Cyberlife

Cyberlife is an online hacking game played in a terminal, set in a persistent world shared by all players. You explore networks, break into companies to steal data, and compete for control of the routes other players use.

Explore the network

You begin at your localhost and move to a neighboring network at a time. Transit may cost a toll, while peering provides other paths. The map is incomplete: you discover connections as you travel and can sell your surveys to other players.

Break into companies

Before an intrusion, you examine a company’s services and configurations. Inside, you move between machines, collect access credentials and search for data to steal. Some doors require a 0-day suited to the target’s sector and security tier; a credential you already have may also open a compatible door. Your actions can leave traces, and a company may detect you during the intrusion or discover what you did after you leave.

Stolen data must make it back to your localhost. You choose when to leave and which route to take, but another player can intercept your cargo. You can sell the loot to a fence or hire an Exfiltration player to transport it.

Choose a class

After your first steps, you choose a class. Each class has its own commands and approach:

• Infiltration: opens sealed machines and identifies valuable loot.
• Exfiltration: builds tunnels and carries large hauls.
• Misdirection: places decoys and obscures the trails followed by the Agency.
• Erasure: covers its tracks and can destroy files at the Agency.
• The Developer: researches vulnerabilities and builds tools, including the 0-days used to enter protected companies.

Control routes

You can take control of an autonomous system, inspect its traffic, set tolls or close passages. Other players can contest these positions, and a closed route no longer earns tolls. You can also form an invite-only crew to hold networks together.

Trade and contracts

The market lets you sell tools, access and network surveys. Players can post orders for cargo transport, 0-day construction or file cleaning, and clients in the world also offer contracts, including when few players are online.

Intrusions attributed to you add to your file at the Agency. If it grows large enough, a bounty can be placed on you and a raid may follow. You can ask an Erasure player to clean your file, or do so yourself if you belong to that class.