nandgame
Hacker ApprovedRanked 21 of 78 video games by recommenders
Browser game where you build a computer from logic gates down to transistor level, which people say makes how small circuits combine into large ones clear. One reviewer found the UI plain and some concepts oversimplified.
Browser game where you build a computer from logic gates down to transistor level, which people say makes how small circuits combine into large ones clear. One reviewer found the UI plain and some concepts oversimplified.
11 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 11
- criticize it
- 0
- approval share
- 100%
Recommended in 8 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: recommended
- January 2026: recommended
- February 2026: not recommended
- March 2026: recommended
- April 2026: recommended
- May 2026: recommended
- June 2026: recommended
- July 2026: recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: not recommended
- October 2026: recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it carries the badge
- 11 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, met.
- Nobody criticizes itNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 8 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, 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
Teaches how logic gates form computers
“If you work through a math problem with pen and paper or nand2tetris or nandgame.com then it becomes obvious”
Comment from 19 Jan 2026 in “Conditions in the Intel 8087 floating-point chip's microcode” “is game that encourages you to build a computer from scratch like literally from transistor level”
Comment from 1 May 2026 in “Show HN: What happens when you load a webpage (Interactive)” “taught me quite a bit about how small circuits combine to form something big”
Comment from 5 Apr 2026 in “Show HN: A game where you build a GPU”
Other video games people recommend
The four most recommended other video 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Helldivers 2 | 50 | 34 | 60% | 10 | 1.9 yrs3 owners | — |
| GPU building game | 49 | 16 | 75% | 2 | — | — |
| Triple-A Minesweeper | 40 | 25 | 62% | 1 | — | — |
| Quake II | 33 | 8 | 80% | 10 | — | Approved |
| nandgameThis page | 11 | 0 | 100% | 8 | — | Approved |
What people said
10 of the 11 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“When I played through this last year it was surprising how much came back to me from the courses I took in college”
“But I know nand-game and that's magnificent.”
“is game that encourages you to build a computer from scratch like literally from transistor level”
“taught me quite a bit about how small circuits combine to form something big”
“I adore this genre, and if you enjoy this submission I'd recommend the following games”
“It sounds great, it remembers to me”
“I felt that it was good but was a bit plain UI/UX wise and obfuscated / simplified some things that it shouldn't have”
“Play with low level things. It'll help you in your daily job in ways you do not yet imagine.”
“If you work through a math problem with pen and paper or nand2tetris or nandgame.com then it becomes obvious”
“Here's a few links I've collected that have been useful”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.