# System Shock

5 Hacker News commenters recommended System Shock and 1 criticized it, November 2025 to November 2026. It was recommended in 3 of 13 months.

**Verdict:** People recommend this sci-fi shooter for its story of a hacker sent to subvert a station's AI, and for paving the way for Deus Ex and Thief. Critics raise no recurring complaint.

## Why people recommend it

- Influential forerunner to Deus Ex and Thief (1 comments): "Without System Shock, Deus Ex, and Thief leading the way" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49346176))
- Hacker hired to hack station AI (1 comments): "a game about a hacker hired to hack the AI controlling a space station, who gets a neural implant as a reward for completing the task" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49167369))

## Alternatives hackers recommend

- [Helldivers 2](https://hackerapproved.com/p/helldivers-2.md): 50 recommend
- [Triple-A Minesweeper](https://hackerapproved.com/p/triple-a-minesweeper.md): 40 recommend
- [Quake II](https://hackerapproved.com/p/quake-2.md): 33 recommend
- [Red Dead Redemption 2](https://hackerapproved.com/p/red-dead-redemption-2.md): 28 recommend
- [Grand Theft Auto (1997)](https://hackerapproved.com/p/grand-theft-auto.md): 28 recommend

## Where to get it

- [Visit the official site](https://nightdivestudios.com/)

## Cite as

Hacker Approved, "System Shock", https://hackerapproved.com/p/system-shock/ (counts from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026).