Free to playBitburner Hack it yourself, in JavaScript
You play an unknown hacker in a dystopian net, automating your way to power one script at a time.
Is Bitburner worth it?
Bitburner is worth it if…
- you want to learn JavaScript by having an actual reason to use it
- you like idle games but would rather build the automation than watch it
- you enjoy slow, careful optimization more than fast reflexes
- you have some coding experience and want a sandbox to push it in
Screenshots
Your scripts run the show
The core loop is simple and sneaky. You scan a network of servers, connect to one, and run hack, grow or weaken to steal money, spoof funds or strip its security. Every repetitive task you meet, from hacking to stock trading, can eventually be automated in JavaScript. It is an idle game, but one where the idle part is something you built.
A whole dystopia outside the terminal
Hacking is only the front door. There is an overworld of companies to work for, factions to join, crimes to commit and stocks to trade, all in a dark cyberpunk setting rendered as clean text on a green terminal. You can run a gang, manage a corporation, play minigames, and improve your character with more than 100 augmentations. Coding contracts pose real programming problems for rewards, and the world hides secrets and perma-upgrades for those who dig.
Do you need to know how to code?
Can you play it solo and at your own pace?
Yes. It is a singleplayer game with no timers and no punishing failure, so you can leave it running while your scripts work and check back when you feel like it. There is no cost to trying it, and it runs on modest hardware. One thing to know: it runs in a browser engine, so an infinite loop in your code can lock up the game, which is part of the learning curve.
What keeps you playing after the first run?
The game is built to be replayed. Later areas remix the mechanics in new ways, secret perma-upgrades carry over, and different builds and strategies play out differently each time. With hundreds of contributors behind it and development still ongoing, there is a lot of depth: players with well over a thousand hours report still finding new systems, minigames and secrets to poke at.
What does the story and setting look like?
Expect atmosphere over plot. You are an unknown hacker in a dark, dystopian world, presented as text and lore rather than cutscenes, with a green terminal aesthetic that is deliberately minimal. If you want the fantasy of being a shadowy figure in a cyberpunk net, that is exactly the mood it builds. If you want a strong narrative, the lore is light and the systems are the main event.
