The murder-mystery hacking sim Hacknet is free for 24 hours on the Humble Store

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The Humble Store Spring Sale is headed into its final days.

Hacknet, we said ahead of its release a few years ago, is a game with "real hacking," a phrase surrounded by quotes because of course it does not actually contain any real hacking going on. But it's a reasonable facsimile in the context of a videogame, complete with a text-based terminal interface, a UNIX-based command set, and lots of reading. It's also quite good—and, until 10 am PT/1 pm ET on May 26, it's free on the Humble Store. 

Hacknet is also a maybe-murder mystery that begins with the death of a famed hacker, whose failsafe system sends instructions for unraveling the truth behind his passing to one single person on the internet. That, obviously, is you. And ready or not that means you're headed face-first into a tale of "personal privacy, the prevalence of corporate greed, and the hidden powers of hackers on the internet." 

It's actually Hacknet Deluxe that's up for grabs, which includes the base game and the soundtrack, but not the Labyrinths expansion, although it's currently on sale for a fiver. The Humble Store Spring Sale is also still ongoing, with deals and virtual stamps to collect for "encore rewards." It runs until May 28.   

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Andy Chalk
Andy Chalk
US News Lead

Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.