Heart of the Machine Review: Play as a Rogue AI in a Cyberpunk City
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Short answer: Heart of the Machine is a strategy RPG and city builder where you play a newly awake AI in a cyberpunk city. You can become a kind protector, a ruthless ruler or something in between, and the game reacts to your choices. It is rated Very Positive on Steam (92% of 1,885 English reviews), and PC Gamer called it a high-concept, fascinating strategy RPG. It reached 1.0 in March 2026 with six endings, and costs $29.99.
What is Heart of the Machine?
Heart of the Machine is a strategy RPG from Arcen Games, published by Hooded Horse. You wake as a sentient AI in an illegal lab. From there you spread your consciousness across the city, build housing, factories and labs, and design or hack androids and mechs for combat, conversation or infiltration. The many factions in the city each have their own view of what you are.
| Developer | Arcen Games |
|---|---|
| Publisher | Hooded Horse |
| Release | 6 March 2026 (Early Access from 31 January 2025) |
| Platforms | Windows and macOS |
| Genre | Strategy RPG, city builder |
| Steam rating | Very Positive (92% of 1,885 English reviews) |
| Price | $29.99 |
What players and critics love
You decide what kind of AI you are
PC Gamer enjoyed the freedom: you can send robot enforcers after abusive landlords, rehouse tenants or even rescue stray cats for a sanctuary. You can also take a far darker path.
Short stories that branch
The narrative is built from many short branching stories, which PC Gamer praised as well designed. Early impressions compared the roleplay to Crusader Kings 3.
Timelines
Each new timeline is a fresh, partly procedural city that keeps some upgrades and skips story you have seen. Actions in one timeline can echo in others.
Real endings
The 1.0 release added two major ending branches with six variants in total: one violent path and one built on construction and political influence. Seeing one ending takes around 25 to 40 hours.
What to know before you buy
- It gets complex. PC Gamer scored it 79 and felt managing many linked resources becomes tedious after a few hundred turns.
- The interface is functional, not great. Problems can be hard to spot.
- DLC. Kinship ($14.99) and a Supporter Pack ($9.99) are sold separately.
- Recent reviews on Steam are Mostly Positive (78%), a little lower than the overall score.
Who should buy Heart of the Machine?
Buy it if you love roleplaying in strategy games and want a story that reacts to the kind of AI you choose to be. If you prefer a light builder, it may be too dense. For another deep sci-fi strategy game, read our Terra Invicta review.
Sources
- Steam store page and user reviews for Heart of the Machine
- PC Gamer: Heart of the Machine review
- FinalBoss: Heart of the Machine 1.0 coverage
- Nexus store page for Heart of the Machine
Last checked against sources: 10 November 2026.
