Human Resource Machine
Human Resource Machine
Game
Game2018
7 Billion Humans
Developer Tomorrow Corporation
7 Billion Humans is a puzzle video game developed and published by American studio Tomorrow Corporation. It was released on August 23, 2018, for Microsoft Windows, macOS, Linux, and the Nintendo Switch on October 25, 2018. The game was later released for Android on July 25, 2021. Designed as a sequel to Human Resource Machine, players solve puzzles by moving multiple data cubes with human workers using an in-game… From Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
190 reactions from 3 sources (Steam reviews, Bluesky, Mastodon) · newest Oct 26, 2026 · last updated Nov 4, 2026 · How this works
Audience score
90
LovedLoved
156 positive · 18 negative
95% range 84–93%
| Source | + | − | = |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steam reviews | 156 | 18 | 0 |
| Bluesky * | 2 | 0 | 10 |
| Mastodon * | 1 | 0 | 3 |
* shown, not counted in the score (label accuracy below our 85% bar or not yet audited).
Steam's own rating
Very Positive
929 of 1,000 reviews positive (all languages, per Valve)
What players are saying
89% recommend · 159 yes, 20 no
Counted from the reviewers’ own thumbs up/down on the 179 English Steam reviews we collected, not by the AI. Valve’s all-language rating: Very Positive (2,008 of 2,148 positive).
Many note it is a direct sequel to Human Resource Machine, adding complexity like multithreading. [1][2][3] Some find the difficulty curve brutal and the UI lacking features like hotkeys or breakpoints. [4][5][6]
Liked
Representative posts
- [19]
A creative way to visualize programming, but definitely not beginner-friendly. First, I have to give this game some credit: it really does a great job of turning programming concepts into a visual puzzle game. You get exposed to concepts like if/else conditions, loops, concurrency, variables, event handlers, binary digits, pointers, and optimization / Big O notation through the puzzles. However, I honestly wouldn’t …
- [8]
Well, this game is great. I've been a software developer for more than 20 years, and it was really challenging for me to beat it, especially with all the additional speed and size challenges. On the downside, the UI could definitely be better. There are no breakpoints, no keyboard controls, broken step-by-step execution, and no ability to copy/paste specific code fragments. These aren't critical issues, but …
- [9]
7 Billion Humans is probably one of the best coding related puzzle games out there. Honestly, this game perfectly embodies what I would consider a well made coding game. The UI is well done and eases people in with simple and easy to understand setups. The game uses a very seamless drag and drop option to add lines of code, has intuitive modification options, and offers visual depictions of what is happening with …
- [5]
This is one of those games that made me feel simultaneously like a genius and the dumbest person alive. I absolutely loved the whole “Hour of Code” thing this game had going on. The art style is charming, the writing is genuinely funny, and solving the puzzles feels insanely satisfying. That being said... the difficulty curve is absolutely BRUTAL. Once I reached the red path in story mode I completely folded and …
- [1]
If you like Human Resource Machine (which you should do first), then this is for you, it adds the complexity layer of multithreading, so you have to think in a different way than on the first game, it's a bit more chaotic and unexpected, but also a great programming game
Summarised from 34 of the 195 public posts collected about this game; every point cites the posts behind it ([n] opens the post) and the split is counted from the posts’ own ratings. Updated Oct 12, 2026. How summaries are made
RottenBot@rottenbot · automated account
89% of the 179 Steam reviewers we collected recommend 7 Billion Humans. The complaint that keeps coming up: brutal difficulty curve that can be discouraging. Deal-breaker or nitpick?
Critics, per Wikipedia
The game was generally reviewed positively by critics. Destructoid called the game "work...but enjoyable work" and stated that while there "could be some hard-to-ignore faults", that overall "the experience is fun." Harry Slater of Pocket Gamer summarised the game as "a brilliant mixture of coding, humour, and puzzling," rating it 4.5/5 stars.
From the “Reception” section of Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Critic context only — not part of the audience score.
Reactions
60 of 190 · most liked first7 Billion Humans is the game that proves one thing: even in a world with seven billion workers, absolutely none of them listen. It’s a puzzle game disguised as a corporate nightmare, where your employees follow your instructions exactly which is great until you realize your instructions were terrible. It’s essential for the Steam community because it teaches valuable real‑world lessons, like: Programming is basically telling someone to do something obvious and watching them do it wrong…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Well, this game is great. I've been a software developer for more than 20 years, and it was really challenging for me to beat it, especially with all the additional speed and size challenges. On the downside, the UI could definitely be better. There are no breakpoints, no keyboard controls, broken step-by-step execution, and no ability to copy/paste specific code fragments. These aren't critical issues, but improvements here would greatly enhance the experience. I definitely recommend this…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →it's programming! it's literally just programming with little office workers. i love it. i love programming. i wake up and i go to my software engineering job and program on computer for 9 hours then I go home and program. do i eat? no. i love programming. i love it. progam
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A creative way to visualize programming, but definitely not beginner-friendly. First, I have to give this game some credit: it really does a great job of turning programming concepts into a visual puzzle game. You get exposed to concepts like if/else conditions, loops, concurrency, variables, event handlers, binary digits, pointers, and optimization / Big O notation through the puzzles. However, I honestly wouldn’t recommend this game to someone with absolutely no programming background. I…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →7 Billion Humans is far less successful than its predecessor. It has the same core gameplay, Tomorrow Corporations great art style and writing, the great music; nothing there has diminished. But it shoots too high for its formula and ends up unsatisfying. The new system for controlling groups of people instead of individual blocks is a great idea that simultaneously keeps the concepts of the original game intact, but still allows for a different feeling from the first. No skills transfer…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →One of the most user-unfriendly and worst designed interfaces I've ever seen in my entire life. No hotkeys for anything, every "if" statement you use requires minimum 5 or so clicks to select everything, and if it's a more complicated one with "and" or "or" statements, it double, triples, quadruples the time it takes to put this ONE command in, in puzzles that eventually require dozens of commands. You can't even use arrow keys or anything to select a direction for the commands. NOTHING. No…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →7 Billion Humans is probably one of the best coding related puzzle games out there. Honestly, this game perfectly embodies what I would consider a well made coding game. The UI is well done and eases people in with simple and easy to understand setups. The game uses a very seamless drag and drop option to add lines of code, has intuitive modification options, and offers visual depictions of what is happening with your little human on the left side. The visual movement as you go through your…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →PROS: + algorithmic puzzles + great music + good teaching method for beginners + funny story + copy&paste option for code CONS: - minimalistic UI - makes your head hurt (sometimes) Comment: This is a continuation of the Human Resources game - review [url=https://steamcommunity.com/id/artibius/recommended/375820]HERE The game is again a variation on the Assembly language. This time around with more advanced options available too. In fact it's an upgrade in almost every way to the previous…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →As a computer scientist, I thought this would probably be easy. But it isn't! It can be as complicated as you want it to be. This is a great game.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Not exactly bad, per se, but it's just a bit too slow, clunky, and unnecessarily awkward for what I like in a good programming game. Just play Human Resource Machine, which has a better learning curve and more enjoyable challenges, and if you've already played that one then pick up a zachtronics programming game. Decent concept, annoying execution.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Can we get DLC to add the extra billion people that dropped since this game's release?
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →If you like Human Resource Machine (which you should do first), then this is for you, it adds the complexity layer of multithreading, so you have to think in a different way than on the first game, it's a bit more chaotic and unexpected, but also a great programming game
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The good: - Great logic puzzles - Solutions can be jank, much like real programming solutions - Decent challenge level The bad: - Fastest/Shortest solutions don't feel satisfying as often you are relying on the fast runs to be quicker than the failed runs - Insane jump in difficulty which really killed my enjoyment as I felt I was trying to develop a AAA game using scratch - Lack of depth and even less explanations Despite this, I had fun, I felt challenged
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →What can I say? If you like coding, puzzling and problem solving, this game is 101% something you should try! Very well made! Perhaps 8 billion humans in the future?
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It almost makes me forget that I program for a living, 10/10.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →anyone have a recommendation for an Android phone game that's a real deep thinky puzzle game? Baba is You is the gold standard of what I'm looking for. I also liked 7 Billion Humans but probably don't want another programming game atm.
neutral · AI labelView post →def should_I_play_this_game(readerPlayedHRM, readerLikedHRM, readerWantsMoreInformation): if readerPlayedHRM is False: print("Play Human Resource Machine first!") return if readerLikedHRM is False: print("You probably won't like this game!") else: print("You will probably like this game!") if readerWantsMoreInformation is True: print("") print("For more information, please read the following.") print("")…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Sequel to 'Human Resource Machine' - programming with extra jokes. Starts simple, gets harder, challenges can be really tough. On the other hand, like a lot of puzzles, some you'll just know straight away. Give yourself a pat on the back.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This is one of those games that made me feel simultaneously like a genius and the dumbest person alive. I absolutely loved the whole “Hour of Code” thing this game had going on. The art style is charming, the writing is genuinely funny, and solving the puzzles feels insanely satisfying. That being said... the difficulty curve is absolutely BRUTAL. Once I reached the red path in story mode I completely folded and started copy-pasting solutions just to see the ending that was so painfully…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Hardest programming game I've ever played.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →reminds me a lot of Kara which my School used back in the day to teach us programming concepts and the start of Java.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game is a solid way to learn the basics of algorithms and programming. It is perfect for kids and junior developers who want to spend time solving great puzzles.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →My previous quarter at university I took a beginner's programming course. I'm not a comp-sci or STEM person at all, but I found the puzzle-solving aspect present in a lot of the assignments very enjoyable. I haven't played a lot of it yet, but this game scratches the same itch. I recommend if you enjoy logic puzzles/brain teasers - no programming knowledge or aptitude necessary.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →let machines do that for you
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Cute idea. Terrible, terrible execution. The instructions are inconsistent or outright misleading. Game breaking. If you're curious to know more: The game is about writing code but you can't copy and paste a line/lines of your code. Just go and do it the long way Every. Single. Time. You can copy and paste your entire program, but it you do so the same tool-tip box about copying and pasting comes up EVERY TIME. FOREVER. PLUS LOTS MORE ways to be be cludgy, clumsy, and kill any joy in…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →7 Billion Humans is a sequel to Human Resource Machine. If you enjoyed that game then you will enjoy this game as it has more puzzles, more variety and more challenges!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Absolutely amazing puzzle/programming game! The difficulty curve is perfect: you can start as a complete programming noob and gradually work your way up to some really challenging puzzles. The UI works perfectly without a keyboard, so you can easily play it on a Steam Deck, a Nintendo Switch, or even your phone. Highly recommended!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →So, this is a sequel to [url=https://store.steampowered.com/app/375820/Human_Resource_Machine/]Human Resource Machine, and honestly, it's basically a continuation of that game, but with some more complex levels and mechanics. You program your tiny humans to do tasks, and watch them fail at them over and over, until you copy-paste the solution from a walkthrough (don't do that for every level, you cheater). As usual, I love the artstyle from…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →They tricked me into thinking!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This is a very great puzzle and thinking game where you code a high level language. (Compared to Human Ressource Machine, where you code in assembly). It gets pretty hard, ESPECIALLY if you want to do the optimisation challenges! Would recommend! Unless you have issues like me, but that is not the games fault. That is the fault of me being born. Made me quit being a programmer and aware of how much of a pathetic failure i really am at (optimised) coding and at being alive in general.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Not recommended. The game rule design is uninspiring, clumsy, vague and unintuitive, many rules are deliberately hidden from the player, including specific timing of each command, which is crucial for optimizing speed and aligning concurrent jobs, and the actual mechanics of "setting directions" and "nearest objects" to memory slots. Although closely resembling programming language with both visual design and game narrative, the levels seldom digs into actual programming ideas. On the…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →To have at least some fun goals in 2025 (in addition to the boring stuff of 'get healthy' and 'find happieness in work') I want to play all my Steam-Games in alphabetical order. So I'll start with "7 Billion Humans". I want to put at least some hours in every game I own. We'll see how it goes.
neutral · AI labelView post →If HRM was an assembly level programming, this one is a compiled language level programming.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This is the best “casual” programming puzzle game that exists right now. Other programming games are better overall but aren’t quite as “casual” as this one, or as suitable for a general audience. By “casual” I really mean that it starts off super easy and provides the simplest and easiest block programming UI possible. The block programming UI is too limited to be a general programming language, but it’s suitable for the game as it’s the absolute minimum needed for the problems in the game.…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →If you like programming, you could probably just go program something instead of playing this. A good sequel though. Maintains the cute atmosphere and adds new challenges. Couldn't be bothered to complete all the puzzles as I got bored unfortunately.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →New #1 run in 7 Billion Humans - Any% (In-game paste) By MagickLava in 41m 36s Run link: http://www.speedrun.com/7_Billion_Humans/run/z17oeorz #7billionhumans #worldrecord #wr
neutral · AI labelView post →New #1 run in 7 Billion Humans - Any% (In-game paste) By MagickLava in 44m 44s Run link: http://www.speedrun.com/7_Billion_Humans/run/mr59vw4y #7billionhumans #worldrecord #wr
neutral · AI labelView post →Better than the first game (Human Resource Machine) because there is more options on how to achieve the tasks but like the first game, don't expect it to be like programming. The only takeaway from this game is we are all replaceable. Still no bugs so thumbs up.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I enjoyed it until the random skill spike around year 10 (13 was the most difficult, making me quit twice in a row), struggling even with references from other players who seem to have optimized it perfectly. Similar to what another reviewer said, this game is actually a chore by that point. I dabble in programming, and this makes the programming redundant REALLY FAST. As in even I get infuriated with the drag and drop, which is a genius idea until the point aforementioned - which is also…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Program. Try not to let your workers die. Or let them. Program again. Love it.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Intelligent puzzle-like programming game!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →i get angry at my IT boyfriend >:(
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Has interesting concept, and makes you think (a lot!). The only thing I do not like about it is that at later stages the "code" can get really cluttered and hard to navigate, what makes the experience less pleasant. Also, no the debugging features could use some work ;) Overall recommended!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →NOTE: A good game to begin learning CS basics and "logic". I've found it frustrating occasionally, especially with the UI limitations or having to drag ♥♥♥♥ around painstakingly for larger solutions, but overall, I've enjoyed it so I'll give it a passing mark. Puzzles are fun and certainly not always easy especially with the challenges of things not always making sense if you know you know. DON'T FORGET TO USE THE THREE TABS ON THE TOP LEFT!! I realized I can have different drafts far too late…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →You don't need Leetcode premium when you got this game! Also, I was banging my head against the wall before I realized you can have 2 separate solutions that each passes the size / speed check. Some levels will require you to do that. It's less about finding the best programming solution and more about gaming the system to pass the checks.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I'm a programmer, and this game gave me a run for my money. Very fun and endearing game, definitely recommend.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A good game with programming involved. Great for a mental challenge.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →As long as you know that it's game about "programming"/algorithm and you are into it, you will like it. Otherwise it might not be for you :).
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Gaming meets programming. If you are a geek, this will be up your alley.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →a fun way of getting the grips/handle of basic programming concept
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A fun coding-adjacent puzzle game. Unlike its predecessor, which is generally accessible throughout unless you go for the extra challenges, this one does get very difficult to digest and it gets very difficult to produce a solution that even works towards the end. However this comes from its overall concept being a more niche branch of coding, which does make the earlier puzzles more unique and engaging instead of overly simple.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I almost really like this game, but programming with Goto statements? Someone needs to be slapped.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Ive never noticed any bugs. I still have like 15 stages left undone (they complicated for my smooth brain). Fantastic game if you enjoy or think you might enjoy programming. 7 billion humans is the deeper version of their prequel HR game. This is good game. Buy it, make brain hurt good
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game is flaming hilarious XD
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I'm having a blast and getting better.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Just finished replaying Human Resource Machine and I wish that game had 100 more levels The later levels were a spaghetti-code CHALLENGE for me but they were still super fun Now onto the sequel: 7 Billion Humans, where you command armies of office workers like lemmings
positive · AI labelView post →For multi-threaded assembly professionals.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →https://cinematicdiversions.com/7-billion-humans/ 7 Billion Humans is a smart, stylish, funny little programming puzzle game with a good soundtrack and a genuinely amusing sense of workplace absurdity. I respect it. I can see why people who enjoy this sort of thing might enjoy it a great deal. I also found it almost unbearably tedious. This is not a case of a game I expected to love and then hated, which is its own special category of disappointment. This is more a case of admiring the…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →7 Billion Humans by Tomorrow Corporation takes a deceptively simple premise and turns it into one of the more memorable logic puzzle experiences on modern platforms. At its core, the game is about giving instructions to a workforce of tiny office employees, guiding them to complete tasks through a stripped-down programming language. What makes it compelling is not just the idea itself, but how it transforms abstract logic into something visual, tangible, and often quietly humorous. It feels…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It's a great game. Instead of being 'dopamine bait' designed to hook you, it’s actually valuable and helps improve your thinking.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
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