retroarch_write_memory
Write bytes directly to emulated game memory to apply cheats, modify game state, or unlock content. Overwrites data at a specified address with no undo.
Instructions
PURPOSE: Write a byte sequence to emulated memory via the libretro core's system memory map (WRITE_CORE_MEMORY). USAGE: Preferred memory-write tool when the loaded core advertises a memory map. Use for cheats, debug pokes, and game-state mutations (give a player N lives, unlock a flag, install a cheat table). If it returns 'no memory map defined', fall back to retroarch_write_ram. Maximum 4096 bytes per call (NCI line-length limit); for larger writes, batch in 4 KiB chunks. To establish a rollback point first, use retroarch_save_state_current. BEHAVIOR: DESTRUCTIVE: overwrites N bytes starting at address with no undo (snapshot via retroarch_save_state_current first if you need rollback). Disables RetroArch's hardcore mode for the rest of the session (RetroArch silently flips this flag when any memory-write NCI command is used). UNLIKE most NCI commands, this one DOES return a count — RetroArch replies with the number of bytes actually written, which may be less than requested if a read-only descriptor is hit mid-write (writes still apply up to that boundary). Direct memory write — bypasses MBC/mapper/DMA semantics. Transport: RetroArch's Network Control Interface (NCI) over UDP (default 127.0.0.1:55355, requires network_cmd_enable = true in retroarch.cfg). Returns an error if the loaded core doesn't expose a memory map, the address is invalid, the byte array is empty or > 4096, or the UDP query times out.
RetroArch exposes TWO distinct memory APIs with different address spaces: • READ_CORE_MEMORY / WRITE_CORE_MEMORY (used by retroarch_read_memory / retroarch_write_memory): goes through the libretro core's system memory map. Preferred when the loaded core advertises a memory map (most modern cores do). Errors with 'no memory map defined' if the loaded core doesn't. • READ_CORE_RAM / WRITE_CORE_RAM (used by retroarch_read_ram / retroarch_write_ram): uses the achievement (CHEEVOS) address space. Works even when no core memory map is defined, but addresses follow CHEEVOS conventions, not the system bus. Use as a fallback when read_memory returns 'no memory map defined'. Both APIs depend on the loaded core's exposed mapping — addresses you used on a different core / system will NOT carry over.
RETURNS: Single line 'Wrote N bytes → ADDR_HEX' where N is RetroArch's reported actual byte count.
Input Schema
| Name | Required | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|---|
| bytes | Yes | Byte values to write, one per element (each 0-255). Length 1-4096 (hard cap from RetroArch's NCI single-datagram size). Written sequentially from `address`. If a read-only descriptor is encountered mid-array, the write stops at that boundary and the response reports how many bytes actually landed. | |
| address | Yes | Starting address in the libretro core's system memory map (NOT CHEEVOS space). Bytes are written sequentially address, address+1, ..., address+N-1. |