Hardwar places the player in the role of a freelance "Moth" pilot in the city of Misplaced Optimism, a space colony located on Saturn's moon, Titan.

The colony was once a profitable mining outpost, but the major corporations backed out, leaving the inhabitants without the capability of space travel and a slowly but steadily crumbling infrastructure.

During two hundred years of isolation, the remaining corporations became effectively organised crime gangs, with the corrupt and inefficient police force maintaining little law and order.

Things change when an unidentified, apparently alien, ship crash lands in the defunct Port district, causing the two largest corporations - Klamp-G and Lazarus - to rush to take advantage.

The player finds themself thrust in to the situation, eventually managing to outrace both corporations to help the aliens repair their ship in return for passage off Titan, to an uncertain, but hopefully better, future.

This also allows them to store extra "Moths" safely in one location, to set up trade facilities in different craters, and purchase and install Clones, to ensure the players' continuance should they meet an untimely demise in the skies.

In reference to the movie Hackers, four of the pilots on the police wanted list are called "Zero Cool", "Acid Burn", "Lord Nikon" and "Crash Override".

[9] Ed Lomas of Computer and Video Games summarized: "Hardwar has a brilliant atmosphere, lots to do, and a great sense of freedom.