Running a galactic empire in Stellaris is an arduous task. One bad war, an economic spiral, or one neighbor with a suspiciously large fleet can turn a promising save into a slow-motion disaster. You may want to fix a mistake, or maybe even want to test a build. And sometimes, you just want to see what happens when your empire suddenly has more alloys than sense.
This is where Stellaris console commands come in. These cheats let you add resources, finish research, control empires, spawn ships, trigger events, or bend the galaxy in ways the normal game usually won’t allow.
There are a few things to know before you start. Console commands are mainly for the PC version of Stellaris, and the command console is available only outside Ironman mode. If you’re trying to earn achievements, cheats are not the way to do it, as they are treated as cheating for achievement purposes, which is exactly why Ironman blocks the console.
So here’s how to use Stellaris cheats, followed by the most useful console commands to try first.
How to enter Stellaris cheats
To use console commands in Stellaris, press the tilde key on your keyboard, usually the key above Tab and to the left of 1. On some keyboards, you may need to use Shift + Alt + C instead. Once the console opens, type or paste the command you want and press Enter.
If a command includes something in brackets, such as [amount], [empire ID], or [technology ID], you need to replace that with the value you want. Do not type the brackets unless the command specifically requires them. A lot of commands also need IDs. The easiest way to find those is with “debutooltip”.
After entering that command, hover over an empire, species, planet, fleet, or other game element to see more detailed ID information. This is a useful way to grab the specific IDs needed for more advanced commands.

Main Stellaris cheats
| Command | What it does |
|---|---|
activate_all_traditions |
Activates all Traditions. |
activate_ascension_perk |
Activates the specified Ascension Perk; pressing Tab reveals IDs. |
activate_gateways |
Activates all gateways in the galaxy. |
activate_relic |
Activates the triumph effect of a relic. |
activate_tradition |
Activates the specified Tradition; pressing Tab reveals IDs. |
add_anomaly |
Adds an anomaly ID to the selected celestial body. |
add_intel |
Adds intel toward a target empire. |
add_loyalty |
Adds loyalty toward a target subject. |
add_opinion |
Increases one empire’s opinion of another. |
add_pops |
Creates pops from a species ID on the selected celestial body. |
add_relic |
Grants a relic; typing all grants all relics. |
add_ship |
Creates a fleet with one ship of the specified design. |
add_spynetwork_value |
Adds infiltration progress to a spy network. |
add_time |
Adds a specified amount of days, months, or years. |
add_trait_leader |
Adds a trait to a leader. |
add_trait_species |
Adds a trait to a species. |
advance_council_agenda |
Adds progress to the council agenda. |
ai |
Toggles AI on or off. |
alloys |
Adds Alloys. |
annex |
Takes control of all worlds and starbases of a target empire. |
break_fleet_contract |
Returns a selected leased fleet to its original owner. |
build_pops |
Assembles pops on the selected celestial body. |
cash |
Adds Energy Credits. |
colonize |
Starts colonization of the selected celestial body using a pop ID. |
communications |
Establishes communications with empires. |
contact |
Starts first contact with all empires. |
create_megastructure |
Creates a megastructure in the current system. |
create_navy |
Creates a fleet using your most recent ship designs. |
damage |
Deals hull damage to ships in the selected fleet. |
debug_nomen |
Makes AI empires refuse player proposals. |
debug_yesmen |
Makes AI empires accept player proposals. |
effect add_building = |
Adds a building to the selected celestial body. |
effect add_deposit = |
Adds a resource deposit or planetary feature. |
effect remove_deposit = |
Removes a resource deposit or planetary feature. |
effect add_district = |
Adds a district to the selected celestial body. |
effect add_planet_devastation = |
Adds devastation to the selected celestial body. |
effect country_add_ethic = |
Adds an ethic to the player empire. |
effect country_remove_ethic = |
Removes an ethic from the player empire. |
effect create_archaeological_site = |
Adds an archaeological site to the selected celestial body. |
effect force_add_civic = |
Adds a civic to the player empire. |
effect force_remove_civic = |
Removes a civic from the player empire. |
effect remove_megastructure = |
Removes the selected megastructure. |
effect remove_modifier = |
Removes a modifier from the selected celestial body or empire. |
effect set_origin = |
Replaces the origin of the player empire. |
effect shift_ethic = |
Shifts the player empire’s ethics. |
effect destroy_colony |
Decolonizes the selected world. |
election |
Starts a ruler election. |
end_senate_session |
Passes or fails the currently voted resolution. |
engineering |
Adds Engineering research points. |
event |
Triggers an event ID. |
federation_add_experience |
Adds Federation Experience. |
federation_add_cohesion |
Adds Federation Cohesion. |
federation_add_cohesion_speed |
Adds monthly Federation Cohesion. |
federation_examine_leader |
Triggers a Federation succession. |
finish_arc_stage |
Finishes the current chapter of an archaeological site. |
finish_research |
Finishes all active research. |
finish_special_projects |
Finishes all special projects. |
finish_terraform |
Finishes all terraforming processes. |
food |
Adds Food. |
force_integrate |
Integrates a target empire into the player empire. |
force_senate_vote |
Ends the current senate recess. |
free_government |
Lets the player change governments without usual restrictions. |
free_policies |
Lets the player change policies and species rights without restrictions. |
grow_pops |
Adds growing pops to the selected world. |
hire_all_leaders |
Hires all leaders in the leader pool. |
influence |
Adds Influence. |
instant_build |
Toggles instant construction and upgrades. Use while paused. |
instant_specialization_conversion |
Toggles instant specialized subject conversion. |
intel |
Gives sight of the entire galaxy. |
invincible |
Makes player ships unable to take damage. |
max_resources |
Fills all resource storage. |
minerals |
Adds Minerals. |
observe |
Switches to observer mode. |
own |
Takes ownership of a selected fleet, starbase, planet, or specified planet ID. |
physics |
Adds Physics research points. |
planet_ascension_tier |
Changes the ascension tier of the selected celestial body. |
planet_class |
Changes the selected celestial body’s class. |
planet_happiness |
Adds happiness to the selected planet. |
planet_size |
Changes the size of the selected celestial body. |
play |
Switches player control to another empire. |
random_ruler |
Replaces the empire ruler with a random one. |
remove_trait_leader |
Removes a trait from a leader. |
remove_trait_species |
Removes a trait from a species. |
research_all_technologies |
Instantly researches all non-repeatable technologies. |
research_technology |
Instantly researches a specified technology. |
resource |
Adds a specified resource. |
skills |
Adds skill levels to every hired leader. |
skip_agreement_cooldowns |
Removes subject agreement cooldowns. |
skip_federation_cooldowns |
Removes federation law cooldowns. |
skip_galactic_community_cooldowns |
Removes Galactic Community resolution cooldowns. |
society |
Adds Society research points. |
survey |
Surveys all celestial bodies. |
techupdate |
Rerolls available research options. |
unity |
Adds Unity. |
unlock_edicts |
Unlocks all edicts. |
update_leader_pool |
Refreshes the leader pool. |
branchoffice |
Creates or takes control of a branch office on the selected world. |
minor_artifacts |
Adds Minor Artifacts. |
menace |
Adds Menace. |
imperial_authority |
Adds Imperial Authority. |
add_subject_xp |
Adds specialized subject XP to a target. |
effect unlock_council_slots = 1 |
Unlocks a council slot. |
astral_threads |
Adds Astral Threads. |
finish_rift_stage |
Finishes the current chapter of the selected Astral Rift. |
set_completed_rifts |
Sets the number of completed Astral Rifts. |
spawn_astral_rift |
Spawns an Astral Rift. |
Event cheats
| Command | Event / effect |
|---|---|
akx.8888 |
The Horizon Signal. |
anomaly.95 |
Voyager 1 / Solar Coordinates event. |
anomaly.186 |
Limbo. |
anomaly.2523 |
Gigantic Skeleton; grants a Skeletal Giant army. |
anomaly.3085 |
The Prince. |
colony_mod.101 |
Titanic Life Study: Success; allows Titanic Beast armies. |
crisis.50 |
Rise of the Sentinels. |
crisis.71 |
Sentinel Fleet Donation. |
crisis.105 |
Long live the Queen; spawns the Domesticated Prethoryn Queen. |
crisis.2400 |
Cybrex Return. |
crisis.4550 |
Star-Eater Firing; destroys the current system. |
fallen_empires_tasks.1 |
Fallen Empire sends a random gift. |
galactic_features.301 |
Fallen Empire mothballed fleet. |
nomad.1 |
The Nomads. |
precursor.98 |
Vultaum Home System Located. |
precursor.598 |
Yuht Home System Located. |
precursor.1098 |
First League Home System Located. |
precursor.1598 |
Irassian Home System Located. |
precursor.2098 |
Cybrex Home System Located. |
story.107 |
Amoebas Pacified. |
story.207 |
Crystals Pacified. |
origin.5605 |
Teachers of the Shroud; unlocks Shroud Beacon starbase building. |
leviathans.3103 |
Dreadnought Repaired. |
utopia.3000 |
Enter the Shroud. |
utopia.3021 |
Avatar army. |
utopia.3190 |
The Chosen One. |
utopia.3304 |
Whisperers in the Void covenant option. |
utopia.3305 |
Composer of Strands covenant option. |
utopia.3306 |
Eater of Worlds covenant option. |
utopia.3307 |
Instrument of Desire covenant option. |
syndaw.545 |
A Question; starts AI-Related Incidents. |
syndaw.1000 |
Machine Uprising. |
marauder.85 |
Mercenaries Become Available. |
distar.172 |
Neural Symbiosis; Brain Slug Host trait option. |
distar.212 |
Death of the Matriarch rewards. |
distar.260 |
Wild Eukaryotes. |
distar.1001 |
Paradise Lost. |
distar.1081 |
Azizians. |
distar.2050 |
Alien Entity; spawns the Enigmatic Cache. |
distar.3014 |
The Nivlac, unfriendly version. |
distar.3016 |
The Nivlac, friendly version. |
distar.3055 |
Alien Box Opened. |
distar.5006 |
The Voidspawn. |
distar.5012 |
Gargantuan Evolution. |
graygoo.400 |
A Quiet Stroll; encounter Gray. |
ancrel.4000 |
Whispers in the Stone archaeology site. |
ancrel.4058 |
The Sentinels; option to gain Sentinel armies. |
ancrel.6130 |
Zarqulan’s Chosen. |
ancrel.10050 |
Secrets of the Yuht. |
aquatics.120 |
The Time Has Come; Dragon Hatchery option. |
paragon.3999 |
Arrival; spawns the Talon. |
Galaxy cheats
| Command | Event / effect |
|---|---|
galcom.16 |
The Birth of the Galactic Community. |
action.99 |
Establishes the Galactic Market in the capital system. |
crisis.199 |
Spawns the Prethoryn Scourge. |
crisis.1000 |
Spawns the Unbidden. |
crisis.1100 |
Spawns the Aberrant. |
crisis.1200 |
Spawns the Vehement. |
crisis.2000 |
Spawns the Contingency. |
fallen_empires_awakening.1 |
Awakens a Fallen Empire. |
galactic_features.401 |
Space Storm Hits Galaxy. |
galactic_features.403 |
Space Storm Dissipates. |
utopia.3308 |
End of the Cycle covenant option. |
utopia.3320 |
The Reckoning. |
fallen_machine_empire.1 |
Ancient Caretakers Awaken. |
marauder.500 |
The Drums of War. |
distar.232 |
Junk Ratlings; creates the Ketling species if conditions are met. |
distar.236 |
Junk Ratlings; creates the Ketling Star Pack empire if conditions are met. |
distar.11000 |
Spawns a sealed L-Cluster. |
distar.13000 |
L-Cluster L-Drake outcome. |
graygoo.1 |
L-Cluster Gray Tempest outcome. |
graygoo.100 |
L-Cluster Dessanu Consonance outcome. |
Edict, building, and paragon cheats
| Command | What it grants |
|---|---|
anomaly.4051 |
Improved Working Environment. |
anomaly.4081 |
Extensive Sensor Searches. |
anomaly.4105 |
Improved Energy Initiative. |
anomaly.4136 |
Master’s Teachings: The Greater Good. |
anomaly.4141 |
Master’s Teachings: Philosophical Mindset. |
anomaly.4151 |
Master’s Teachings: Diplomatic Trust. |
anomaly.4166 |
Master’s Teachings: Warring States. |
leviathans.322 |
Ministry of Culture. |
ancrel.10004 |
Auto-Forge. |
ancrel.10005 |
Sky-Dome. |
ancrel.10006 |
Dimensional Fabricator. |
ancrel.10007 |
Affluence Center. |
ancrel.10008 |
Nourishment Center. |
ancrel.10009 |
Class-4 Singularity. |
paragon.241 |
Contained Ecosphere. |
galactic_features.303 |
Tuborek. |
distar.156 |
S875.1 Warform. |
distar.245 |
Caretaker AX7-b. |
ancrel.4036 |
Oracle. |
paragon.1 |
The Beholder. |
paragon.228 |
Astrocreator Azaryn. |
paragon.3115 |
Keides, Scion of Vagros. |
leviathans.123 |
XuraCorp paragon. |
leviathans.124 |
Riggan paragon. |
leviathans.125 |
Muutagan paragon. |
leviathans.590 |
Curator paragon. |
enclave.7100 |
Shroud-Touched paragon. |
astral_planes.3100 |
Zadigal. |
Advanced gameplay and empire commands
| Command | What it does |
|---|---|
debugtooltip |
Toggles detailed tooltips for IDs. |
fast_forward |
Skips forward a specified number of days. |
warexhaustion |
Adds war exhaustion. |
tweakergui instant_colony |
Toggles instant colony settling. |
yesmen |
Makes AI empires accept deals and proposals. |
kill_country |
Kills the current or specified empire. |
planet_resource |
Adds a resource to the selected planet. |
add_ethic_pop |
Adds an ethic to a pop. |
remove_ethic_pop |
Removes an ethic from a pop. |
peace_on_player |
Forces an empire to offer peace. |
ticks_per_turn |
Adjusts ticks per turn. |
kill_leader |
Kills a specified leader. |
surrender |
Makes an empire surrender in a war. |
kill_pop |
Kills a specified pop. |
casusbelli |
Starts a Casus Belli against an empire. |
populate |
Fully populates free slots on the selected planet. |
effect |
Executes an effect script. |
kill_ruler |
Kills a specified ruler. |
factions.spawnall |
Spawns all factions. |
terraforming_resources |
Adds terraforming resources to the selected planet. |
reverse_diplo |
Sends a diplomatic action from another empire to the player. |
war_on_player |
Makes a specified empire declare war on the player. |
spawnentity |
Spawns an entity at the cursor location. |
run |
Runs commands from a .txt file. |
switchlanguage |
Switches or reloads localization. |
advanced_galaxy |
Simulates a year-2400-style advanced galaxy. |
game_over |
Ends the game with a specified victory type. |
mature_galaxy |
Simulates 100 years of galaxy development. |
deposits |
Prints deposit statistics. |
berserk_ai |
Sets AI aggression very high. |
ambient_object |
Spawns an ambient object. |
regenerate_border_colors |
Regenerates border colors. |
overnight |
Runs the game in overnight mode. |
remove_notification |
Removes current notifications. |
tweakergui terraincognita |
Reveals uncharted space. |
ftl |
Toggles faster-than-light travel. |
control |
Occupies a specified planet. |
copy_pop |
Copies a pop to the selected planet. |
resources |
Prints resource statistics. |
borders |
Calculates and prints map borders. |
gfxculture |
Changes graphical culture. |
clear_debug_lines |
Clears debug lines. |
techweights |
Prints technology tree weights. |
human_ai |
Toggles AI for human empires. |
planets |
Prints planet classes and counts. |
achievement_status |
Prints achievement status. |
ai_anomalies |
Toggles AI-only anomalies for humans. |
help |
Shows command help. |
test_achievement |
Tests an achievement trigger. |
attackallfleets |
Makes player fleets attack non-player fleets. |
debug_achievements_clear |
Debug command related to achievements. |
factions.showallfactions |
Prints all factions and stats. |
trigger |
Runs a specified test script. |
production |
Prints production debug info. |
path |
Finds paths between stars. |
eventstats |
Prints running event statistics. |
reload_galaxy |
Starts a new game. |
smooth |
Toggles graphical frame smoothing. |
particle_editor |
Opens the particle editor. |
filewatcher |
Toggles filewatcher. |
goto |
Moves camera to X/Y coordinates. |
reload_graphical_map |
Reloads the graphical map. |
info |
Toggles debug info. |
blend_post_effect |
Blends into a post-effect setting. |
debug_achievements |
Debug achievement command. |
memtest |
Tests for memory leaks. |
threading.taskthreadscount |
Prints thread usage. |
alienfx |
Attempts AlienFX integration. |
reloadfx |
Reloads shaders. |
check_save |
Checks save consistency. |
democratic_election |
Starts a democratic election. |
eventscopes |
Prints event scope trees. |
audio.playeffect |
Plays a sound effect. |
recalc_fleet_presence |
Recalculates fleet presence cache. |
crash |
Crashes the game. |
fullscreen |
Toggles fullscreen. |
wireframe |
Toggles wireframe mode. |
audio.setactivegroup |
Sets active audio group. |
factions.showattraction |
Prints faction attraction levels. |
message |
Prints message types. |
nogui |
Toggles the GUI. |
clear_debug_strings |
Removes debug strings. |
collision |
Toggles collision boxes. |
debuglines |
Toggles debug lines. |
debugtexture |
Debugs textures. |
hdr |
Toggles HDR rendering. |
map_names |
Prints map names. |
nomen |
Makes AI empires reject deals. |
nomouse |
Toggles scrollwheel behavior. |
scaling |
Toggles model scaling. |
srgb |
Toggles SRGB color. |
trigger_docs |
Prints trigger/effect information. |
particle |
Toggles particle debug info. |
rendertype |
Prints current rendering system. |
error |
Prints errors to log and console. |
guibounds |
Shows GUI element bounds. |
volume |
Sets game volume delta. |
hsv |
Converts HSV to RGB. |
trigger_file |
Tests a trigger script file. |
clearflag |
Removes an event flag. |
contacts_summary |
Hides holding status of Casus Belli on contacts screen. |
game_paused |
Toggles pause state. |
version |
Copies current game version to clipboard. |
audio.testeffectweights |
Tests sound effects. |
debug_dumpevents |
Displays fired events. |
debug_stats |
Displays performance stats. |
deltat |
Scales delta time. |
diplo_3rd_party |
Applies a diplomatic action between two actors. |
dump_ai_build_plan |
Shows what the AI intends to build. |
dump_origins |
Shows origins within the galaxy. |
human_anomalies_for_ai |
Lets AI access regular anomalies. |
helphelp |
Joke/no-help command. |
particle.miplevels |
Prints particle mipmap levels. |
particle.wireframe |
Toggles particle wireframes. |
players |
Displays human players. |
pp |
Adds minerals. |
rebuild_sectors |
Reconstructs sector boundaries. |
missilegfx.extratimepertick |
Increases duration of in-game ticks. |
missilegfx.slowdownradius |
Decreases missile radii. |
no_resources |
Removes all resources. |
pop_happiness |
Sets empire population happiness. |
instant_survey |
Toggles instant surveying. |
alerts.showall |
Toggles all UI alerts. |
ignore_truce |
Ignores truces. |
instant_anomaly_research |
Removes anomaly research duration. |
threading.taskthreadcount |
Displays CPU thread usage. |
one_year |
Fast-forwards one year. |
thirty_years |
Fast-forwards 30 years. |
Do Stellaris console commands work on PlayStation or Xbox?
No, not in the same way. The “console” in console commands refers to the PC command console, not PlayStation or Xbox hardware. So you should not expect to open the same command window and enter PC-style cheats.
Why won’t the console open?
There are a few likely reasons:
- You are playing in Ironman mode.
- You are using the wrong keyboard shortcut.
- Your keyboard layout uses a different key for the console.
- You are playing on a console version rather than PC.
- The game or launcher has input conflicts.
Try the tilde key first, then try Shift + Alt + C. Also, make sure the save is not in Ironman mode.






