System Shock 2
Games Like BioShock if You’re Looking for Something Similar
In many ways, BioShock is seen as the spiritual successor to System Shock 2, and the two games do share a lot in common. System Shock 2 was actually developed by Ken Levine and Irrational Games, the same developers behind BioShock and BioShock Infinite.
System Shock 2 takes place aboard the spaceship Von Braun, as your character wakes up from cryo-sleep with amnesia and an illegal cyber-neural interface implanted into their body. Soon enough you find out the ship has been overtaken by an infectious being known as The Many, and it’s up to you to unravel the mystery of what they want and stop them. System Shock 2 is played from a first-person perspective, and grants players multiple different weapons and psionic powers, like fireballs and teleportation.
Although it has many more RPG systems than BioShock, there are a lot of elements shared between the two, like a hacking minigame, an in-game currency that can be spent at vending machines, and even a research system that lets you collect parts off of dead enemies to increase damage against them, similar to BioShock’s photography.
If you’re a big fan of BioShock, System Shock 2 is the definitive game you need to play to see where the foundation came from.
Dishonored 1 & 2
Games Like BioShock if You’re Looking for Something Similar
The Dishonored series shares a lot in common with BioShock, and it’s just as equally acclaimed. The games cast you as the assassin Corvo Attano, who is given supernatural abilities by a mysterious entity known as The Outsider. Corvo is ousted from his post as a royal bodyguard when the Empress of Dunwall is attacked and killed, and her daughter Emily abducted.
At its core, Dishonored is a stealth game, although you can play the title from an action-focus as well. The supernatural powers of the game feel a bit like Plasmids, with abilities like Blink letting you teleport short distances and Devouring Swarm summoning a group of bloodthirsty rats to kill enemies. The real fun of Dishonored comes in combining all of Corvo’s myriad powers with his weapons and finding your own way through the semi-open environments. There’s a ton of choice involved in the games as well, and the amount of chaos you cause, as in the number of people you kill, can influence the game’s dialogue and missions, as well as how bad the plague hitting the city is.
Dishonored 2 is even an improvement on the first game adding more variation and powers into the mix, along with the new playable character of Emily. Whether it’s the main games or the DLC, there’s a lot of quality content to the Dishonored series, and if you’re looking for a BioShock-like experience with more of a stealth focus, it’s the best choice out there.
Dead Space
Games Like BioShock if You’re Looking for Something Similar
Dead Space may be different from BioShock on initial appearance, as one is third-person while the other is first-person, but there are still quite a few similarities between the two. The atmosphere of both games is easily what is most similar, as both take place in a horrific environment with an oppressive feel. Dead Space and BioShock both use particular mechanics to make everything seem more immersive, like planting ads for various products and locations throughout the world, and by using audio recordings to flesh out the world and characters.
The hulking Necromorphs that you face down in Dead Space can be every bit as terrifying as BioShock’s Big Daddies, and there’s even a telekinesis power that’s integral to getting through certain puzzles. Just to keep the comparisons going, both games sport a mute protagonist that’s more than willing to do what they’re told, and that willingness to follow orders directly plays into each game’s story. Dead Space is definitely different aesthetically and is much much more sci-fi than BioShock, but there are some strong similarities between the two that any fan should enjoy.
Prey
Games Like BioShock if You’re Looking for Something Similar
It’s no surprise that the other game from the developers of Dishonored would also be similar to BioShock. Prey has a mind-bending story that has you playing as Morgan Yu, a scientist exploring a space station ravaged by an alien lifeform known as the Typhon. Prey’s central story is shrouded in mystery, and exploring the Talos I space station is definitely reminiscent of exploring Rapture.
Prey gives you a variety of weapons to use, along with powers like telepathy and the ability to trick enemies by turning into everyday items. Prey’s gunplay may not be quite as tight as BioShock, but the amount of options and upgrades provides a ton of variation as to how you want to approach each situation. Prey, like System Shock, incorporates more RPG elements than what you might find in BioShock, but the act of exploring the space station and finding creative ways to take down enemies is definitely similar. It’s another sci-fi title for any BioShock fan to check out.
Half-Life 2
Games Like BioShock if You’re Looking for Something Similar
Truth be told, Half-Life 2 shares a lot in common with many modern shooters, as it served as the inspiration for many games and mechanics. Half-Life 2’s opening shares quite a bit in common with BioShock, as you play the scientist Gordon Freeman, arriving in the mysterious City 17. The alien species named The Combine have turned City 17 into a brutal police state, and use it to assimilate humans and other species. Similarly to BioShock, right off the bat you’re thrown into extreme danger, and Half-Life 2 has an incredibly memorable, climactic opening.
Outside of story similarities, Half-Life 2’s strongest point is the way it simulates realistic physics, and gives you a weapon called the Gravity Gun, which can pull items to you or forcefully shoot them away. The weapon plays an integral role in many of the game’s physics-based puzzles, and can also work as a unique weapon in combat. Outside of the Gravity Gun, there’s a number of other weapons you can get as well, like the Pulse Rifle and Crossbow. It should be noted that you really don’t need to play the first Half-Life before playing Half-Life 2, as it’s relatively easy to understand the game’s story jumping in blind. There’s a reason Half-Life 2 is considered one of the greatest shooters of all time, and even fans of a prolific game like BioShock should see the inspirations.
The Bureau: XCOM Declassified
Games Like BioShock if You’re Looking for Something Similar
You probably know XCOM as the punishing strategy series, and while that is its main claim to fame, an action-oriented third-person shooter released in 2013 called The Bureau: XCOM Declassified. Interestingly, The Bureau comes from 2K Marin, the same developer behind BioShock 2, so there’s a reason for some similarities.
The Bureau is set in 1962, during the height of the Cold War. You play as William Carter, a member of the Bureau of Strategic Emergency Command, an organization intended to coordinate U.S. forces in the event of a Soviet Invasion. The leaders of the Emergency Command have different plans, however, and use it to combat the extraterrestrial threats invading the United States. The Bureau combines elements of tactical games with third-person shooting, and each mission has you playing as Carter while bringing two other agents with you. Carter has a host of abilities like healing the squad, using telekinesis to lift enemies out of cover, or summoning combat drones.
During battle, you’ll be able to activate something called Battle Focus Mode, which stops time and lets you move agents to specific areas, as well as activate abilities. There are elements of traditional XCOM games that remain like an agent dies during a mission and you don’t revive them fast enough, they’ll stay dead for the rest of the game.
Among everything else the 1960s setting and aesthetic should appeal directly to fans of BioShock, especially considering 2K Marin already has experience with the time period.
Metro 2033 and Metro: Last Light
Games Like BioShock if You’re Looking for Something Similar
The Metro video games are based on a series of post-apocalyptic sci-fi novels by Russian author Dmitry Glukhovsky. The games all take place in a post-apocalyptic Russia, more specifically in the dark and foreboding Metro tunnels underneath the country due to the irradiated surface. The games are first-person shooters mixed with elements of stealth games and survival horror. You play as Artyom, a survivor in the Metro tunnels who gets looped into a conflict between the Communists and Nazis, and discovers supernatural secrets that have big implications for the world.
The Metro games are mostly linear experiences that give some freedom in how you want to tackle each combat situation. Artyom encounters both human enemies and mutated creatures and has a variety of weapons to take them down, like crossbows, shotguns, and pneumatic rifles. One of Metro’s most interesting aspects is the way it limits your ammunition. Ammo is hard to come by in the first place, but it also doubles as money you can use at shops in settlements, meaning you’ll need to decide how you want to use those precious bullets. Because of this, stealth is often encouraged, though it can be difficult to make it through areas littered with enemies. There’s also a gas mask system that needs air to use when you’re in irradiated areas, and your gas mask can even take damage and become useless, requiring you to find a new one.
The survival elements in Metro games make them harrowing experiences, but the supernatural stories have some great characters and moments littered throughout. The atmosphere and tension of Metro games are spot on, and something that definitely evokes the same feelings BioShock gave off.
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