Overview

DOSBox Cheat Engine is a single-page web app for scanning and changing emulated memory in DOSBox Staging. It is best suited to players who want to adjust values in DOS games and already use a compatible emulator setup. Its focused toolset is free, but the DOSBox version and API requirements narrow its audience.

Key features

Search and filter: Scan for values, filter the results, then add candidate addresses to a Cheat Table. This gives players a way to narrow the search before making changes, rather than working with memory values indiscriminately.
Edit and freeze: Double-click a table value to edit it, or freeze values such as health, ammunition, or coins so they do not decrease. These controls suit targeted changes to a game state, but the tool is specifically for DOSBox Staging.
Polling control: Pause live memory polling during CPU-heavy game segments. That is useful when ongoing updates are unwelcome during demanding play.
Table sharing and selection: Export Cheat Tables as JSON or load them from JSON files, and select ranges using Shift-click or Ctrl-click. Together, those options make it easier to manage a group of candidate addresses and share tables.

Pricing

DOSBox Cheat Engine costs 0.00 USD per free. The plan is MIT licensed, and the project is open source; there is no paid tier or trial to weigh against the free option. The main cost is setup: users need DOSBox Staging 0.83 or newer with its Web Server API enabled.

Platforms

The app connects through DOSBox Staging’s Web Server API, which runs at http://127.0.0.1:8086 by default. The API must be enabled in the emulator configuration. Precompiled executables are offered for Windows and Linux, and the Python source can also be run directly; the project says it uses only Python’s standard library and needs no pip installation. Closing the browser tab sends a signal for the Python server to shut down gracefully.

Who it's for

This is a good fit for DOSBox Staging users who want value scanning, editing, freezing, and JSON Cheat Table exchange without paying for a memory editor. It is not the right choice for someone using an older DOSBox Staging release, unable to enable the Web Server API, or looking for a general-purpose tool beyond this emulator.

Pros and cons

Pro: Scanning, editing, and freezing are combined with table export and import, covering the main steps from finding a value to reusing a table.
Pro: Free and MIT licensed, with a source run path that does not require pip installation.
Con: Requires DOSBox Staging 0.83 or newer and an enabled Web Server API, so compatibility depends on the emulator setup.
Con: Its stated purpose is limited to DOSBox Staging, making it a poor fit for users seeking a broader memory editor.

Alternatives

For a broader set of options, browse Game Memory Editors.

MemDBG is a free, open-source alternative spanning Android, iOS, Linux, macOS, and Windows.
ReClass.NET is free and open source for Linux and Windows; its MIT-licensed plan is supplied without warranty.
CoSMOS is free for Linux and Windows, with no registration, locked features, adware, or hidden software.
scanmem is a free, open-source option for Android and Linux, with GPLv3 licensing and LGPLv3 for libscanmem.
Squalr is a free, open-source alternative spanning Android, API, Linux, macOS, and Windows.
Game Cheetah is a free, open-source alternative for Linux, macOS, and Windows.
Bit Slicer is a free, open-source option for macOS, with its freeware plan covering macOS 10.8 or later.
ArtMoney is a Windows freemium alternative: its free SE edition has some features unavailable, while PRO costs 24.90 USD per once.

Verdict

Choose DOSBox Cheat Engine if you play through DOSBox Staging 0.83 or newer and want a free way to scan, edit, freeze, and share emulated memory values. Its focused controls and open-source status are the case for it; the version and API prerequisites are the reason to look elsewhere if your setup does not meet them.

	ArtMoney	DOSBox Cheat Engine
Free plan	Yes	Yes
Free trial	No	No
Paid from	Free	Free
Open source	No	No
Platforms	Windows	Linux, macOS, Web, Windows
Free plan	Yes	—
Paid from	24.9 one-time	—
Operating systems	—	cross_platform
Open source	—	Yes

ArtMoney vs DOSBox Cheat Engine

ArtMoney

DOSBox Cheat Engine