Hold onto your floppy disks and fire up your dial-up modems, because the golden age of computing is making a massive, neon-soaked comeback.

In a worldwide exclusive at the PC Gaming Show, developer Village Studios officially announced Hack ’95—a computer hacking RPG that brilliantly mashes up retro desktop simulation with tactical card-battling mechanics. If you’ve ever wanted to feel like an elite Hollywood hacker from a 90s thriller, this is your ticket back to yesteryear.

Even better news? You don’t have to wait until the late nineties to play it. A free demo is live on Steam right now!

Dialling Into the Plot: Geeks, Freaks, and Big Tech Conspiracy

Set in a fictionalised, pixel-perfect reimagining of 1995, the game drops you into the shoes of an employee at the shady Axis Megasystems. Your elite hacker best friend, mega_hurtz, has gone missing under incredibly suspicious circumstances, and it’s up to you to navigate the corporate desktop infrastructure to uncover the truth.

To solve the mystery, you’ll have to hack your way from underground IRC chatrooms straight to the heart of an evil tech startup and a shadowy government agency. The writing team features some serious industry pedigree, with the script overseen by veteran games journalist and bestselling author Keith Stuart, and game direction by Will Luton (formerly of SEGA and Rovio).

According to Stuart:

“The culture of the internet and videogames in this era was so weird and dark, yet wildly optimistic. And although it’s set in ’95, the story is really about rebelling against big tech and regaining the freedom of the net. It couldn’t be more timely.”

Cyberpunk Meets Yu-Gi-Oh: How It Plays

Instead of forcing you to memorise actual command lines or C++ strings, Hack ’95 translates cyber warfare into a highly addictive, pick-up-and-play deck-builder. Heavily inspired by 90s trading card games like Magic: The Gathering and Yu-Gi-Oh, you’ll draw scripts, viruses, and hijacked computer protocols to overpower the firewall defences of target devices.

Outside of the card battles, the game is an immersive love letter to old-school operating systems. You’ll be browsing the web on “Navigate ’95,” dodging flaming GIFs, listening to licensed 90s dance bangers from artists like N-R-G and Nookie, and taking advice from Assistant Bert—an incredibly helpful, mildly incontinent virtual pug who acts as your Microsoft Clippy-style companion for federal cybercrimes.

Jack In From Today

Hack ’95 perfectly captures the thrill of exploring someone else’s desktop, discovering forbidden folders, and sticking it to the man—all while a CRT filter warms your eyes.

The full game is coming to PC, but you can download the Hack ’95 Demo on Steam today to play through the opening sequence, test out your deck-building skills, and meet Assistant Bert.

Let us know in the comments below: What’s your favourite piece of 90s tech nostalgia?

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