WinHack 95 - Demo

Hey, thanks for stopping by

My name is Joshua and I'm a part of Data Illusion Studios, and WinHack 95 is the project I'm currently working on. What you can play here on itch.io is an early demo. It is not the final game, and a lot of things will still change, grow, and improve over the coming months.

I wanted to put this demo out into the world because I genuinely want to know what people think while the game is still being shaped. Every piece of feedback right now actually influences where the game goes next. So if you play it and have thoughts, good or bad, I would love to hear them, especially on the Steam page of the demo as a review <3

What the game is about

You start with just a dusty 90s PC. You work for a secret organization that needs you to earn money for their research. You don't ask questions. You just boot the machine and get to work.

From there, it's all about turning code into money and scaling it endlessly. You write viruses, deploy them, take contracts from the darknet, and slowly grow a small script into an unstoppable piece of infrastructure that runs on its own while you sleep. Along the way you'll deal with police chases, system infections, rising rent, and the constant pressure of staying one step ahead of everything trying to shut you down.

There's also something deeper hidden inside the system. The longer you play, the more you'll start to notice it. Some things were never meant to be found.

What's already in the demo

• A fully simulated Win95 desktop with draggable windows, taskbar, persistent layout, and full CRT effects
• Boot sequence and system lifecycle from BIOS-style startup to shutdown saves
• Active and idle gameplay loops where you code manually or let your systems run automatically
• Darknet contract system with multiple tiers of illegal jobs and scaling rewards
• Risk and failure mechanics including police chases, system wipes, and permanent consequences
• Deep progression system with over 50 upgrades across multiple playstyles
• Hidden dossiers and secrets that let you discover classified data and piece together the truth
• Dynamic events including phishing, messages, and unexpected outcomes
• System infections where each virus changes how your machine behaves
• Economic pressure from rent, electricity, and rising costs
• Original soundtrack with a lo-fi / hi-fi toggle inspired by 90s hardware
• CRT simulation with scanlines, flicker, and reactive visual effects
• 3 save slots with autosave and manual control

A note on language

I really recommend playing the game in English. The other available languages (German, Simplified Chinese, and Japanese) are currently only rudimentary translations and don't fully capture the tone, the writing, and the atmosphere I'm going for. They will get proper attention later in development, but for now, English is the way the game is meant to be experienced.

If you want to support the project

The single best thing you can do to help WinHack 95 actually happen is to wishlist it on Steam. Wishlists are what let small projects like this one get visibility, and every single one genuinely makes a difference for me.

Wishlist WinHack 95 on Steam

If you played the demo and liked it, telling a friend, leaving a comment here, or just dropping a rating helps more than you might think. This is a small project being built with a lot of care, and any kind of support means a lot.

One last thing

You wake up. You boot the machine. You generate the money they need. You do not ask questions.

If you are good, if you are very good, one day the system might start answering back.

Thanks for being here. I hope you enjoy the demo.