Spyro: Year of the Dragon (also known as Spyro 3) is the third game in the Spyro the Dragon series. It was the last Spyro game to be released for the PlayStation, as well as the last Spyro game developed by Insomniac. This is the only Spyro game on the PlayStation library to not be released in Japan.
Spyro is assisted by many characters during the course of Year of the Dragon. Sparx functions as the player's health meter and assists the player in gathering gems; Sparx is a playable character in certain levels. Also aiding Spyro is Hunter, who teaches the player game mechanics and is a playable character at special racing levels. Four other playable characters are freed from Moneybags during the game; these include Sheila the Kangaroo, Sgt. James Byrd the Penguin, Bentley the Yeti, and Agent 9 the Monkey.
Crash Bash Demo[]
There's a demo of Eurocom's Crash Bash hidden on the Title Screen of Spyro 3.
Crash Bash Demo | Hold L1+R2 and press Square. |
Miscellaneous Codes[]
- Enter codes on the Pause Menu
- Re-input the code to reverse the effects (Big Head, Flat Mode)
99 Lives | R2, L2, R2, L2, Up, Up, Up, Up, Circle. | |
Big Head Mode | Up, R1, Up, R1, Up, R1, Circle, Circle, Circle, Circle | |
Flat Mode | Left, Right, Left, Right, L1, R1, L1, R1, Square, Circle | |
Squid Skateboarding | Up, Up, Left, Left, Right, Right, Down, Down, Square, Circle, Square. | |
Extra Hit Point Early | Circle, R1, Circle, L1, Circle, R2, Circle, L2, Circle. | |
Sparx's Treasure Finding Ability Early | Right, Right, Left, Left, Right, Right, Left, Left, Circle, Circle, Circle. | |
View Credits | Left, Right, Left, Right, Left, Right, Square, Circle, Square, Circle, Square, Circle. |
Color Changing Codes[]
- Enter codes on the Pause Menu
- Re-input the code to reverse the effects
Black Spyro | Up, Left, Down, Right, Up, Square, R1, R2, L1, L2, Up, Right, Down, Left, Up, Down. | |
Blue Spyro | Up, Left, Down, Right, Up, Square, R1, R2, L1, L2, Up, Right, Down, Left, Up, X. | |
Green Spyro | Up, Left, Down, Right, Up, Square, R1, R2, L1, L2, Up, Right, Down, Left, Up, Triangle. | |
Normal Spyro | Up, Left, Down, Right, Up, Square, R1, R2, L1, L2, Up, Right, Down, Left, Up, Right. | |
Pink Spyro | Up, Left, Down, Right, Up, Square, R1, R2, L1, L2, Up, Right, Down, Left, Up, Square. | |
Red Spyro | Up, Left, Down, Right, Up, Square, R1, R2, L1, L2, Up, Right, Down, Left, Up, Circle. | |
Yellow Spyro | Up, Left, Down, Right, Up, Square, R1, R2, L1, L2, Up, Right, Down, Left, Up, Up. |
Main Game Difficulty Setting[]
This is one of the more interesting ones. Spyro: Year of the Dragon has a fairly complex system that can detect how well you’re playing the game, and will adjust the game's enemy placements and boss health according to your skill level. This is determined by values that raise and lower from a range of -40 to 30, which determines one of three difficulties. If you’re doing well collecting eggs, the difficulty goes up. If you’re having a hard time and failing constantly, the difficulty lowers. The following cheats force the game to set the difficulty to either Easy, Normal, or Hard:
Easy Mode | On the Pause Menu, press Circle, Square, Right, Left, Right, Square, Circle, Circle. |
Normal Mode | On the Pause Menu, press Circle, Square, Right, Left, Right, Square, Circle, X. |
Hard Mode | On the Pause Menu, press Circle, Square, Right, Left, Right, Square, Circle, Square. |
What's unique about this one is that, originally, it was thought that the code for normal mode set it to easy mode, and that no code for normal mode existed. This was proven false by YouTuber Hwd405 who released a video detailing this game's cheat codes, as well as correcting mistakes such as this one.
Minigame Difficulty Setting[]
This is similar to the difficulty setting above, but only affects the minigames' difficulty. This is measured by a variable from -1 to 2. It has four difficulty settings instead of three. This was also documented by Hwd405.
Easy Difficulty (-1) | On the Pause Menu, press Left, Right, Square, Circle Square, Right, Left, Triangle. |
Normal Difficulty (0) | On the Pause Menu, press Left, Right, Square, Circle Square, Right, Left, Circle. |
Hard Difficulty (1) | On the Pause Menu, press Left, Right, Square, Circle Square, Right, Left, X. |
Very Hard Difficulty (2) | On the Pause Menu, press Left, Right, Square, Circle Square, Right, Left, Square. |
Dialogue Test[]
Using the cheat code below, you can access a hidden function that allows you to choose between different voice clips from the stage that you're in, including a few unused ones for certain levels.
Dialogue Test | On the Pause Menu, press Square, Square, Circle, Circle, Square, Square, Circle, Circle. (Re-input the code to reverse the effects).The music will become glitched with a constant loop of the last audio clip you played until you leave the level or die. |
FMV Sequence Viewer[]
You can view any of the cutscenes in the game using this cheat. Once the code is input on the Pause Menu, it will automatically play the cutscene. Once it's finished, it will take you back to the level's starting location.
Opening | Up, Down, Up, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, Square, Left, Circle. | |
"An Evil Plot Unfolds..." | Up, Down, Up, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, Square, Left, X. | |
“A Powerful Villain Emerges…” | Up, Down, Up, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, Square, Up, Down. | |
“A Desperate Rescue Begins…” | Up, Down, Up, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, Square, Up, Left. | |
“No Hard Feelings” | Up, Down, Up, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, Square, Up, Up. | |
“The Second Warning” | Up, Down, Up, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, Square, Left, Square. | |
“Bianca Strikes Back” | Up, Down, Up, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, Square, Left, Triangle. | |
“Byrd: James Byrd” | Up, Down, Up, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, Square, Up, R1. | |
“Hunter’s Tussle” | Up, Down, Up, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, Square, Left, Right. | |
“Spike Is Born” | Up, Down, Up, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, Square, Left, Down. | |
“A Duplicitous: Larcenous Ursine” | Up, Down, Up, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, Square, Up, L1. | |
“An Apology And Lunch” | Up, Down, Up, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, Square, Left, Left. | |
“A Monster To End All Monsters” | Up, Down, Up, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, Square, Left, Up. | |
“The Escape!” | Up, Down, Up, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, Square, Left, R1. | |
“The Dancing Bear” | Up, Down, Up, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, Square, R1, Triangle.
(This code seemingly doesn't work properly, as it takes you to a glitched version of the Opening loading screen, soft-locking the game.) |
|
“Deja Vu?” | Up, Down, Up, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, Square, Left, L1. | |
“A Familiar Face” | Up, Down, Up, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, Square, Up, Circle. | |
“Billy In The Wall” | Up, Down, Up, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, Square, Up, X. | |
“One Less Noble Warrior” | Up, Down, Up, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, Square, Up, Triangle. | |
“THE END” | Up, Down, Up, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, Square, Up, Right. |
Teleportation Cheats[]
Once you’ve beaten the game, you can use these cheats on the Pause Menu to teleport to any level instantly.
Sunrise Spring Worlds[]
Sunrise Spring | Up, Down, Up, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, Square, X, Circle. | |
Sunny Villa | Up, Down, Up, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, Square, X, X. | |
Cloud Spires | Up, Down, Up, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, Square, X, Square. | |
Molten Crater | Up, Down, Up, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, Square, X, Triangle. | |
Seashell Shore | Up, Down, Up, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, Square, X, Right. | |
Mushroom Speedway | Up, Down, Up, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, Square, X, Down. | |
Sheila's Alp | Up, Down, Up, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, Square, X, Left. | |
Buzz's Dungeon | Up, Down, Up, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, Square, X, Up. | |
Crawdad Farm | Up, Down, Up, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, Square, X, R1. |
Midday Garden Worlds[]
Midday Garden | Up, Down, Up, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, Square, Square, Circle. | |
Icy Peak | Up, Down, Up, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, Square, Square, X. | |
Enchanted Towers | Up, Down, Up, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, Square, Square, Square. | |
Spooky Swamp | Up, Down, Up, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, Square, Square, Triangle. | |
Bamboo Terrace | Up, Down, Up, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, Square, Square, Right. | |
Country Speedway | Up, Down, Up, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, Square, Square, Down. | |
Sgt. Byrd's Base | Up, Down, Up, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, Square, Square, Left. | |
Spike's Arena | Up, Down, Up, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, Square, Square, Up. | |
Spider Town | Up, Down, Up, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, Square, Square, R1. |
Evening Lake Worlds[]
Evening Lake | Up, Down, Up, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, Square, Triangle, Circle. | |
Frozen Altars | Up, Down, Up, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, Square, Triangle, X. | |
Lost Fleet | Up, Down, Up, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, Square, Triangle, Square. | |
Fireworks Factory | Up, Down, Up, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, Square, Triangle, Triangle. | |
Charmed Ridge | Up, Down, Up, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, Square, Triangle, Right. | |
Honey Speedway | Up, Down, Up, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, Square, Triangle, Down. | |
Bentley's Outpost | Up, Down, Up, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, Square, Triangle, Left. | |
Scorch's Pit | Up, Down, Up, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, Square, Triangle, Up. | |
Starfish Reef | Up, Down, Up, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, Square, Triangle, R1. |
Midnight Mountain Worlds[]
Midnight Mountain | Up, Down, Up, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, Square, Right, Circle. | |
Crystal Islands | Up, Down, Up, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, Square, Right, X. | |
Desert Ruins | Up, Down, Up, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, Square, Right, Square. | |
Haunted Tomb | Up, Down, Up, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, Square, Right, Triangle. | |
Dino Mines | Up, Down, Up, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, Square, Right, Right. | |
Harbor Speedway | Up, Down, Up, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, Square, Right, Down. | |
Agent 9's Lab | Up, Down, Up, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, Square, Right, Left. | |
Sorceress's Lair | Up, Down, Up, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, Square, Right, Up. | |
Bugbot Factory | Up, Down, Up, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, Square, Right, R1. | |
Super Bonus Round | Up, Down, Up, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, Square, Down, Circle. |
Trivia[]
- Both Crash Bash and Spyro: Year of the Dragon share hidden demos of each others games on their title screens that require a code to access them.
- These were the last two games in both series to continue this tradition of sharing hidden demos in each others games, the previous ones being Crash Bandicoot: Warped with Spyro the Dragon and Crash Team Racing with Spyro 2.