Null State
Patch notes · News · Live player count
About
You are a hacker - a rarity in a world nearly destroyed by a cascading global systems failure. Prowl through networks node by node, disabling their security in risky turn-based combat, as you explore branching storylines to uncover what caused Obsidian Wednesday.
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Detailed
OverviewYou are a hacker - a rarity in a world nearly destroyed by a cascading global systems failure. Prowl through networks node by node, disabling their security in risky turn-based combat, as you explore branching storylines to uncover what caused Obsidian Wednesday.Set in a dystopian near-future which - a few years earlier - experienced a cataclysmic, global system crash (called "Obsidian Wednesday" by those who survived), Null State is a game about helping those in need while trying to uncover the truth about what happened on the day that most of the world's computer systems simultaneously imploded.Explore Branching Storylines Learn about the lives and struggles of nearly twenty distinct and fascinating characters who need your help (in one way or another).Discover the lore of the Null State universe through dozens of data files archived throughout the ancient (and active!) networks still in operation. Some files - found in the networks still running from before Obsidian Wednesday - hold clues to questions that have haunted your new-found associates for over a decade.Prowl Through Networks Sneak or blast your way through hundreds of procedurally-generated networks while searching for data and ware to use and sell.Most networks employ security systems: passive IC (Intrusion Countermeasures) guard the contents of nodes while active AV (Anti-Virus) constantly move from node to node, scanning for signs of an intruder. It's best to avoid these fights if you can help it, though, since combat can be brutal.Risky Turn-based CombatDuring combat, your inventory is put front-and-center as the opposing security systems will try to destroy the very equipment you've brought to destroy them!Successfully clearing a node's security can reveal new data about the world you're in, as well as upgraded ware (for use in future runs!) -- and, depending on the jobs you pick up from your contacts, you can even get paid for cleverly manipulating the networks to the specifications of your clients.Obsidian Wednesday No one knows what really happened on Obsidian Wednesday; it was over only 2 minutes after it started. Like some kind of internet earthquake, though, the reverberations continued for hours & days afterwards, with the final death toll in the tens of millions before all systems and services were brought back online.Hackers were blamed for the catastrophe, however that explanation never rang true for your mentor, Sid. Will you help him get to the bottom of what he believes is a vast global conspiracy to cover up the truth and protect those in power?Features Over twenty NPCs with their own problems, with branching stories & multiple questlines Nearly a hundred procedurally-generated networks to explore, filled with dozens of "found data" logs and files which reveal the near-future Null State world Real-time stealth mechanics: evade detection by the IC & AV protecting the pre-crash and modern networks you discover Combat puts your inventory front and center: enemies will damage your deck's ware directly (if they can find it) UGC framework - you can add your own stories into the Null State engine with custom datapacks!
Patch Notes & Announcements(8)
MINORBuild Updated - 2026-05-06
After the InterfaceX 26 event, we have had more people than ever played Null State -- very cool! Today, we've updated the game with a fix for a mid-game soft lock which can happen after Sid asks you t
MINORBuild Updated - 2026-03-23
Thanks to everyone who continues stopping by our forums to report bugs, we've got a handful of fixes ready for you today! There were some late-game conversations which were mishandling their logic, me
MINORBuild Updated - 2025-05-02
Since our last update (on 2025-04-23), we've had even more help from folks in the Steam community forums to track down and eliminate softlocks (places in storylines where you end up blocked for one re
MINORBuild Updated - 2025-04-23
We've been working on resolving some softlock issues reported in the forums (thanks to everyone who stopped by and/or emailed us your save files!). Most people were blocked because of a missing +1 in
MINORBuild Update to 17 April 2025
We've adjusted how conversation notifications work so that conversations only show as "Urgent" when there's actually something that contact wants to talk about.
MINORWelcome to the future: Null State is now available on Steam!
Null State, Another Round, and One Last Job are now available for purchase on Steam! Null State is a loveletter to 90s CRPGs, with weird NPCs, their (disturbing) cyberpunk stories, and Battleship-styl
MINORPlay the demo for Null State during Steam Next Fest!
Steam Next Fest is a multi-day celebration of upcoming games -- and what better place to celebrate the overwhelming authority of modern-day megacorps than here! With your Steam friends! Together... al
MINORNull State demo is up!
These demos -- all set in the same near-future, cyberpunk universe -- introduce you to the characters and circumstances of the Null State universe. In Null State, you'll meet Sid, a conspiracy theoris
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