5 Best Video Games Like BioShock

When it comes to building detailed and immersive worlds, few games do it better than the "BioShock" series. Whether you're in the depths of the ocean exploring the city of Rapture or high in the clouds wandering around Columbia, the "BioShock" games have a way of enthralling players for hours upon hours. While no game can truly replicate that experience for some players, some games do offer comparable worlds, stories, and gameplay that feel very close to any three of the "BioShock" titles.

Considering there's no confirmed release window for the next game in the "BioShock" series, likely called "BioShock 4," you might want to play some games that offer a similar experience. Of course, it takes a special game to be compared to such an iconic series. However, five games come the closest to making you feel like you're entering Rapture for the first time again. Here are the five best games like "BioShock."

If you're a die-hard "BioShock" fan, then you might have searched for the best games like it before. One of the top recommendations from the community for a comparable "BioShock" experience is "Prey," and there are zero arguments against that suggestion here. "Prey" was developed by Arkane Studios, which is a studio that helped with the development of "BioShock 2." While "Prey" isn't directly inspired by "BioShock" itself, you can clearly see the same traits present right at the start of the game.

Both games are immersive, first-person sims that take you to a creepy and unforgiving world. In "Prey," you're a neuroscientist working on a station in the middle of space, but you can't remember anything about your time there. You'll quickly find out through exploration, though, that you're not alone, as strange, alien shadow enemies have taken over the facility. "Prey" is an open-level game that features plenty of the same qualities as "BioShock," including some horror elements alongside a mystery to uncover — all with several possible endings to its story.

With a series as popular and influential as "BioShock," there will always be admirers in the video game industry who want to make something with the same DNA. That was the case with "Atomic Heart," a game clearly inspired by all three "BioShock" titles. Set in an alternate version of the 1950s Soviet Union, this timeline sees the Soviets win World War II, thanks to a futuristic substance called Polymer that totally shapes their society. This advances technology and science so far that robots and cybernetic humans have become the norm in everyday life.

Naturally, this all goes askew at the beginning of the story of "Atomic Heart," and the main character, a soldier named Sergey, must navigate a facility that has been overtaken by robots powered by Polymer. The gameplay in "Atomic Heart" features quick, first-person combat with multiple avenues of attack available to Sergey, including some Polymer-based attacks that stem from Sergey's futuristic glove, which plays a key narrative role in the story. "Atomic Heart" features plenty of what makes the "BioShock" games great, but also adds its own unique twists. 

Arkane Studios has returned to the list, but this time it's for the studio's most iconic game, "Dishonored." While any of the "Dishonored" games could be mentioned here, the original title in the series is still the best of the bunch for many fans. The first "Dishonored" follows the story of Corvo Attano, a bodyguard to the empress during the era of the Black Plague. However, shortly into the game, Corvo is framed for the murder of the empress and must escape into hiding among other refugees.

While the story is quite thrilling and interesting, it tends to take a backseat to the gameplay in "Dishonored." It's a first-person shooter that emphasizes stealth over everything, and there are ways to play the entire game without being detected by a single enemy. Via story events, Corvo eventually gains strange and varied powers to help maximize his stealthiness, but you don't have to remain hidden for the whole game. The ending you get in "Dishonored," however, is dependent on how much you're seen and how many enemies you kill, so it's up to you to decide how to play. It remains one of the best immersive sims in the entire genre, putting it right up there with "'BioShock." 

There are certainly more than a few games inspired by "BioShock," but what about the game that actually inspired the franchise? "System Shock" is widely considered to be the inspiration for "BioShock," with the latter being seen as the spiritual successor to "System Shock." While it's slightly difficult to play the older "System Shock" games since they were released in the 1990s, there is a shiny new remake you can play in 2026.

The "System Shock" remake is a totally faithful, reimagined version of the original from 1993, featuring overhauled graphics and new modern gameplay mechanics. At the core, though, you're playing the same game, which is a sci-fi FPS that takes you into a station overrun by an AI (the ever-terrifying SHODAN) and hordes of robots. A majority of the game is finding new levels and weapons to defeat a fresh wave of enemies, but there's also a non-linear story that develops in the background, allowing you to play the game at your own pace.

Out of all of the games on this list, "Alan Wake 2" is the furthest away from "BioShock" in terms of gameplay. It's a third-person horror game that vastly emphasizes storytelling over combat and character progression. However, if you're looking for a story that reels you in the same way that Andrew Ryan or The Prophet did in "BioShock," then "Alan Wake 2" should be the next game on your list.

The game follows Alan Wake, a cursed writer who is trapped in another dimension and is forced to come up with dark events and murders to try to escape his reality. You'll also follow the story of an FBI agent who is encountering all of Alan Wake's written stories that have come to life. "Alan Wake 2" is more on the horror side than something like "BioShock," but the story hooks you immediately and takes you on a slow-burning thrill ride for the entire duration of the game.