We Love It's Guide to…
Play a text-based hacker in an abandoned online world, writing scripts to break systems, solve puzzles, and outwit other users.
Released 22 Sep 2016
Write JavaScript Scripts
Probe Locked Systems
Create Player Puzzles
hackmud is a retro cyberpunk RPG where you play a digital persona in a chaotic, unpredictable, and often goofy abandoned internet. Enter a 90s hacker movie filled with scripts, scams, and sabotage. Explore the world of digital secrets and forge your legacy through cunning, creativity, or disruption.
Developed by ComCODE · Published by ComCODE





You play a digital persona in an abandoned, retro-futuristic internet. The world is explored through a text interface, where you investigate its systems, uncover secrets, and decide what kind of reputation to build.
Core activities include issuing commands, solving hacking puzzles, and using or writing scripts, including JavaScript, to interact with systems and automate tasks. Players can also create tools, games, or puzzles for others to use.
The world is persistent and multiplayer, with chat, player-run corporations, trading, shifting alliances, and rivalries. Rather than following a fixed role, you can pursue activities such as research, building, trading, or sabotage, while your actions shape your standing and the shared economy.
Players who enjoy hackmud often appreciate its unusual text-based hacking premise, atmospheric setting, and the freedom to experiment with scripts. Reviews also praise its puzzles and the possibilities for player interaction, from sharing tools to chatting and taking part in rivalries. Some enjoy the cryptic discovery itself, though others find the same lack of clear direction difficult to get into.
In the abandoned internet, the old rules are dead. Don't just follow the script, write your own. This is a system waiting to be subverted by the operators who dare to learn its rules.
Your goals are your own:
Will you become a digital archaeologist, piecing together the fragmented lore and forgotten secrets of the multi-user domain?
Will you design and build your own games, tools, or cryptic puzzles, becoming a renowned Weaver whose creations are sought by others?
Will you build a name for yourself as a trusted voice, a data trafficker, or simply the host of the most exclusive social hubs on the net?
Will you build a corporate empire, discover and exploit security flaws, or become a notorious con artist who scams rivals out of their fortunes?
The choice is yours. But first, we'll give you the tools of the trade. A guiding hand will walk you through the fundamentals, ensuring you're fully equipped to make your mark on the system.
This is pure retro-futuristic immersion. The unique interface pulls you into the fantasy, while the deep, atmospheric soundtrack by legendary composers Lena Raine (Celeste, Minecraft) and Ryan Ike (West of Loathing, Gunpoint) makes the abandoned net feel alive, dangerous, and full of secrets.
Explore a persistent world where player-run corporations, underground economies, and shifting alliances are the content. Your actions create lasting change, from destroying the market to uncovering bizarre lore and puzzles that have been unsolved for a decade. This is a world with real stakes and real depth, shaped by its community.
Success in hackmud isn't measured in levels, but in influence. Your reputation is your most valuable asset. Will you be known as a trustworthy system builder, a fearsome data thief, or an untraceable digital ghost? Master subterfuge, forge alliances, and betray rivals… every interaction contributes to the legend you build.
The marks system provides a guided, hands-on onboarding experience so you don’t have to worry about being a fresh face in a den of veteran hackers. It will teach you the basics and build the foundation you'll need to survive, compete, and ultimately thrive.
Your journey starts by wielding scripts from other players: a taste of magic that invites you to look under the hood. This curiosity is how hackmud creates coders, often from players who have never written a line of code before.


| Platforms | Windows, macOS, Linux |
|---|---|
| Age ratings |
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| Controller required | No |
| DLC / extras | 1 listed on Steam |
| DRM / EULA |
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| Content notices |
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| Website | Official website |