Maniac

Ever just tired of it all? Ready for pure, unfiltered chaos? Maniac throws you into a city on the edge of anarchy, where every cop, federal agent, and tank standing between you and total mayhem is just another obstacle to plow straight through.

Maniac is a rogue-lite crime action game from developer Transhuman Design, best described as GTA meets Vampire Survivors with a dash of Fast and the Furious thrown in. Choosing from an arsenal of unlockable psychopaths, weapons, and vehicles, you’ll tear through an ever-changing open world city, hijacking anything from bulldozers to tanks as your wanted level climbs and the chaos escalates around you.

What Makes It Different?

• Cause chaos as one of 6 unique psychopaths, from a murderous clown to a drunk Santa
• Unlock an arsenal of weapons, gear, and vehicular upgrades as you play
• Hijack bulldozers, buses, cop cars, and tanks to spread the destruction further
• Explore a chaotic open world city split across 11 unique districts
• Build your own playground using the game’s built-in map editor
• Chain together explosive reactions as the city reacts dynamically around you
• Outrun an aggressive AI determined to catch you before the mayhem ends

A Cast Built for Chaos

Maniac’s roster leans hard into absurdity, with 6 wildly different psychopaths each bringing their own skills, unlockable gear, and vehicular upgrades into the fight. A murderous clown, an unemployed and inebriated Santa Claus, a coked-up broker, and a deceptively cute little girl are just a handful of the personalities waiting to be unleashed, and each one changes the flavour of the destruction left behind.

The City Fights Back

None of this chaos goes unnoticed. An aggressive AI actively hunts you down as your wanted level rises, throwing waves of cops, the FBI, and eventually the military into your path. Sick drifts and dynamic driving physics keep the action moving fast, while chain reactions ripple out across the city’s 11 districts, turning even a short chase into a spectacle of collateral damage.

How Long Does a Run Take?

An average successful run lasts exactly 20 minutes. The game is structured as a 20-minute arcade survival sprint, and as the clock ticks down, your wanted level rises, with the goal being to survive waves of cops, the FBI, and the military until the city is nuked. While a single run takes 20 minutes, players average around 2 to 6 hours of overall playtime to beat the main story or fully explore the game’s mechanics.

Controller Support

Maniac features Full Controller Support for Xbox Controllers.

Good If You Like…

Vampire Survivors and Jackal both bring a similar kind of frantic, escalating chaos to the table. Apocalypse Party is also worth a look if Maniac’s bullet-heavy mayhem is what’s calling to you.