Being immersed in a game’s world, enjoying a new story and overcoming challenges are all big parts of gaming, but sometimes, you get sick of the challenge. Maybe we don’t always want to grind for that rare item or take the normal route to get from point A to point B. Sometimes, it’s fun to just try and break the game and see how much nonsense you can get away with. That’s where glitches come in. Not the kind that sends you through the floor or cause model problems, but the fun ones that can enhance gameplay or give you something new to do. It’s not cheating if it’s built into the game, right?
Every game has some kind of glitch, although the good ones are often tougher to find and can take some real fiddling. In newer games, many of the beneficial or “fun” kind are patched out quickly to prevent players from breaking the game and not enjoying it the way developers intended. However, the glitches you’ll find here are ones that can still be done today in these games, no matter where you’re playing them.
GTA IV – Swing Set Launcher
In Grand Theft Auto IV, certain swing sets are so powerful they’re capable of breaking the physics barriers and launching vehicles across Liberty City. All a player has to do is drive their vehicle of choice into a swing, although if you want to ensure little chance of player death or total car destruction, there’s a finesse to it. Hitting a swing head-on will often result in the player flying through the windshield due to the force and occasionally the engine catching fire. So, avoid hitting it with the front of the car. A similar glitch exists in GTA V, whereby driving at the right angle into any open automatic gate while against a wall can launch a car.
Ocarina of Time – Swordless Link
If you’re a fan of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time but have played it to death, Swordless Link is a fun glitch you can still find in both the original N64 and remastered 3DS versions. While there are a few methods to achieve this, the most common requires some setup, most notably waiting until the end of the game when fighting Ganon. You’ll need a full bottle or two with something that can be picked up when dumped, like a bug.
During phase two of the fight, Ganon knocks Link’s sword away. Empty a bottle and recapture what was in it. With the bottle still in hand, backflip and before Link hits the ground, hit the bottle button, then any other item button. It will glitch into the ocarina animation, allowing you to teleport away. You can now explore and play without a sword and experience some interesting graphical oddities, as well as other item and button glitches.
Super Metroid – Machball
This one is often used by Metroid speedrunners, as it makes Samus’ Morph Ball much faster, allowing her to reach places earlier than the game expects you to be able to. It’s easy enough to do too since all that’s required is Morph Ball. Simply make sure Samus is running, press and hold the jump button then release the directional button.
While still in the air tap down, then down again just before hitting the ground and immediately swing into the left or right direction. It’s easiest to do while jumping through certain doors as it can give you more time to make the transition. If done correctly, Samus won’t bounce in her Morph Ball mode and will be much faster than normal, allowing her to get through areas that would normally require the Dash ability.
Pokémon Red and Blue – Missing No.
By now, most everyone has heard about Pokémon‘s most infamous glitch. Usually made up of a mish-mash of other ones in the shape of a building, MissingNo could potentially mess up other Pokémon near it or make them disappear altogether. However, it has a much more interesting utility for players: MissingNo could duplicate items into infinity.
All that’s required to perform this glitch is being able to use Fly and having reached Cinnabar Island. Make sure the item to be duplicated is in the sixth item slot, fly to Viridian and watch the Pokémon catching tutorial the old man does. Then fly back to Cinnabar and Surf up and down the right-side coast. MissingNo will appear and duplicate your item. As a bonus, Pokémon appearing wherever you were catching last can also appear, making it easier to get those elusive Safari Zone Pokémon.
Super Mario Bros. – The Minus World
One of the earliest urban legend glitches was Super Mario Bros.‘ minus world. Like the Ocarina of Time glitch, this doesn’t serve much purpose outside of being a bit of fun. Getting there requires a little playing around. Reaching the end of World 1-2 as Mario, you’ll need to glitch yourself through the right wall into the Warp Pipe area.
First, break two bricks above the goal pipe and leave one touching it. Then, face Mario left and line up his right foot with the pipe entrance. Hold crouch, then jump and hold right so he’s heading towards the wall. It may take a few tries, but you’ll know when you get it right. Once in the Warp area take the right or left pipe, not the middle, and you’ll be in minus world.
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