Dinosaur Game Cheats and Console Hacks

Why the dinosaur game is so easy to hack

The runner is plain JavaScript running in the page, and it keeps its whole state on one object, Runner.instance_: current speed, the T-Rex, the obstacles, the distance meter and the function that ends the game. Anything on that object can be read or replaced from the developer console. There is no server to disagree, so the game simply believes whatever you tell it.

Opening the console

1. Open the game — chrome://dino in Chrome, or the dinosaur game page here.
2. Press F12, or Ctrl+Shift+I on Windows/Chromebook and Cmd+Option+I on a Mac, then click the Console tab.
3. On this site, the game lives in an iframe: use the context dropdown at the top-left of the console (it says "top") and choose the game.html frame.
4. Paste a command, press Enter, and press space to play.

The commands

Immortality

Runner.instance_.gameOver = function () {};

Collisions call gameOver; now they call nothing. The T-Rex runs straight through cacti. To restore normal rules, reload the page (or save the original first: var realGameOver = Runner.instance_.gameOver; and put it back later).

Speed

Runner.instance_.setSpeed(3);   // slow motion
Runner.instance_.setSpeed(13);  // the normal maximum
Runner.instance_.setSpeed(40);  // good luck

The game keeps accelerating from whatever you set, up to its ceiling, so a low number buys time rather than freezing the pace. To hold a speed, set Runner.instance_.config.ACCELERATION = 0 as well.

Jump height

Runner.instance_.tRex.setJumpVelocity(20);  // default is 12

Gravity

Runner.instance_.tRex.config.GRAVITY = 0.2;  // default 0.6 — floaty moon jumps

Set the score

Runner.instance_.distanceRan = 99999 / Runner.instance_.distanceMeter.config.COEFFICIENT;

This is the one that produces fake "world record" screenshots in two seconds. It is also why no serious record exists — see the world record page.

Bot mode

A bot automates the one decision the game asks of you. The simplest versions run a loop every few milliseconds, look at Runner.instance_.horizon.obstacles[0] — the next obstacle's position, width and type — and dispatch a jump or duck key event when it is within a distance that scales with the current speed. Better ones tune that distance per obstacle type and use the fast-fall. Open-source examples exist on GitHub; they are a nice first project for learning how the game works, and a poor way to claim a score.

Why hacked scores don't count

None of this is cheating in the sense of breaking a rule — there is no competition to break. But a score produced with gameOver disabled is not a score, it is a timer. If you want a number that means something, play the game as shipped and record the run. The how to play guide and night-mode practice will do more for it than any console command.