# Games Like Uplink & Hacknet: The Best Hacking Games | NODE: PROTOCOL

> Loved Uplink or Hacknet? The best hacking games compared: real commands, real exploits, multiplayer and what you learn, from classics to new releases.

Page: https://node-protocol.systems/games-like-uplink · Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/4514420/NODE_PROTOCOL/
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Hacking games for players who want more than a progress bar: the classics, the best of today, and how they compare.

## THE BEST HACKING GAMES

### Uplink (2001, Introversion Software)

The classic that started it all: a freelance hacker taking risky contracts in a mouse-driven, wonderfully atmospheric world.

Best for: atmosphere and story · https://store.steampowered.com/app/1510/

### Hacknet (2015, Team Fractal Alligator)

A terminal-based hacking simulator with a gripping mystery: you follow the instructions of a hacker whose death may not have been an accident.

Best for: a story-driven first taste of the terminal · https://store.steampowered.com/app/365450/

### Grey Hack (2017, Loading Home)

A massively multiplayer hacking simulator on a vast procedurally generated network, with an in-game terminal and its own scripting language.

Best for: open-world multiplayer hacking · https://store.steampowered.com/app/605230/

### HackHub - Ultimate Hacker Simulator (2026, HotBunny)

A mission-based hacker simulator about uncovering cyber secrets and fighting mass surveillance, with simulated versions of real tools such as nslookup, nmap and hydra.

Best for: mission-based hacking with familiar tool names · https://store.steampowered.com/app/2980270/

### hackmud (2016, ComCODE)

A retro cyberpunk hacking MMO set in an abandoned internet full of scripts, scams and sabotage between real players.

Best for: playing against other players · https://store.steampowered.com/app/469920/

### Bitburner (2021, Fulcrum Games, Hydroflame)

A free, open-source programming game: write JavaScript to automate a cyberpunk hacking world. More incremental game than simulation.

Best for: learning to program · https://store.steampowered.com/app/1812820/

### Hacker Evolution Duality (2011, exosyphen studios)

From the long-running Hacker Evolution series: a classic single-player hacking simulation with puzzles.

Best for: classic hacking puzzles · https://store.steampowered.com/app/70120/

## HOW THEY COMPARE

| GAME | REAL LINUX COMMANDS | REAL CVES | MULTIPLAYER | WHAT YOU LEARN |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Uplink | no | no | no | the hacker fantasy |
| Hacknet | partly | no | no | terminal basics |
| Grey Hack | partly | no | yes | scripting |
| HackHub - Ultimate Hacker Simulator | partly | no | yes | recon tools (nmap, hydra) |
| hackmud | no | no | yes | JavaScript |
| Bitburner | no | no | no | JavaScript |
| Hacker Evolution Duality | no | no | no | puzzle solving |
| NODE: PROTOCOL | yes | yes | yes | Linux, Nmap, Metasploit, 72 real CVEs |

## WHERE NODE: PROTOCOL FITS

NODE: PROTOCOL is a spiritual successor to Uplink for players who loved its atmosphere and Hacknet’s terminal, but wanted the real thing: real Linux commands with pipes, Nmap, Metasploit and 72 real CVEs, a hardware physics layer, 1–4 player co-op and CTF up to 6v6. The free demo is on Steam now; Early Access starts on 6 November 2026.

## QUESTIONS

**What is the most realistic hacking game?**

It depends on what you mean by realistic. If you want real Linux commands, real tools like Nmap and Metasploit and real CVEs, NODE: PROTOCOL is built for exactly that. Hacknet and Grey Hack use game-specific commands inspired by real ones, and HackHub simulates well-known tools such as nmap.

**Are there new games like Uplink?**

Yes. Hacknet (2015) and Grey Hack (2017) carried the terminal-hacking idea forward, and NODE: PROTOCOL, a spiritual successor to Uplink, launches in Early Access on 6 November 2026 with a free demo on Steam now.

**Is there a co-op hacking game?**

Grey Hack and hackmud are multiplayer worlds. NODE: PROTOCOL has dedicated 1–4 player co-op with shared hacking sessions, plus CTF matches up to 6v6. Co-op is not included in the free demo.