Cheat Engine works with Borderlands GOTY, but you need to disable the game's anti-cheat protection first and run both programs as administrator

Cheat Engine is a memory-scanning tool that lets you find and modify values in running games — health, ammo, money, and other numbers stored in your computer's RAM. Borderlands GOTY (Game of the Year Edition) on PC will block Cheat Engine by default because the game includes anti-cheat code. To use Cheat Engine, you must launch the game in offline mode, which disables that protection. After that, you attach Cheat Engine to the running game process and search for the values you want to change.

This process works on Windows 7, 8, 10, and 11, though Windows Defender and third-party antivirus software may flag Cheat Engine as a threat — it is not malware, but it does modify running programs, which is what antivirus tools are designed to catch. You will need to add Cheat Engine to your antivirus exclusion list or temporarily disable real-time protection while you use it.

Key Takeaways

  • Borderlands GOTY blocks Cheat Engine when you play online, so you must launch the game in offline mode through Steam's settings.
  • Run both Cheat Engine and Borderlands GOTY as administrator, or Cheat Engine will not be able to attach to the game process.
  • Your antivirus software will likely quarantine or block Cheat Engine, so you need to add it to your exclusion list before launching it.
  • Once Cheat Engine is attached to the game, search for the number you want to change (your current health, ammo count, or money), then modify it in the scan results.

Launch Borderlands GOTY in Offline Mode

Open Steam and go to your library. Right-click Borderlands: The Handsome Collection (or whichever Borderlands GOTY edition you own) and select Properties. Click the General tab on the left side. Under the Network section, check the box next to Offline Mode. This disables the anti-cheat system that normally blocks Cheat Engine.

Close the Properties window and launch the game normally. The game will start in offline mode, which means you cannot connect to online servers, but you can play single-player and use Cheat Engine without interference. If you do not see an Offline Mode checkbox, your version of Borderlands may not have anti-cheat enabled, and you can skip this step.

read and Configure Cheat Engine

Go to cheatengine.org and read the latest version of Cheat Engine. The installer is free and legitimate. Run the installer and follow the on-screen prompts. When installation finishes, do not launch Cheat Engine yet — you need to configure your antivirus first.

Open Windows Defender (or your antivirus software) and navigate to the virus and threat protection settings. Look for the option to manage exclusions or add an exception. Add the Cheat Engine installation folder (usually C:\Program Files\Cheat Engine) to your exclusion list. This prevents your antivirus from blocking or quarantining Cheat Engine when you run it. If you use a third-party antivirus like Norton, Kaspersky, or McAfee, the exclusion process is similar but the menu location varies — check your antivirus documentation for the exact steps.

Run Both Programs as Administrator

Right-click the Cheat Engine shortcut on your desktop (or find the .exe file in the installation folder) and select Run as administrator. Cheat Engine needs administrator privileges to read and modify memory in other running programs. If you skip this step, Cheat Engine will launch but will not be able to attach to Borderlands.

Make sure Borderlands GOTY is already running before you open Cheat Engine. Once Cheat Engine is open, you should see a list of running processes. Look for Borderlands.exe or BorderlandsPreSequel.exe (depending on which game you are playing) in that list. Click on it to select it, then click the Open button or the target icon to attach Cheat Engine to the game.

Search for and Modify Game Values

Once Cheat Engine is attached to Borderlands, you can search for values to modify. The most common targets are health, ammo, and money. To search for your current health, look at your health bar in the game and note the exact number. In Cheat Engine, select Value type as 4 Byte (most game values are stored this way), enter that number in the search field, and click First Scan.

Cheat Engine will return a list of memory addresses that contain that number. Take damage in the game so your health changes to a different number, then enter the new number in Cheat Engine and click Next Scan. This narrows the list to addresses that actually control your health. Repeat this process until only one or two addresses remain. Double-click an address to add it to the bottom panel, then change the value in that panel to whatever you want (9999 for maximum health, for example). The change takes effect when ready in the game.

For money or ammo, the process is identical: note your current amount, search for it, change it in the game, scan again, and repeat until you isolate the correct address. Some values are stored as 2 Byte or 8 Byte instead of 4 Byte, so if your first search returns too many results, try a different value type.

Troubleshooting Common Problems

If Cheat Engine says "Failed to attach to process," you did not run it as administrator. Close Cheat Engine, right-click it, select Run as administrator, and try again. If the game closes when you try to attach, your antivirus is still blocking Cheat Engine — check that you added it to your exclusion list correctly, or temporarily disable real-time protection while you work.

If you search for a value and get thousands of results, you chose the wrong value type. Try 2 Byte or 8 Byte instead of 4 Byte. If a value you modified does not change in the game, the address you selected does not control what you thought it did — go back to the scan results and try a different address from the list.

If Borderlands crashes after you modify a value, you may have changed an address that controls something other than the number you were targeting. Restart the game and try a different address. Some values are protected or calculated by the game engine, so changing them can cause instability.

Why Offline Mode Is Required

Borderlands GOTY includes anti-cheat code that detects when external programs like Cheat Engine try to modify game memory. This protection is active whenever you play online or connect to Shift (Gearbox's online service). Offline mode disables this check entirely, which is why Cheat Engine works only when the game is launched offline.

Playing offline means you cannot earn Shift rewards, sync your character to the cloud, or play multiplayer. Your character and progress remain on your local computer. If you want to go back online, close Cheat Engine and restart the game in online mode — your character will load normally, and the anti-cheat system will re-enable.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will using Cheat Engine get me banned?

No, because you are playing offline. Borderlands cannot detect Cheat Engine when anti-cheat is disabled. If you switch back to online mode, do not use Cheat Engine while connected — the anti-cheat system will see it and may flag your account. Stay offline while cheating, and you will not have any problems.

Does Cheat Engine work on the Epic Games version of Borderlands?

Yes, the process is the same. Go to the game's properties in the Epic Games launcher, look for an offline mode option, enable it, and follow the same steps. Some versions of the Epic launcher do not have an offline mode toggle — if yours does not, you may need to launch the game's .exe file directly from the installation folder instead of through the launcher.

Can I use Cheat Engine with mods installed?

Yes. Mods and Cheat Engine are separate tools and do not interfere with each other. You can use both at the same time. Just make sure the game is in offline mode before you launch it.

What if my antivirus keeps blocking Cheat Engine even after I add it to exclusions?

Some antivirus programs have multiple layers of protection. Try disabling real-time protection entirely while you use Cheat Engine, then re-enable it when you are done. If you use Windows Defender, go to Virus and threat protection, click Manage settings, and toggle off Real-time protection. Remember to turn it back on afterward.

Can I use Cheat Engine to modify my character's level or skill points?

Yes, the same scanning process works for any number stored in game memory. Level, skill points, and experience are all searchable values. The process takes longer because these numbers are often larger and may appear in multiple places in memory, but the method is identical — search, change in-game, scan again, repeat until you find the right address.