Choose Hacknet
Choose Hacknet if you want the Adjustable Text Size, Camera Comfort, and Playable without Timed Input side of the pairing. 7,537 Steam reviews back the pick.
Hacknet vs CHAQS
Hacknet and CHAQS both land in Indie, Simulation on Steam, which is why they keep getting compared. The comparison below is built from each game's Steam metadata — release year, genres, categories, Steam Deck status, price, and review score — refreshed daily by imho.run's scraper. Headline differences: Both share Indie, Simulation on Steam. Hacknet (2015) is 7 years older than CHAQS (2022). Hacknet scores higher on Steam reviews (94.2% positive) than CHAQS (72.2% positive). No login or purchase needed — scroll for the full table, the verdict FAQ, and links to ranked similar games for both titles.
Which should you pick?
Choose CHAQS
Choose CHAQS if you want the Steam Leaderboards side of the pairing. On Steam, it's the newer release (2022) and ships with the modern feature baseline. CHAQS launched in 2022.
Both Hacknet and CHAQS sit in Indie and Simulation on Steam, so either pick lands in the same broad neighborhood. Use the side-by-side table for the feature view, or follow the "Games like" links below to see ranked alternatives for either title.
Side-by-side comparison
 Hacknet |  CHAQS | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2015 | 2022 |
| Genres | Indie, Simulation | Indie, Simulation |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS, Linux | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Deck Unsupported | Unrated |
| Price | 9.99 USD | 9.90 USD |
| Steam reviews | 94.2% positive (7,537 reviews) | 72.2% positive (36 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Single-player only | Single-player only |
| Developers | Team Fractal Alligator | nomorevalid |
Side by side
- Both share Indie, Simulation on Steam.
- Hacknet (2015) is 7 years older than CHAQS (2022).
- Hacknet scores higher on Steam reviews (94.2% positive) than CHAQS (72.2% positive).
- CHAQS is currently ~1% cheaper on Steam than Hacknet (9.90 USD vs. 9.99 USD).
- Hacknet is Deck Unsupported on Steam Deck; CHAQS has no Deck rating yet.
Hacknet vs CHAQS — FAQ
- Should I play Hacknet or CHAQS first?
- If you want chronology, Hacknet (2015) came out before CHAQS (2022). If neither is a sequel to the other, order doesn't really matter — start with whichever fits your current mood, since both share enough on Steam to make either a reasonable opener.
- Are Hacknet and CHAQS similar?
- They overlap on Indie, Simulation on Steam, so the catalogue groups them together — but "similar" depends on the specific mechanics. Use the genre + category rows above to decide whether the overlap matches what drew you to the one you've already played.