Bitburner
Ranked 5 of 6 programming games by recommenders
People recommend it for its satisfying loop of starting simple, resetting, and improving each run, with many hours of engaging play. The most common caveat is that its text-only interface is niche and feels less fun for some.
People recommend it for its satisfying loop of starting simple, resetting, and improving each run, with many hours of engaging play. The most common caveat is that its text-only interface is niche and feels less fun for some.
11 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 9
- criticize it
- 2
- approval share
- 82%
Recommended in 1 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: not recommended
- January 2026: not recommended
- February 2026: not recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: not recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 9 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, not met.
- 4.5 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 1 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, not met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Satisfying progression through clean resets
“It's very satisfying that you start simple and when you discover a new way you cleanly reset and do it better next run.”
Comment from 28 May 2026 in “Bitburner, programming-based incremental game” “the feeling you get after having done that is so sublime that it's worth it”
Comment from 29 May 2026 in “Bitburner, programming-based incremental game” Fun, engaging, long-lasting play
“Very fun though I felt an internal pressure to move quickly”
Comment from 28 May 2026 in “Bitburner, programming-based incremental game” “This is a fantastic game, I’ve played many hours of it.”
Comment from 28 May 2026 in “Bitburner, programming-based incremental game” “Such a good game, I have 1500 hours.”
Comment from 28 May 2026 in “Bitburner, programming-based incremental game”
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Text-only interface is niche
“BitBurner with its text only interface is far more niche”
Comment from 29 May 2026 in “Bitburner, programming-based incremental game” Can take the fun out
“took all the fun out of it”
Comment from 28 May 2026 in “Bitburner, programming-based incremental game”
Other programming games people recommend
The four most recommended other programming games, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EmuDevz | 18 | 1 | 95% | 1 | — | — |
| TIS-100 | 15 | 1 | 94% | 7 | — | Approved |
| Elevator Saga | 14 | 0 | 100% | 4 | — | Approved |
| Exapunks by Zachtronics | 12 | 3 | 80% | 3 | — | — |
| BitburnerThis page | 9 | 2 | 82% | 1 | — | — |
What people said
11 of the 12 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“BitBurner with its text only interface is far more niche”
“the feeling you get after having done that is so sublime that it's worth it”
“Would be a lot better from every possible angle if it was sandbox multiplayer”
“Such a good game, I have 1500 hours.”
“the game has a fun offline idle mechanic as well as just leaving it running”
“took all the fun out of it”
“Surprisingly immersive too for a mostly text game.”
“This is a fantastic game, I’ve played many hours of it.”
“Doesn't work well on mobile.”
“Very fun though I felt an internal pressure to move quickly”
“It's very satisfying that you start simple and when you discover a new way you cleanly reset and do it better next run.”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.