Free games

Play and Learn

Two small games that teach by doing. Ping the Networker is a data-center jump-and-run where you fix broken networks: routes, firewalls, DNS, VLANs. Cyber the Threat-Hunter is a turn-based SOC game where you catch an attacker without making your users hate you. Both are free, run in your browser, need no account and have no ads. Built for people who like to learn the hard way, and for anyone who wants to try it on a coffee break.

Ping the Networker Browser · iPhone · iPad

Walk the hall, fix the gear, send the packet.

You play Ping, the network engineer of a busy data center. Every level is a trouble ticket: a client cannot reach a server, and the reason is hidden somewhere in the hall. Run, jump and collect the diamond of a router, switch, firewall or server to unlock it, then configure it, press Send and watch the packets hop device by device. If something is still wrong, the packet drops and tells you why, the same way a real network does.

Behind the arcade layer there is a real simulation: longest-prefix routing, TTL and loops, RSTP root election, port security, stateful firewalls with an implicit deny, DNS zones, DHCP relays, VLANs and trunks, IPsec and MTU black holes. The tools are real too: an SSH-style Cisco-like CLI over an out-of-band network, a network map, and a Wireshark-style capture analyzer with display filters and a hex dump.

  • 16 tickets, from “Hello, Ping” (missing static routes) through firewall rules, spanning tree, DNS, subnets, DHCP, redundancy, web proxy and VLANs to a blind boss level.
  • Two modes: Jump & run, or Puzzle only if you just want the networking.
  • Two skill levels: Beginner picks values from lists, Experienced means you type every route, mask and address (and earns a +25 % score bonus).
  • Three help levels if you get stuck: a nudge, a diagnosis, the exact fix.
  • Pet networks in the browser version: random build and repair scenarios on networks of rising size, with an optional timer.
Watch Ping in action, or open it on YouTube.
Ping the Networker: ticket list and title screen
Pick a ticket, a mode and a skill level.
Ping the Networker: running through the data-center hall
Run the hall and collect diamonds.
Ping the Networker: network map
The network map shows every address and port.
Ping the Networker: firewall rule editor
Firewall rules match top to bottom, with an implicit deny at the end.
Ping the Networker: management console for SSH access
The management console: SSH to any device.
Cyber the Threat-Hunter: the network board
The board: your network, four gauges, three action points per turn.
Cyber the Threat-Hunter: alert on the crown jewels
An alert on the crown jewels. Real or false alarm?
Cyber the Threat-Hunter: random event, zero-day in the firewall
Random events force decisions.
Cyber the Threat-Hunter: choose one of ten cases
Ten cases, from a classic perimeter breach to zero-days inspired by real incidents.

Cyber the Threat-Hunter Browser

Catch the hacker. Keep the users happy. Keep the company in business.

You are Cyber, the SOC lead, and a sibling of Ping. The hunter always moves first: he scans, exploits, moves sideways and finally goes for the crown jewels. You only see what your sensors catch, and some alerts are false alarms. Then you get three action points to investigate, isolate, reimage, patch, cut links or change global controls such as MFA, a web application firewall, egress filtering or segmentation.

Four gauges keep you honest: efficiency, user mood, financial loss and reputation. Lock everything down and your users mutiny. Do nothing and you are breached. Survive 16 turns, or leave the hunter with nothing to attack, to win.

  • 10 cases: five classics (perimeter breach, phishing, VPN, insider, supply chain) and five zero-days and new attacks inspired by public reporting from 2022 to 2025, each with a spoiler-protected case file.
  • Four hunter types that behave differently: script kiddie, APT, ransomware crew, hacktivist. You do not know which one you face until you confirm a compromise.
  • Random events, such as a CEO favour, a journalist, an audit or a new zero-day.
  • Practice mode shows the hunter so you can learn the mechanics; it is not ranked.

Fully QA’diOS app: not yet

Feedback and bug reports are very much appreciated. The game has been through a full QA pass, but every player finds something new. If you spot a bug, an unfair case or have an idea for a scenario, please get in touch.

Why games?

Networking and security are learned by breaking things and fixing them. A game lets you do that without a lab, without a change window and without anyone getting paged. Ping teaches how packets are actually forwarded, filtered and dropped. Cyber teaches that defense is a series of trade-offs. If you play one of them and learn something, or get annoyed by something, I would like to hear about it.

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