Here are all the guides, tips, and strategies to enjoy playing Diddy Kong Racing with cheats and unlockables.
Cheats
Visit the Cheat Menu, then enter any of the following passwords. Then, go to the Code List and turn them on to enable the cheats you want to use.
Add Music Test to Audio Menu
Cheat code:
JUKEBOX
All Balloons Are Blue
Cheat code:
ROCKETFUEL
All Balloons Are Green
Cheat code:
TOXICOFFENDER
All Balloons Are Rainbows
Cheat code:
OPPOSITESATTRACT
All Balloons Are Red
Cheat code:
BOMBSAWAY
All Balloons Are Yellow
Cheat code:
BODYARMOR
Bananas Slow You Down
Cheat code:
BOGUSBANANAS
Change Horn Sound
Cheat code:
BLABBERMOUTH
Computer Is Better
Cheat code:
TIMETOLOSE
Display ROM Checksum
Cheat code:
DODGYROMMER
EPC Lock Up Display
Cheat code:
EPC
Four Wheel Drive
Cheat code:
OFFROAD
Free Balloon
Cheat code:
EOLAOBFENRLONE
Full Power Balloons
Cheat code:
FREEFORALL
Large Players
Cheat code:
ARNOLD
No Bananas In Multiplayer Mode
Cheat code:
NOYELLOWSTUFF
No Zippers
Cheat code:
ZAPTHEZIPPERS
See Credits
Cheat code:
WHODIDTHIS
Small Players
Cheat code:
TEENYWEENIES
Start with 10 Bananas
Cheat code:
FREEFRUIT
Two Players Use the Same Character
Cheat code:
DOUBLEVISION
Two-Player Adventure
Cheat code:
JOINTVENTURE
Unlimited Bananas
Cheat code:
VITAMINB
Weapons Disabled
Cheat code:
BYEBYEBALLOONS
Tips & Tricks
Big Zipper Boost
Just before running over a zipper, let go of the A button to receive a bigger boost (equivalent to 3 balloons).
Do a 180º Turn on the Spot
While backing up your car, push the control stick at a left or right angle and press R.
Go Faster In Cars
Rapidly press the gas button to exceed the 60 MPH speed limit and drive up to about 90 regardless of driver. This only works with car vehicles.
Turbo Boost at Race Start
After the announcer says “Get Ready” and the words start disappearing, press the A button to get a small turbo boost at the start of a race.
Unlockables
General
Adventure 2
Get the four original trophies to unlock the secret world. Go to the front of the lighthouse and honk. In this new area, get all the balloons and the final trophy (total: 47 balloons, 5 trophies). Visit the fifth world, Future Funland, and beat Wizpig.
The “Adventure Two” option allows you to race mirrored versions of all courses and collect silver-colored balloons.
Developer’s Times
Defeat Wizpig for the second time. After the ending and credits, a series of times will be listed. These times are the best times recorded (in Time Trial mode) by Nintendo and Rare staff during the production of the game.
Characters
Drumstick
Complete all challenges up through Dragon Forest. On the beach, run over the frog with the red label on its head.
Taj
Complete Adventure 1.
T.T. the Chronomaster
Beat all of the Time Trials to unlock T.T.’s ghost, then beat his record time in all 20 courses with the correct vehicle.
| Track | Record |
| Ancient Lake | 1:07.00 |
| Fossil Canyon | 1:37.00 |
| Jungle Falls | 1:08.00 |
| Hot Top Volcano | 1:35.00 |
| Everfrost Peak | 1:53.00 |
| Walrus Cove | 2:10.00 |
| Snowball Valley | 1:13.00 |
| Frosty Village | 1:44.00 |
| Whale Bay | 1:19.00 |
| Crescent Island | 1:39.00 |
| Pirate Lagoon | 1:34.00 |
| Treasure Caves | 1:10.00 |
| Windmill Plains | 2:22.00 |
| Greenwood Village | 1:46.00 |
| Boulder Canyon | 2:11.00 |
| Haunted Woods | 1:22.00 |
| Spacedust Alley | 2:12.00 |
| Darkmoon Caverns | 2:20.00 |
| Spaceport Alpha | 2:16.00 |
| Star City | 2:07.00 |
Wizpig
Complete Adventure 2.
Key Locations
Dino Domain key
On the “Ancient Lake” track, go straight ahead after Start to see the key sitting on a ramp between two Stonehenge-like monuments.
Dragon Forest key
On the “Boulder Canyon” track, get to the part of the track where you see a bell hanging from the ceiling. Power up your speed burst to level 3 (get three blue balloons). Turn around and face the bell from the “wrong way” and then hit the bell. The drawbridge in front of you should raise. Use your level 3 speed boost to speed up the raising drawbridge and get the key. (Make sure it’s a 2x burst, and be sure to jump right when you reach the top of the bridge!)
Snowflake Mountain key
On the “Snowball Valley” track, make an immediate left on race Start and head through the path in the mountains. Take a right to see the key in an alcove in the side of the mountain.
Sherbert Island key
On the “Crescent Island” track, take the left path on race Start. After the second zipper, head left into the water. Find the key in an alcove in the side of the mountain straight ahead.
T.T. Challenges
Darkwater Beach
Grab the Key on Crescent Island. At the first junction near Start, float on the water towards a pillar and go behind it for the Key.
Fire Mountain
Grab the Key on Ancient Lake. Look for a ramp on the left near the Start.
Icicle Pyramid
Grab the Key in Snowball Valley. Turn directly left or right at Start to the chasm where the key is hidden.
Smokey Castle
Grab the Key on Boulder Canyon. Level up a booster to 3, ring the bell to raise the bridge and quickly boost up the raised bridge to grab the key.
Diddy Kong Racing is a racing game developed by Rare and initially released in 1997 for Nintendo 64. An enhanced version was later released for Nintendo DS in 2007.
