Single-player games like Mainlining
Below are 13 single-player Steam games similar to Mainlining, ranked by player overlap. Every pick carries Steam's Single-player category, so multiplayer-only titles or always-online games don't sneak in. imho.run pulls the category data from Steam directly — Single-player here matches what the store labels.
Want the full alternatives list (paid + free + Steam Deck + cheaper picks)? See the parent games like Mainlining page.
Ranked picks
- 1
Hack You
Single-player alternative to Mainlining — playable solo, no multiplayer required. Shares Indie and Simulation with Mainlining.
Desktop hacking and social engineering in a moral thriller. Write viruses, hide them in game builds, crack other people's PCs — to get to the former friend who stole your life and built a new success on its ruins.
- 2
HackMeNow
Single-player alternative to Mainlining — playable solo, no multiplayer required. Shares Indie and Adventure with Mainlining.
A terminal-style hacking puzzle game where every command matters. Investigate logs, decode secrets, avoid traps, and uncover the rogue system watching from behind the screen.
- 3
EmuDevz
Single-player alternative to Mainlining — playable solo, no multiplayer required. Shares Indie and Simulation with Mainlining.
A game about building emulators! Implement your own NEEES core in JavaScript, get instant feedback with unit/video tests, build the graphics unit in real time, learn 6502 assembly, debug test ROMs, and have fun with the included homebrew games!
- 4
HELLO HACKER - Project Daybreak
Single-player alternative to Mainlining — playable solo, no multiplayer required. Shares Indie and Simulation with Mainlining.
A story-rich hacking sim played inside a real Linux desktop. Recon networks, break web apps, crack crypto, and extract hidden data with tools that behave like the real thing, while an autonomous AI watches the network, learns, and hacks back. The commands are real. So are the consequences.
- 5
Hacker The Dark Shadow
Single-player alternative to Mainlining — playable solo, no multiplayer required. Shares Indie and Simulation with Mainlining.
Become a young programmer diving into the dangerous world of cybercrime. When the elite hacking collective Dark Shadows challenges you with a series of ruthless trials, you must push your genius to the limit. Will you prove your worth or become another digital casualty?
- 6
Agents! Please?
Single-player alternative to Mainlining — playable solo, no multiplayer required. Shares Indie and Simulation with Mainlining.
The AI writes all the code. Confidently. Wrong. You are the last human reviewer. Interrogate the swarm, run the code, catch the lie. Fix it, or ship it anyway. Next comes a problem, a recall, a funeral, or the end of the world. Plays fully on a controller, and the code is real when you want it.
- 7
System Clues
Single-player alternative to Mainlining — playable solo, no multiplayer required. Shares Indie and Simulation with Mainlining.
You pick up a laptop on the roadside. Boot it, log in, read emails, scroll chat logs — and NexusCore scandals surface: financial fraud, employee surveillance, an AI performance system. Will you stay a bystander, dig in, or gather evidence yourself? Every keystroke reshapes the fate of the world.
- 8
Blackdoor
Single-player alternative to Mainlining — playable solo, no multiplayer required. Shares Indie and Simulation with Mainlining.
You're a hacker with a terminal and four terrible scripts - time to rewrite them. Hack servers by writing actual code in a custom scripting language: probe ports, crack passwords, steal data, and get out before the trace completes. The better your code, the better you hack.
- 9
Papers, Please
Single-player alternative to Mainlining — playable solo, no multiplayer required. Shares Indie and Adventure with Mainlining.
Congratulations. The October labor lottery is complete. Your name was pulled. For immediate placement, report to the Ministry of Admission at Grestin Border Checkpoint. An apartment will be provided for you and your family in East Grestin. Expect a Class-8 dwelling.
- 10
Hacknet
Single-player alternative to Mainlining — playable solo, no multiplayer required. Shares Indie and Simulation with Mainlining.
Hacknet is an immersive, terminal-based hacking simulator for PC. Dive down a rabbit hoIe as you follow the instructions of a recently deceased hacker, whose death may not have been the accident the media reports.
- 11
Orwell: Keeping an Eye On You
Single-player alternative to Mainlining — playable solo, no multiplayer required. Shares Indie and Adventure with Mainlining.
Big Brother has arrived - and it’s you. Investigate the lives of citizens to find those responsible for a series of terror attacks. Information from the internet, personal communications and private files are all accessible to you. But, be warned, the information you supply will have consequences.
- 12
NITE Team 4 - Military Hacking Division
Single-player alternative to Mainlining — playable solo, no multiplayer required. Shares Indie and Adventure with Mainlining.
NITE Team 4 is a military hacking simulation game that explores the world of cyberwarfare and features realistic mission scenarios.
- 13
Hypnospace Outlaw
Single-player alternative to Mainlining — playable solo, no multiplayer required. Shares Simulation with Mainlining.
Greetings Enforcer, and thank you for enlisting in the Hypnospace Patrol Department! As the world falls into its slumber, Hypnospace becomes a bustling global village. These virtual streets aren't going to police themselves!