If you’ve ever stared at a facedown card and thought, “that’s either the win condition or a landmine,” you already get the vibe. This Android: Netrunner full review is about why that tension works so well, why the game can be a little brutal to learn, and why it still gets talked about like it’s the best 2-player card game people ever “quit” and then immediately come back to.
Android: Netrunner is a cyberpunk, asymmetric card game where one player is the Corp protecting servers and pushing secret agendas, and the other is the Runner trying to break in and steal them. It’s built on hidden information, bluffing, and resource management that feels more like poker plus chess than “play creature, attack, pass.”
And yeah, it’s a lot. But when it clicks, it’s hard to find anything else that scratches the same itch.
What Android: Netrunner actually is
At a high level, Netrunner is a strict 2-player contest with two very different roles. The Corp builds servers, installs cards facedown, and defends them with ICE. The Runner builds a rig, pressures the Corp’s weak points, and tries to steal agendas directly out of the Corp’s infrastructure.
That asymmetry is the point. You are not playing mirror decks. You’re playing two different games that collide in the middle.
A few terms you’ll hear constantly:
- Agendas: the “points” cards the Corp is trying to score and the Runner is trying to steal.
- ICE: defensive barriers the Corp installs to tax and punish runs.
- Runs: the Runner’s attacks on servers (and on central zones like hand and deck).
- Clicks and credits: your actions and your money, the core pacing levers of the game.
It’s cyberpunk in theme, but the design is the real star.
The “LCG” model: complete playsets, real deckbuilding
One of Netrunner’s original selling points was the distribution model. Instead of randomized booster packs, it launched as a Living Card Game style product. In plain English: you buy sets, you get the cards, you build decks without chasing singles.
That’s great for deckbuilders and for anyone tired of “pay to experiment.”
But there’s a tradeoff: the same product has to teach new players and still stay interesting for veterans. Netrunner tries to do both by giving you a rules engine with real depth, then layering a card pool on top that creates endless matchup puzzles.
If you like tuning decks and testing lines, it feels like a gift. If you just want a clean, low-rules overhead game night, it can feel like homework at first.
The learning curve is real (and it’s the biggest con)
I’m not going to sugarcoat it: Netrunner has a reputation for being intimidating, and it earns it.
Some of that is the rules density. Some of it is the terminology. Some of it is that the game’s most important skill is “knowing what matters right now,” and that only comes with reps.
Here’s what makes the first stretch bumpy:
- Timing windows and rezzing (the Corp can flip defenses at awkward moments).
- Run structure (there’s a specific step-by-step flow to how a run resolves).
- Edge-case card text (you will hit weird interactions early, because that’s half the fun later).
If you can learn with someone experienced, do it. If you can’t, you’ll still get there, but expect a handful of games where you misplay something and only realize it after.
One good modern note: if you’re learning today, there are beginner-focused onramps that didn’t exist in the early days. Null Signal’s System Gateway is explicitly designed as an out-of-the-box learning experience, and it’s built so two people can get going with one product. That matters a lot.
Hidden information and bluffing: the real magic trick
Most card games are loud. You see the board, you see the threats, you do the math.
Netrunner is quiet in the most annoying way (compliment). The Corp installs cards facedown. The Runner chooses what to challenge. You are constantly making decisions with incomplete information, and the game wants you to be wrong sometimes.
The core tension looks like this:
- The Corp has to score agendas to win.
- Scoring usually takes time and actions.
- Time and actions create exposure.
- Exposure invites runs.
- Runs force the Corp to defend, bluff, or bait.
So the Corp installs a facedown card in a remote server. Is it an agenda worth points? Is it an asset that generates money? Is it a trap that will fry the Runner’s hand?
The Runner has to decide whether to run now, run later, or run somewhere else entirely. And they have to do it while budgeting credits and planning around unknown ICE.
This is where Netrunner becomes “style-forward.” Two players can pilot the same decks and still feel completely different because bluffing isn’t scripted. It’s personal. Some people love that. Some people hate it.
Runs, ICE, and the best kind of tension
The best part of Netrunner is that it makes threat feel physical.
ICE isn’t just “blocker.” It’s a toll booth. It drains credits, forces hard choices, and sometimes punishes you for testing it. The Corp uses ICE to create zones the Runner can’t safely check every turn. The Runner uses pressure to force the Corp to spend money rezzing defenses they might not even need.
And because the Runner can run at central zones too, the Corp can’t just turtle up and wait. Even if you never install a remote agenda, you still have to deal with the Runner poking HQ or R&D and seeing cards you didn’t want them to see.
That’s why the game stays interactive. You’re not goldfishing. You’re not building an engine in peace. Your opponent is in your business from turn one.
Clicks and credits: resource management that prevents “non-games”
Netrunner also has a smart answer to a common card game problem: the pointless game where you never really got to play.
Because you always have basic options, like spending actions to draw or take credits, you can usually stabilize out of a bad opening. It’s not the most efficient plan, but it’s a plan. That simple safety valve does a lot of work.
The click system also creates clean pacing:
- The Corp is usually operating under tighter action constraints.
- The Runner gets more actions, but often spends them setting up, probing, and recovering from runs.
This balance makes the game feel tense without feeling random. You’ll still lose games to variance, of course. But it’s less “I didn’t draw lands” and more “I took a run I couldn’t afford” or “I defended the wrong server at the wrong time.”
Factions and identities: replayability without feeling samey
Netrunner’s faction design is one of the reasons it has so many loyal fans.
Different Runner factions tend to push different angles: building a rig, attacking the Corp’s economy, threatening multi-access, messing with the Corp’s hand, and so on. Corp factions likewise lean into different defensive styles, economic engines, and trap packages.
Even without going deep into decklists, the big takeaway is simple: matchups matter. The same line that’s correct against one Corp can be a disaster against another. And that keeps games fresh because you’re not just executing a script. You’re adapting.
How it holds up in 2026: how people actually play now
Fantasy Flight’s Android: Netrunner line ended years ago, but the game didn’t vanish.
If you want to play today, you have a few practical routes:
- Community-supported new content: Null Signal Games is a nonprofit group that keeps Netrunner alive with new sets, organized play support, and formats.
- Starter product designed for learning: System Gateway is built to teach the game cleanly and give you a solid early card pool.
- Online play: Jinteki.net exists specifically to facilitate Netrunner games in the browser.
So if you missed the FFG era, you’re not “too late.” You’re just entering through a different door.
For a fun sidebar on how “emotional spikes” can make or break tabletop designs, this internal piece is worth bookmarking: Emotional Design: Catan Dice Game Plus Review. It’s not about Netrunner, but it nails why tension matters.
Who should play Netrunner (and who should skip)
Here’s the cleanest way I can put it.
| You’ll probably love it if you… | You’ll probably bounce if you… |
|---|---|
| like hidden information and bluffing | want complete board transparency |
| enjoy high interaction every game | prefer “build my engine in peace” |
| like learning deep systems over time | want a plug-and-play ruleset |
| enjoy deckbuilding and matchup puzzles | dislike reading lots of card text |
Final verdict
This Android: Netrunner full review boils down to one thing: the game creates real tension through hidden information, and it makes both players fight over the same space from the very first turn. It’s clever without being sterile, interactive without being chaotic, and deep without requiring you to memorize a thousand tiny rules upfront (even though, fair warning, you will learn a lot of tiny rules anyway).
If you want a 2-player card game where bluffing and resource pressure are the core experience, Netrunner is still the benchmark.