15 Best Gaming Hackers that Know Their Way Around a Keyboard
*hacker voice* I'm in.
Justin Carter
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Published: Nov 22, 2016 09:30 am
The co-lead of the Halo franchise is built from one of the smartest minds in the universe, and it definitely shows. Cortana is one hell of a hacker, managing to sift through tons of Covenant data with ease, and even ancient Forerunner technology can’t stand up to her might. Now if only there was something to be done about that whole “take over the galaxy” thing…Barbara Gordon is a technological master both in and out of the comics. Her short expansion in Arkham Knight was geared on stealth and technology, perfectly showing what makes her different from the brute force of Batman or the acrobatics of the various Robins over the years.
Okay, so she’s not a hacker in the traditional computer programmer sense. But being able to hack into people’s brains and rewrite their memory technically falls in that area, dodgy ethics aside. Nilin was trained in the art of this, and it’s what makes her a deadly adversary to go up against. Detective, synthetic, and possible lover if you choose to accept it, Nick Valentine is just the coolest dude around. Fortunately, that also extends to hacking, which makes him an invaluable asset through the wasteland that is Boston.
The Geth in Mass Effect are all evil (at least, at first), but Legion is something different. They’re like a child, emulating human behavior and looking to Shepard for guidance in a way that’s both interesting and sort of sad. Sure, they’re a great hacker to have around, especially on the Geth ship, but it’s more fun to hear them explain Geth “culture” and rattle off interesting facts.
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Cortana (Halo)
The co-lead of the Halo franchise is built from one of the smartest minds in the universe, and it definitely shows. Cortana is one hell of a hacker, managing to sift through tons of Covenant data with ease, and even ancient Forerunner technology can't stand up to her might. Now if only there was something to be done about that whole "take over the galaxy" thing...
Batgirl
Barbara Gordon is a technological master both in and out of the comics. Her short expansion in Arkham Knight was geared towards stealth and technology, perfectly showing what sets her apart from the brute force of Batman or the acrobatics of the various Robins over the years.
Nilin Cartier-Wells (Remember Me)
Okay, so she's not a hacker in the traditional computer programmer sense. But being able to hack into people's brains and rewrite their memory technically falls in that area, dodgy ethics aside. Nilin was trained in the art of this, and it's what makes her a deadly adversary to go up against.
Jack (BioShock)
Okay, sure the hacking minigame in the first BioShock doesn't hold up nowadays (did it hold up back then?), but that doesn't take away from the fact that Jack is pretty damn good at it. If it's hackable, he can make it work to his advantage. Shame he didn't realize his own mind was basically hacked, but what can ya do?
Claptrap (Borderlands)
Annoying and obnoxious he may be, the Borderlands character can be a good hacker when he puts his mind to it. Sure, he's chatty as all hell during the process, but he gets results, and in the end, that's all that matters. It would be nice if he didn't do a victory dance right after, though.
Miles Kilo (Syndicate)
The future changed plenty, and one way it did that was corporate espionage. Enter a guy like Miles Kilo, who guns down security to find top secret information against rival companies. With a computer in his brain, Kilo can manipulate enemies' minds or rig their gear to explode. When you can hack into computers and heads, you definitely make a name for yourself.
The Decker (Shadowrun)
You can be a Decker in the recent Shadowrun games if you grab a datajack and learn to interface with a cyberdeck, and it's worth doing. Whether you're tapping phone calls or using attack programs to crash IC, it's a class well worth getting into.
Tali' Zorah vas Normandy (Mass Effect)
The young Quarian certainly grows on you over the course of the sci-fi trilogy. Pretty much everyone takes a liking to her on the Normandy almost instantly, and when you meet her again two years later, she's grown up and improved her tech skills. Of all the friendly faces in the galaxy, she's one that's always great to see.
Adam Jensen (Deus Ex)
Admittedly, Adam has a bit of an edge over some of the other people on this list, since he is history's most lethal computer. Sure, he can be either a stealthy ninja or war machine, but his hacking doesn't change either way, and he could steal pretty much all your secrets without you knowing about it until the news hits.
Marcus Holloway (Watch Dogs 2)
The newest hacker to join the bunch is Ubisoft's leading man for their modern day franchise. He's definitely more likable than Aiden Pearce. With a more optimistic outlook on life and fun supporting cast, he's definitely one of the best script kiddies out there right now.
Sombra (Overwatch)
It may have taken a stupidly long time for her to be revealed, but once she was, Sombra proved to be well worth all the hype. With her cloaking and teleportation, she'd be deadly on her own. But it's her ability to wreck nearly every other character and deadly, playful nature that makes her considerably more dangerous.
Bentley (Sly Cooper)
Every crime gang needs a tech guy, and the Cooper Gang got one of the best with Bentley. Despite not having much field experience in the second game, he quickly comes into his own, and his hacking is a large part of that. Part top down shooter, all fun, it definitely cemented the turtle as one of the best hackers out there.
Otacon (Metal Gear Solid)
The chief engineer of Metal Gear REX has been with Solid Snake through thick and thin over the years. His hacking skills were a massive help while gathering intelligence for Philanthropy, and his high intellect helped create new tech for society. Yes, he's an anime nerd, but it's his love for the medium that made him want to change the world for the better instead of creating weapons of mass destruction.
Nick Valentine (Fallout 4)
Detective, synthetic, and possible lover if you choose to accept it, Nick Valentine is just the coolest dude around. Fortunately, that also extends to hacking, which makes him an invaluable asset through the wasteland that is Boston.
Legion (Mass Effect)
The Geth in Mass Effect are all evil (at least, at first), but Legion is something different. They're like a child, emulating human behavior and looking to Shepard for guidance in a way that's both interesting and sort of sad. Sure, they're a great hacker to have around, especially on the Geth ship, but it's more fun to hear them explain Geth "culture" and rattle off interesting facts.
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Justin was a former Staff Writer for Twinfinite between 2014 and 2017 who specialized in writing lists and covering news across the entire video games industry. Sometimes a writer, always a dork. When he isn't staring in front of a screen for hours, he's probably reading comics or eating Hot Pockets. So many of them.
