10 Best Hacker Games of 2026

Hacknet takes first place because it is the hacking game that most closely resembles sitting at a real terminal. The Steam page describes old-school command prompts and real hacking processes, and the story starts when Bit, the creator of an invasive security system, fails to reconnect for 14 days and his failsafe begins sending you instructions by email. You scan, break into and clean up after systems by typing commands, with minimal hand-holding. The Labyrinths expansion adds a 3 to 4 hour chapter with a team of elite hackers, and the free Hacknet Extensions tools let players build their own campaigns, networks and missions and share them through Steam Workshop. It costs $9.99, runs on Windows, macOS and Linux with a 512 MB RAM minimum, and 94% of 7,707 Steam user reviews are positive. The limits are a linear single-player story and no multiplayer, so players who want an open sandbox should look at Grey Hack or Bitburner.

Bitburner is the strongest pick for anyone who wants hacking to mean actual code. The Steam page describes a programming-based idle incremental RPG in which you write JavaScript to automate the game, hack through a network of servers to earn money, solve real programming questions and trade on an in-game stock market with your own scripts. More than 100 Augmentations upgrade your character, and the project lists hundreds of open source contributors behind five years of development before its Steam release. It is free, runs on Windows, macOS and Linux with a 512 MB RAM minimum, and 94% of 6,061 Steam user reviews are positive. The developers say a basic programming background is recommended but not required. It ranks below Hacknet because the idle structure is slow and the interface is plain text, which suits coders more than players looking for a story.

EXAPUNKS turns hacking into a programming puzzle. You play a former hacker in 1997 who has caught the phage and makes a deal: one hack, one dose. Each job asks you to write instructions for EXAs, small execution agents that travel through a target's network, copy themselves, trash files and leave without a trace. Zachtronics lists targets from banks and universities to TV stations, highway signs and the government, with the in-game TRASH WORLD NEWS zines doubling as the manual. Steam Leaderboards show how your solutions compare, a battle mode runs your programs against your friends', and a level editor lets you share new networks through Steam Workshop. It costs $19.99, and 96% of 1,382 Steam user reviews are positive, the best share here. It sits third because its puzzles demand real logic and patience, which makes it harder to pick up than Hacknet.

Grey Hack is the pick for players who want hacking with real stakes against other people. Its Steam page describes a massively multiplayer simulator on a vast network of procedurally generated computers, with an online world that stays active 24/7, so changes you make to a machine are still there when other players connect to it. Each network has its own size, configuration and security, and you plan attacks by studying a target, using social engineering, scanning for oversights and trying exploits, then covering your tracks. The terminal is based on real UNIX commands. It costs $19.99, runs on Windows, macOS and Linux, and 90% of 1,820 Steam user reviews are positive. It ranks fourth because it is still in Early Access and has a steeper learning curve than story-driven picks, and because a persistent world means your mistakes stick.

Midnight Protocol suits players who want a story and tactics first. You play Data, a hacktivist who has been doxxed and blackmailed by a shadowy branch of government, and every action goes through a home terminal driven only by the keyboard. The Steam page says the design avoids complicated hacking mechanics: you type commands to remove or evade security programs, build a deck of programs and hardware from the black market, and earn black, grey or white hat reputation that steers the plot. Dozens of optional sidequests and a level editor with Steam Workshop support extend the campaign. It costs $14.99 on Windows, macOS and Linux, and 87% of 239 Steam user reviews are positive. It ranks fifth because its review base is small and the hardware needs, 10 GB of storage and a GTX 960 class card, are higher than the other indie picks.

Uplink is the classic that many later hacking games cite, including Bitburner. You work as a freelance hacker taking contracts from corporations: break into secure systems, steal data, sabotage rivals and frame others for crimes. The Steam page says success depends on tools such as password crackers and log modifiers and on bouncing connections and erasing tracks so you are not traced. Credits from contracts buy faster CPUs and better software, and you can side with rival corporations or stay neutral, which changes how the story ends. It runs on Windows, macOS and Linux, and 89% of 1,771 Steam user reviews are positive. We could not confirm a stable US price because the store showed a sale while we checked, so pricing is pending. It ranks sixth because its 2006 interface looks dated beside newer picks.

Orwell looks at cyber intrusion from the side of the state. You are the first human researcher for Orwell, a government program that can monitor all personal communications and access any computer, and after a terror attack in the capital you build profiles of suspects. The Steam page lists searching web pages, social media, dating profiles and blogs, listening to chats, reading emails, hacking PCs and pulling medical files. The real decisions are which pieces of information you pass on to the security forces, and the game is open about the consequences. It costs $9.99, runs on Windows, macOS and Linux, and 90% of 4,883 Steam user reviews are positive. It ranks seventh because hacking is only part of an investigation game, so players who want terminals and exploits should pick Hacknet or Grey Hack.

Cyberpunk 2077 is the pick for players who want to play a hacker inside a large, polished RPG. You are V, a mercenary in Night City, and CD PROJEKT RED says you can invest in skills and perks to build a playstyle using upgradeable weapons, hacking skills and body-enhancing implants, then choose between guns-blazing combat, long-range attacks or stealth. The Phantom Liberty expansion adds a spy story in Dogtown with its own Relic skill tree, and recent free updates added Edgerunners 2 content and Mod.io support. 89% of 401,705 Steam user reviews are positive. It ranks eighth on this list because hacking is a build choice rather than the whole game, it costs $59.99, and the minimum spec asks for 12 GB of RAM, a GTX 1060 6GB and 70 GB on an SSD.

Watch Dogs 2 is the most action-focused game on this list. You play Marcus Holloway, a young hacker in the San Francisco Bay Area, who joins the DedSec group to take down ctOS 2.0, an operating system used to monitor and manipulate citizens. Ubisoft's store page says you can hack into every connected device and take control of city infrastructure, and upgrade hacker tools such as RC cars, a quadcopter drone and 3D printed weapons. Co-op and adversarial multiplayer modes let friends join, and Tobii Eye Tracking can help select hackable targets. It costs $49.99 on Windows, and 81% of 28,387 Steam user reviews are positive. It ranks ninth because hacking is mostly a one-button action, the price is high for a 2016 game, and Steam lists 30 DLC on top.

hackmud is a hacking MMO styled after a 1990s hacker movie. The Steam page describes an abandoned internet where you play a digital persona and choose your own goals: piece together lore, write tools, games and puzzles for other players, build a corporate empire, exploit security flaws or scam rivals. The world is persistent and shaped by player-run corporations, underground economies and alliances, and a guided start teaches the basics. The soundtrack is by Lena Raine and Ryan Ike. It costs $18.99 on Windows, macOS and Linux with a 2 GB RAM minimum. It ranks last because 78% of 751 Steam user reviews are positive, the lowest share here, Steam lists in-app purchases, and its scam-heavy social design is unforgiving for newcomers.