Home / Games / Mainlining
Mainlining
After MI7 has been hacked, your primary goal is to bring a cyber-criminal network to justice. Played entirely from your computer's desktop, Mainlining is a thrilling point and click hacking adventure that features a gripping narrative which will have you hooked from the very first case.
What players say
Steam review score and the most-helpful voices, which may include critical ones. Score via SteamSpy as of 2026-05-13.
“Yes I am writing upon finishing so you can get the gist about how long it's roughly going to take. Solid writing, solid puzzles that aren't too hard but just enough to keep you engaged. A good story with good vibes. I miss those. No notes.”
— a player, Steam review · 5 hrs played“Mainlining is a cyberpunk-inspired investigative adventure that turns the ordinary process of browsing files, reading emails, and searching databases into a tense and immersive detective experience. Developed by Rebelephant and published by Merge Games, the game places players…”
— a player, Steam review · 12 hrs played“Doesn't hold a candle to Hacknet and has a frustrating terminal experience for anyone who's used a real terminal or equivalent (Linux, Powershell and/or CMD, whatever) - can only remember one terminal commmand, not more - for a CLI (command line interface), editing your command…”
— a player, Steam review · 5 hrs playedPlayer activity
Monthly average concurrent players. Live count fetched 2026-08-02 21:17 UTC · history via SteamCharts.
Latest official news
Developer announcements via the Steam news API — links go to the original posts. More across all games on the news hub.
Announcement time! 🎉
Spirit of the North is heading to Steam on the 7th May! 🦊 To celebrate, the developers are streaming the game over on the game's Steam Page! https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/image
All Systems Online! Mainlining - Out Now on Nintendo Switch!
https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/18314399/9301915477970b9f83ce3f7cc412e3a6bca9b476.gif Mainlining is now available on the Nintendo Switch with a price tag of $14.99 /
All Systems Online! Mainlining - Out Now on Nintendo Switch!
https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/18314399/9301915477970b9f83ce3f7cc412e3a6bca9b476.gif Mainlining is now available on the Nintendo Switch with a price tag of $14.99 /
Mainlining available to pre-order on Nintendo Switch
https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/18314399/ecd66bf1b2d0fd5d1e418868bf3ff968c09b5539.gif Mainlining is now available to pre-order on Nintendo Switch. The Cybercrime hac
Mainlining is Coming Soon to Nintendo Switch!
https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/18314399/85624efb09e5d7119f803cc3ac683fd21258b31c.gif Merge Games and Rebelephant are proud to announce that Mainlining , the point a
Games like Mainlining
From our knowledge graph — ranked by shared traits, not a black box. Each card says why it's here.
Hacknet
94.1% · 11,615 reviews
shares Typing, Hacking, Programming, Great Soundtrack
Uplink
91.0% · 1,917 reviews
shares Typing, Hacking, Programming, Story Rich
Papers, Please
97.2% · 43,040 reviews
shares Great Soundtrack, Point Click, Story Rich, Pixel Graphics
There Is No Game: Wrong Dimension
97.0% · 10,040 reviews
shares Great Soundtrack, Point Click, Story Rich, Pixel Graphics
Pony Island
94.3% · 10,030 reviews
shares Hacking, Memes, Great Soundtrack, Story Rich
Orwell: Ignorance is Strength
75.1% · 1,365 reviews
shares Hacking, Great Soundtrack, Point Click, Story Rich
Quadrilateral Cowboy
91.1% · 845 reviews
shares Typing, Hacking, Programming, Story Rich
Gunpoint
97.8% · 10,616 reviews
shares Hacking, Great Soundtrack, Story Rich, Pixel Graphics
Screenshots
Official Steam store screenshots — click any shot to enlarge.
Facts & details
From the Steam store record, snapshot 2026-05-13.
| Genres | Adventure, Indie, Simulation |
| Player tags | Indie · Hacking · Simulation · Adventure · Puzzle · Point & Click · Typing · Pixel Graphics · Singleplayer · Programming · Story Rich · Great Soundtrack (SteamSpy community voting) |
| Features | Single-player · Steam Trading Cards · Family Sharing |
| Languages | English * * |
| Estimated owners | 100,000 – 200,000 (SteamSpy) |
Minimum system requirements (PC)
Minimum: OS *: Windows 7 or better Processor: Intel i3 2.6GHz Memory: 4 GB RAM Graphics: Intel HD Graphics 4000 or better DirectX: Version 9.0c Storage: 400 MB available space