How Memory Scanning Actually Works on Switch
A Cheat Engine scan reads the console's RAM looking for values that match what you change in-game. You set a parameter like coin count to five, run a first scan, spend ten coins, then run a second scan filtering for the new value. You repeat until the list shrinks down to one or two results. Then you point a hex editor at that address and modify it. The theory is clean. It falls apart quickly in practice on the Switch, and I learned that the hard way trying to mod Mario Kart 8 Deluxe.
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Cheat Engine
Cheat Engine itself is a Windows application. It cannot natively run on the Switch. Any guide claiming you can just open Cheat Engine on the console is wrong. What actually happens is that people use a remote memory reading setup. The Switch runs a custom payload that exports RAM to your PC over the network, and your PC's Cheat Engine connects to that export. The tool most commonly used for the memory export part is a homebrew app called hekate or Atmosphere paired with a memory reading library. Without custom firmware on the Switch, this entire path closes. I spent about three weeks wrestling with this on a Switch running Atmosphere 1.5.2. The main hurdle was that Mario Kart 8 Deluxe's memory layout changes between updates and even between regional builds. I had a working trainer for v1.0.1 that let me modify coins, gem count, and drift boost duration. When Nintendo pushed v1.1.0, every single address broke at once. I had to re-scan everything from scratch. That alone cost me roughly 20 hours of rework. Here is what the actual process looks like if you are set on doing it:
You need a Switch that has been modded with custom firmware. A standard retail unit will refuse to run the homebrew memory export app, period. Then you connect the console to your PC via USB or local network depending on your setup. I used a simple TCP listener that the homebrew app on the Switch opens and streams a raw memory dump to. Cheat Engine on the PC then connects to that TCP stream as if it were a normal process attach. From there, the usual scan workflow applies: first scan for exact value, narrow with next scan, freeze the result. The addresses you end up with are rarely stable across sessions. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe allocates many of its player-state structures on the heap rather than in static memory. Heap allocations move between matches. So an address that worked in one race may point to garbage in the next one, or worse, point to another player's data if you are in a local multiplayer lobby. I ran into a specific edge-case that took me two days to resolve. The in-game coin value was actually stored as two separate 32-bit integers — one for the current race coin count and one for the total career coin count. Both incremented when I won races. My first scanner only caught the career total, so freezing that address made my coin count permanently stuck at whatever value it was at when I first scanned. I could not earn more coins after that. The workaround was scanning for the race-specific value instead, which updated dynamically. I confirmed the correct address by checking that the value changed within milliseconds of collecting a coin in the same race, rather than only changing after a race ended.
Get the Full Details
A few things beginners consistently miss: The game partially validates item counts server-side in online matches through its anti-cheat layer, which Nintendo calls TSEC. TSEC monitors suspicious memory states and kernel-level anomalies. It does not deeply inspect every RAM read, but it does flag behaviors that look like a player is impossible. If you modify speed or invincibility too aggressively, the game disconnects you or desyncs the race. Local versus mode does not run TSEC checks, which is why almost all working trainers target local play only. Another issue people overlook is that Mario Kart 8 Deluxe caches several UI values locally before syncing them to the actual gameplay state. This means you can freeze a displayed coin count without actually changing the underlying gameplay variable. The HUD shows your modified number, but the race logic still uses the real value. I found this out after spending an hour trying to freeze invincibility only to discover the game was ignoring the modified value entirely and pulling it from a separate, non-displayed buffer. The fix was scanning for the actual gameplay buffer instead of the HUD renderer value.
What this approach cannot do: Online multiplayer cheating is extremely limited. The game validates finishing order, lap times, and item usage against server calculations. Any discrepancy triggers a disconnect or a forced reset. Trainers that claim to give you infinite items or god mode in online are either lying or describing something that breaks the match within seconds. The only reliable cheat targets are local offline modes and time trials against ghost data. Using a trainer also voids your ability to access Nintendo Online features. Nintendo logs system state at launch and can ban the console, not just the account. A console ban means no eShop access, no online play, and no cloud saves for any game on that device. Account bans are rarer but they do happen when the same pattern repeats enough.
If you want a less risky route, modded save files are widely available for Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and can give you unlocked characters, colors, and maxed-out coin and gem counts without touching live memory. Tools like NandEmu or the CKSaveConverter allow you to inject edited save data directly. This is a one-time operation, does not require a running trainer, and does not expose the console to TSEC monitoring during gameplay. It only affects the local save and cannot be used in ranked online play anyway. The honest assessment is that the Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Cheat Engine workflow is technically possible on a modded Switch but fragile, update-sensitive, and only useful in local modes. If your goal is to unlock everything quickly for personal play, a modded save file is faster and safer. If you want working online cheats, they do not exist in any form that survives past a single race.
