Exapunks: Zachtronics' 1997-set hacking puzzle game where code is your lifeline

Exapunks is a programming puzzle game from Zachtronics, released in 2018 and set in an alternate 1997. The player is a former hacker infected with a disease called “the phage,” surviving by trading hacks for doses of medicine. Puzzles are solved by writing programs for EXAs (Execution Agents) in a custom assembly-like language—small autonomous units that navigate networks, replicate, manipulate files, destroy rival agents, and exfiltrate without a trace.

The game leans hard into cyberpunk atmosphere and hacker-culture worldbuilding. Players learn mechanics through TRASH WORLD NEWS, an in-game underground zine that doubles as the tutorial and lore vehicle. Targets range from banks and universities to TV stations, highway signs, game consoles, and even the player’s own body, and there are diversions like a hidden solitaire game and the arcade-style HACK*MATCH.

Beyond the campaign, Exapunks ships with Axiom VirtualNetwork+, a puzzle-authoring tool that lets players build custom “virtual networks” scripted in JavaScript, defining hosts, files, registers, and win conditions. A print-on-demand deluxe zine set remains available after the original physical edition sold out. It’s a representative entry in Zachtronics’ catalog of open-ended engineering and programming games.