so experimenting with different characters is worthwhile even without cheats.

But give everyone an enhanced jump and things become a lot more interesting.

And if high jumping alone isn’t exciting enough, why not combine it with our next cheat?

7. Turbo Running – SZVLGXOU + YPVLIXAV

Ever wished your Friday the 13th characters could move a little faster?

Well, wish no longer!

Enter these two Game Genie codes together:

SZVLGXOU

YPVLIXAV

This activates Turbo Running, dramatically increasing your character’s movement speed.

And let me tell you, the difference is immediately noticeable.

No more slowly wandering around the forest while Jason terrorises your fellow counsellors. Now you’re absolutely flying across the screen!

Combining this cheat with the High Jump code produces particularly entertaining results.

Suddenly, your character is running and jumping around Camp Crystal Lake like they’ve just consumed seventeen energy drinks.

It’s absolutely ridiculous, and I love it.

Unfortunately, increased movement speed doesn’t make you completely unstoppable.

Jason eventually caught up with me and brought my high-speed adventures to an abrupt end.

But hey, it was fun while it lasted!

8. Start With and Keep a Weapon – OUSESTOP + SZONASSE + ?AEAXYLA

Now this is one of my favourite cheats from the entire experiment.

Friday the 13th features several different weapons, but finding the better ones during normal gameplay can be a bit of a hassle.

Fortunately, there’s a brilliant three-line Game Genie combination that allows you to start with a selected weapon and keep it.

Enter the following codes:

OUSESTOP

SZONASSE

?AEAXYLA

The clever part is that you can replace the question mark at the beginning of the third code with a specific letter to choose your weapon.

Letter	Starting weapon
A	Torch
P	Knife
Z	Axe
G	Machete
I	Pitchfork

For example, if you want to start the game with a pitchfork, enter:

OUSESTOP + SZONASSE + IAEAXYLA

Naturally, I had to try the pitchfork first because I hadn’t encountered it during my earlier attempts.

And wow, what a weapon!

Instead of throwing pathetic little rocks, you’re suddenly hurling pitchforks across the screen like some kind of deranged medieval farmer.

Take that, zombie!

It’s a wonderfully ridiculous sight and an excellent way to experiment with weapons you might otherwise struggle to obtain.

You can also try the machete if you fancy giving Jason a taste of his own medicine.

Of all the cheats tested, this is one I’d particularly recommend to players who want to experience the game’s different weapons without spending ages searching for them.

9. Remove Every Enemy Except Jason – NNNSXX

By this point, I’d spent plenty of time running around Camp Crystal Lake, defeating zombies, getting lost, experimenting with weapons and occasionally being murdered.

But there was one thing I still wanted to accomplish.

I wanted to beat Jason and finish the game.

So I decided to bring out the big guns.

Enter NNNSXX, and every ordinary enemy disappears from the game.

No zombies.

No annoying forest creatures.

No strange lake monsters.

Just you, your fellow counsellors and the one enemy that actually matters.

Jason Voorhees.

This is a fantastic cheat if you want to concentrate on completing the game without constantly dealing with all the ordinary enemies wandering around the campsite.

It doesn’t remove Jason, though, meaning you still have to deal with his surprise appearances and attacks on the other counsellors.

And that brings us to one final, wonderfully overpowered Game Genie combination.

10. Jason Starts and Restarts With 1 HP – PAXENTAZ + PAEANYAZ

You know what’s better than defeating Jason after a long, difficult battle?

Defeating him with a single hit!

Enter the following two codes:

PAXENTAZ

PAEANYAZ

This combination causes Jason to start and restart with just one hit point.

That’s right. One measly HP.

The supposedly unstoppable killing machine of Camp Crystal Lake can now be brought down with the tiniest bit of damage.

Naturally, I combined this with the previous No Enemies Except Jason cheat to give myself the best possible chance of finally beating the game.

And it worked beautifully!

There is one small complication, however.

You see, defeating Jason once doesn’t actually mean you’ve beaten Friday the 13th.

Nor does defeating him a second time.

No, you have to defeat the big fella three times before the game finally decides you’ve had enough suffering.

Fortunately, when Jason has just one hit point, those encounters become considerably less intimidating.

And after all the confusion, cabin exploration, unexpected deaths and Game Genie experiments, I actually managed to finish Friday the 13th on the NES!

Even better, I only lost one counsellor along the way.

I’d call that a pretty successful camping trip.

The insurance premiums might be a little higher next year, but that’s somebody else’s problem.

And can we talk about Jason’s appearance in his death scene?

Why does he look like a moody SoundCloud rapper wearing a purple tracksuit?

Seriously, Jason, what happened to your fashion sense?

Maybe you’ll get me next time, buddy.

Friday the 13th NES Game Genie Codes: Quick Reference

Here’s a handy summary of all ten cheats explored in this article.

Effect	Game Genie code
Invincibility against ordinary enemies	SZEXSYAX
Infinite Children	SZSLUEVK + IYKLSEAY
Hit Enemies from Anywhere	AIKIUGEI
Enemies Die Automatically	AESGXZZZ
One-Hit Kills	AEOSOGZP
High Jump	GAEUZIAE
Turbo Running	SZVLGXOU + YPVLIXAV
Start With and Keep a Weapon	OUSESTOP + SZONASSE + ?AEAXYLA
No Enemies Except Jason	NNNSXX
Jason Starts and Restarts With 1 HP	PAXENTAZ + PAEANYAZ

Note: The weapon selection code requires replacing the question mark with the appropriate weapon letter from the table above. Multiple-line codes must be activated together. Some cheats can also produce unexpected gameplay glitches, particularly when affecting scripted encounters with Jason.

Is Friday the 13th on NES Actually Worth Playing?

Here’s something I genuinely wasn’t expecting when I started this experiment.

Friday the 13th is actually a better game than I thought it would be.

Now, don’t get me wrong. It’s certainly not perfect.

When I first saw that dreaded LJN logo, I was preparing myself for a truly miserable experience. The company has a reputation among retro gaming fans for publishing some rather questionable licensed games, and Friday the 13th is hardly remembered as an NES masterpiece.

But after spending a fair bit of time with it, I started to appreciate what the developers were trying to accomplish.

Think about the concept for a moment.

You’re exploring a summer camp where a dangerous killer can appear unexpectedly. You have to protect your friends, rescue children, search cabins, collect useful items and gradually become better equipped to defend yourself.

For a game released on an 8-bit console in 1989, that’s actually a pretty interesting survival-horror premise.

The atmosphere is surprisingly effective, too. The music and sound effects create a sense of tension, while Jason’s unpredictable appearances ensure you never feel completely safe.

There are even multiple playable characters with different abilities, giving you a reason to experiment with your approach.

Unfortunately, the execution leaves quite a bit to be desired.

The navigation system is confusing, the cabin interiors can be difficult to understand, and constantly checking the map becomes tedious.

The game also does a pretty poor job of explaining what you’re actually supposed to be doing.

At various points, I was wandering around lighting fireplaces, searching for mysterious cabins, trying to find caves and wondering why the children were disappearing faster than I could rescue them.

And those rocks. Those bloody rocks!

But despite all that frustration, there’s something strangely charming about Friday the 13th.

It was attempting a style of horror gameplay that was ambitious for the NES, and once you begin to understand its systems, there’s genuinely some fun to be had.

Final Thoughts: Does the Game Genie Save Camp Crystal Lake?

Absolutely!

Experimenting with these Game Genie codes transformed Friday the 13th from a confusing, occasionally frustrating horror adventure into a wonderfully chaotic playground.

Being able to run at ridiculous speeds, jump like a superhero, throw endless pitchforks and defeat Jason with a single hit makes the whole experience considerably more entertaining.

Some of the cheats are genuinely useful for players hoping to complete the game, while others are worth activating purely to see what kind of nonsense unfolds.

My personal favourites would have to be Start With and Keep a Weapon, Enemies Die Automatically and, of course, the hilariously named Infinite Children.

If you’ve never tried Friday the 13th on the NES, I’d actually recommend giving it a go with an open mind. You might be surprised by what this strange little horror game has to offer.

And if Jason keeps sending you back to that infamous Game Over screen?

Well, that’s what the Game Genie is for!

Now it’s your turn!

Did you ever manage to beat Friday the 13th on the NES without cheating? Which of these Game Genie codes would you try first? And do you think this game deserves its infamous reputation?

Let us know in the comments below the video!

Until next time, keep enjoying those retro classics and stay tuned for more gaming mayhem!