10 Best Games Like BioShock - Investment Policy

BioShock is one of the cherished milestone games that has been produced, enjoying widespread adoration since its release. At the time, the immersive sim-shooter genre wasn’t particularly popular, and despite being a spiritual successor to the System Shock series, it didn’t have a large fanbase ready and waiting at launch either.

Regardless, Bioshock offered an immersive, captivating universe, a somber, adult narrative, and engaging, ability-focused first-person shooting gameplay that swiftly won over players who dared to experience it.

Today, we’ll be discussing several video games that attempt to recreate the unique experience of your initial journey to Rapture, as none may truly rival it, but come close in their own ways.

10. Dead Space

A Third-Person Space Horror

The Dead Space series offers an engaging experience, putting you right in the action with its thrilling space shooting gameplay viewed from a third-person angle.

It’s falls heavily on the horror spectrum of things, but it has plenty of similarities to BioShock.

You are stranded in a place with all sorts of horrific beings with very little to defend yourself.

In your newfound abilities, you tap into powers unlike anything you’ve known before, and ultimately, the climax offers a shocking revelation that causes you to question all that you’ve encountered.

This game offers the same captivating, gradually escalating gameplay style that BioShock enthusiasts appreciate, and it stands strongly as an exceptional series on its own merits.

9. Prey

Alone On A Ship

The video game “Prey” might not have received as much acclaim upon its release, possibly due to the fact that during that time, open-world games were particularly popular and trending.

It’s quite disappointing since it shares numerous similarities with BioShock, including the design of the ship where you’re trapped and its gradual unveiling of new spaces as you explore – it’s evident that the game took significant inspiration from BioShock.

In this battle, you’ll experience a blend of third-person gunplay and special abilities as you go up against the Typhon. The experience is filled with tense, eerie instances that make you feel uneasy, maintaining an unsettling atmosphere in a clearly extraterrestrial environment.

8. Deus Ex: Mankind Divided

Another Enhanced Main Character

Amongst the array of options this series offers, I personally find Deus Ex: Mankind Divided to be my top pick. It truly stands out as one of the exceptional immersive sims available today.

In a future that isn’t quite the bleak world of Rapture, but shares some similarities, there exists a society where humans with cybernetic enhancements play dual roles: they can be either heroes or villains.

In this game, you assume the role of Adam Jensen, a unique character who undergoes human enhancement and is given missions to discover the origin of a lethal terrorist act.

In this game, I find myself enveloped by an ominous ambiance, where even the scenery seems to take on a life of its own, playing a pivotal role like a character in the story.

Besides the distinctive abilities you acquire, this game offers immersive first-person and third-person shooting experiences that are reminiscent of the BioShock series. It’s no surprise that fans of BioShock would find much to appreciate in it.

7. SOMA

An Undersea Terror

SOMA is a different genre than BioShock, but it shares a ton of similarities and themes.

This experience is primarily a walk-through adventure with a sprinkle of puzzle-solving, yet it also offers some profound and unsettling revelations as you progress.

In a subterranean laboratory, you’re isolated amidst chaos, as events have spiraled out of control. You’ll encounter spine-tingling apprehension, heart-pounding revelations, and jaw-dropping surprises at every turn.

Instead of direct combat, Soma offers a more profound and pensive take on the BioShock narrative, set within an underwater environment for added depth.

Or,

In Soma, you won’t find traditional combat, but it delivers a deeply contemplative experience that echoes the atmosphere of the BioShock series, with a hauntingly beautiful ocean setting to complement it.

6. Singularity

A Different World’s Downfall

Imagine if I were a fervent admirer, expressing myself thusly: If the Call of Duty creators dared to venture into the realm of thoughtful, intense sci-fi first-person shooters, they’d have crafted Singularity. This relatively unnoticed gem from the 2010s stands out as one of the lesser-known treasures in gaming history.

This encounter is short-lived, yet it incorporates several captivating aspects from the BioShock universe, such as a society spiraling out of control, shadowy government schemes, and, in the subsequent installments, traversing diverse temporal realms.

In this game, you experience the traditional first-person shooter action, but with a unique spin. Instead of just firing weapons, you can also control time itself. This power extends not only to moving objects and enemies, but even allows you to accelerate or decelerate the aging process of your adversaries, eventually turning them into dust as an alternative tactic for combat.

This game showcases an incredibly original concept, boasting a surprising plot twist that BioShock enthusiasts will undoubtedly enjoy. Overall, it’s a thrilling, engaging, and intriguing experience that sometimes seems like a high-octane version of a BioShock title, focusing on intense action.

5. Atomfall

A Slow-Burn Mystery

Atomfall has just released, but it has a noticeably similar vibe to the first BioShock entry.

That vibe is a mystery. What is going on here? How did things get this way? And who am I?

In essence, both BioShock and Atomfall share the same rhythm in their narratives, and they each handle these elements skillfully in a comparable manner.

In this setting, the battles are more earthbound, limiting your arsenal to traditional tools such as bats and firearms. However, the eerie atmosphere and shocking discoveries are still comparable to those found in BioShock.

In this game, it’s often advantageous to go in with minimal knowledge about the plot. This is designed so you can experience the storyline as clueless as the main character, which heightens the pleasure of solving the mystery regarding the fate of this world, since your ignorance contributes to the intrigue.

4. Dishonored

Steampunk BioShock

In the world of gaming, Dishonored stands out as a distinctly original franchise. However, upon its initial release, my immediate impression was that it resembled the feel of BioShock.

Instead of focusing on the combat or plotline, what really captured me was the overall ambiance of the game. The world had a distinctly gloomy yet oddly charming atmosphere, reminiscent of BioShock’s witty commentary on society.

Additionally, there was a unique artistic approach that blended realism and abstraction, similar to what was used in BioShock’s design.

Firstly, you possess an impressive array of abilities, and it’s undeniable that Dishonored is a clever spin on the BioShock structure, demonstrating mastery in similar areas. It’s evident that this game leans more towards stealth, but it still retains many shared characteristics. In essence, while it’s stealth-oriented, it also carries a significant amount of BioShock’s genetic code.

3. We Happy Few

We BioShock Too

We Happy Few is a game that feels distinctly BioShock-like in so many ways.

In this futuristic, broken society, you assume the role of one character among three, living amidst constant conflict, yet an unusual contentment prevails. This tranquility is maintained due to a common use of mind-altering substances by everyone.

These medications suppress genuine feelings and induce a false sense of joy in users, and their use is rigidly enforced, creating a chilling atmosphere similar to that portrayed in films such as Equilibrium or novels like 1984.

The games share a similar blend of dark comedy and retro-futuristic style, reminiscent of BioShock.

Or: Both games feature a mix of dark humor and a retro-futuristic atmosphere that recalls BioShock.

In this place, full-blown fights are not frequent, yet they mostly involve improvised tools for defense or offense, a scenario reminiscent of the experience many BioShock players had when playing extensively with only a wrench.

2. Atomic Heart

Russian BioShock

The video game “Atomic Heart” strives vigorously to embody the spirit of BioShock – an idyllic city corrupted, overactive robots, peculiar abilities, and a touch of offbeat comedy.

The game didn’t quite capture the same mood as BioShock, veering more towards satirical themes and featuring a main character who was somewhat grating, often disrupting any suspense the game attempted to create.

BioShock excelled at delivering intriguing plot twists, and Atomic Heart follows suit by offering several unexpected moments towards the end that fundamentally alter the perspective you had on the events previously witnessed.

The game isn’t perfect due to several factors, but it manages to capture a similar atmosphere as BioShock, whether positively or negatively.

1. System Shock (2023)

The Original Shock Returns

System Shock is the original in the shock series and the game that inspired BioShock.

The setting strongly emphasizes science fiction, immersing you in an abandoned spaceship controlled by a malicious artificial intelligence.

The sense of isolation and despair, reminiscent of Rapture, is just as profound, and the addition of cosmic horror amplifies this already daunting journey, making it a truly chilling experience.

As you progress, you’ll gain various abilities to utilize, encounter unexpected plot turns, and ultimately understand the role of your character, similar to how the story of Jack in BioShock gradually reveals its meaning.

2025-04-13 16:10