Data Center

Data Center from Waseku is a small, focused simulator that turns the usually invisible life of networks into something you can literally see and touch. Released on Windows on March 31, 2026, it invites you to build racks, run Ethernet by hand and watch customers’ traffic roll through your cables as colorful packet-balls. If you ever wanted Factorio-level engineering but with obsessive cable management, this is the game for you—albeit a pared-down, gentler take on real-world networking. It’s immediately relaxing for the right audience, and surprisingly educational for newcomers.

Wiring the Heartbeat

The core loop is gloriously tactile: buy racks, servers and switches, place and stack hardware, then physically run Ethernet from port to port. You're not assigning abstract links on a map—you're standing in the datacenter and routing cables through trays and cable chases, which makes every decision feel concrete. Customers arrive with app requirements and capacity targets, and you must connect enough servers and balance their load across racks and switches to meet those KPIs. Hardware ages and has end-of-life timers, so the routine includes swapping failing gear, planning redundancy and keeping critical services reachable during outages. Money, XP and reputation flow from good design, letting you expand your floor and unlock better devices as you succeed.

When Packets Become Visible

What really sets Data Center apart is the visual networking: each client's traffic is a stream of colored packet-balls that roll along your cables, immediately revealing congestion, idle links or perfectly tuned throughput. That visualization turns debugging into a delightful puzzle—watch a queue form, reroute a connection, and see the river smooth out. The game intentionally simplifies real networking: no CLI wizardry or mandatory VLAN/Routing configuration for every device, but it keeps enough details (ports, IPs, redundancy) to feel meaningful. Players from the reviews wanted more advanced features—remote configuration, routing protocols like BGP/OSPF, STP, or more device granularity—and the foundation is clearly there for those expansions.

Looks, Sound and Performance

Graphically the game favors clarity over flash: clean models, readable UI and charming packet animations that make the sim readable at a glance. Sound design leans into gentle mechanical hums and satisfying clicks when you plug a cable or stack a server, which helps sell the tactile joy. Performance on Windows is solid for modest floors, though some players reported small graphical glitches and control quirks (trolley placement, cable removal requiring held input). Accessibility is decent—the tutorial eases non-networking players in—but power users will notice the deliberate simplifications and hope for deeper housekeeping/QoL tools in updates. Overall it presents the network as a living, visible system, and that design choice is the game's personality.

Data Center is a niche gem: tactile, readable and oddly meditative if you're into networks or meticulous building. For casual players and IT hobbyists it's an easy recommend at a low price, but those wanting deeper, realistic networking should temper expectations until more features and QoL fixes arrive. Buy if you love cables; wait if you need full routing realism.