If you want the closest modern match to BioShock, start with Prey (2017). It combines first-person shooting, an unusual setting, powers, environmental clues and a mystery spread across an interconnected space. Choose Dishonored 2 if BioShock’s abilities and multiple approaches mattered most; System Shock 2 if you want the series’ design ancestry; SOMA for isolation and existential horror; Atomic Heart for retro-futurist action; or Deathloop for powers-driven experimentation in a time loop. If you have only played the original, BioShock 2 and BioShock Infinite remain the most direct next steps.
| Name | Best for | Key spec | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prey (2017) | Closest overall exploration and mystery | Sci-fi thriller on Talos I; interconnected spaces, vertical routes, human and alien powers | Oct 2026 |
| Dishonored 2 | Powers and multiple approaches | Stealth-oriented immersive sim with supernatural abilities and branching routes | Oct 2026 |
| System Shock 2 | BioShock’s design lineage | First-person combat, RPG progression, skills, hacking, audio logs and oppressive science fiction | Oct 2026 |
| SOMA | Atmosphere and existential horror | Horror-first exploration built around isolation and story discovery | Oct 2026 |
| Atomic Heart | Retro-futurist action and powers | Soviet-era alternate-history facility, conventional weapons and glove-based powers | Oct 2026 |
| Deathloop | Replayable experimentation | First-person shooting and supernatural abilities in a loop requiring eight targets in one day | Oct 2026 |
| BioShock 2 | Returning to Rapture | Another story in Rapture from a new perspective | Oct 2026 |
| BioShock Infinite | More of the series’ core formula | First-person gunplay, powers and a story-led structure in Columbia | Oct 2026 |
What is the closest game to BioShock?
Prey (2017) is the closest overall fit, but it is not simply “BioShock in space.” Bethesda describes it as a sci-fi thriller aboard the Talos I station, where you investigate what happened, fight hostile forces and combine human and alien abilities. A developer interview emphasizes interconnected spaces, verticality, alternate routes and storytelling embedded in the environment.
The important difference is structure. BioShock generally guides you through a directed shooter campaign, while Prey gives you a station to learn and exploit. Scavenging, backtracking and experimenting with the simulation are central. A locked room may have more than one solution, and the route you take can depend on the skills, equipment or powers you have chosen. That makes Prey the strongest recommendation for someone who remembers BioShock as a place to explore rather than only a sequence of firefights.
Why Prey matches BioShock’s strongest ingredients
- First-person story: the mystery is delivered through discovered information, conversations and the condition of the station itself.
- Memorable setting: Talos I is a functioning space, not a collection of disconnected levels. Looking through windows, maintenance areas and vertical shafts helps you understand how its parts connect.
- Powers with consequences: human and alien abilities expand both combat and navigation, but the choice is tied to the game’s systems rather than being a simple list of BioShock-style plasmids.
- Environmental problem-solving: the spaces support multiple paths, so observation and improvisation can matter as much as weapon accuracy.
Raphael Colantonio, Prey’s creative director, summarized that blend as: “There’s the shooter aspect, but it’s also an RPG and an adventure.” That description is a useful expectation-setter. If you want a tightly paced horror shooter with a mostly fixed route, Prey can feel deliberately open-ended. If you want to search every office, test every tool and reconstruct a disaster from its traces, it is the best first choice here.
Which game has BioShock-like powers with more freedom?
Dishonored 2 is the right pick when supernatural abilities and player choice matter more to you than a directed horror campaign. It is more stealth-oriented and more openly systemic than BioShock. Objectives can be approached through different routes, and your decisions about combat, stealth and exploration shape how a mission unfolds.
How Dishonored 2 differs from BioShock
Think of it as “BioShock-like powers, but with more stealth.” Abilities are tools for reaching a location, isolating a target, escaping a patrol or creating an unexpected chain of events. The game is less interested in moving you from one dramatic set piece to the next and more interested in giving you a problem inside a space that can be read and manipulated.
That freedom comes with trade-offs. Dishonored 2 is not a constant-gunfire substitute, and its strongest scenarios reward patience, scouting and experimentation. Players who loved BioShock’s weapon-and-power rhythm but disliked stealth may find the balance slower. Players who enjoyed deciding how a level should be solved will find a much broader range of approaches.
Who should choose it?
- Choose Dishonored 2 if you want powers to change movement, positioning and tactics, not just damage output.
- Choose it if discovering alternate routes is as satisfying as discovering plot details.
- Look elsewhere if your priority is a claustrophobic horror story or uninterrupted shooter momentum.
The comparison is supported by both the game’s systemic design and Arkane’s stated influences. It shares the immersive-sim interest in simulated spaces, but its mission structure and stealth emphasis make it a different experience from BioShock.
Where can I play BioShock’s immersive-sim ancestor?
System Shock 2 is the historical recommendation. The Prey development team explicitly names System Shock as an influence, and comparison coverage places System Shock and System Shock 2 in the design lineage from which BioShock grew. Play it to see the combination of first-person combat, RPG progression, skills, hacking, audio logs and oppressive science-fiction mood that later games refined.
What makes System Shock 2 important
Its story is assembled through exploration and recorded information rather than delivered only in face-to-face scenes. Character development affects what you can do, and the ship’s threats encourage resource management and careful movement. The result is a game in which learning the rules of the environment is part of the narrative experience.
It is also the least immediately accessible recommendation near the top of this list. Its older interface, pacing and systems can require more patience than BioShock’s streamlined presentation. That is why it works best as an “understand the roots” choice, not as a universal substitute.
System Shock or System Shock 2?
The original System Shock is useful if you want to follow the lineage from its earliest form, while System Shock 2 is the more direct recommendation for readers seeking the RPG, audio-log and atmospheric combination associated with BioShock. The choice depends on how far back you want to go rather than on a claim that either is a modern clone.
System Shock 2’s Metacritic comparison page lists a 92 Metascore (2022 comparison data). That figure is a historical editorial aggregate, not a current performance measurement or a guarantee that its older design will suit every player.
Which game best matches BioShock’s dread and story discovery?
SOMA belongs to the horror-first branch of this list. Choose it if what you remember most is isolation, unease and uncovering disturbing ideas in a strange environment rather than BioShock’s combat loop.
What SOMA keeps and what it leaves out
SOMA is built around atmosphere and existential horror. Its tension comes from being alone with an unsettling setting and gradually understanding what happened there. It does not reproduce BioShock’s balance of guns, powers and upgrade choices, so it should not be sold as a mechanical replacement.
This distinction matters when setting expectations. Readers who want frequent fights and a broad arsenal may find SOMA too restrained. Readers who want the emotional pressure of exploring a hostile place while piecing together a story may find it more effective than a conventional action game.
A Gamelikey comparison snapshot refreshed October 16, 2026 lists SOMA at 96% “Overwhelmingly Positive” on Steam. That percentage is a dated storefront review snapshot and can change as new reviews arrive; it is evidence of that audience response at the stated refresh, not a controlled comparison with BioShock.
Which BioShock-like game is best for retro-futurist action?
Atomic Heart is the visual and tonal alternative. It presents a Soviet-era alternate-history facility, conventional weapons and glove-based powers. Its striking art direction can appeal to players who loved BioShock’s strong sense of place, but its emphasis is louder and more combat-focused.
How Atomic Heart changes the formula
The setting supplies the retro-futurist appeal: unusual technology, a sinister facility and a world designed to be looked at as much as traversed. Powers and firearms provide the immediate action, while boss encounters push the game toward spectacle. That makes it a better recommendation for someone seeking BioShock’s visual imagination and ability-driven combat than for someone seeking slow-burn horror.
- Pick Atomic Heart for an action-forward pace, conspicuous powers and a stylized alternate history.
- Do not pick it as your first choice if environmental mystery and oppressive quiet are the main reasons you liked BioShock.
Its relationship to BioShock is therefore thematic rather than genealogical: shared interest in an unusual retro-futurist world and powers, but a different balance of combat, boss fights and horror.
Which game turns BioShock-style powers into a replayable experiment?
Deathloop is the best fit if you enjoyed experimenting with abilities and watching a world’s systems interact. It combines first-person shooting, supernatural powers, exploration and a time-loop structure. Metacritic describes the central objective as eliminating eight high-value targets in a single day.
Why the loop changes exploration
Instead of solving one linear mystery and moving on, you revisit places and times with more knowledge. Each attempt can reveal a schedule, a route, a vulnerability or a new way to combine powers. The pleasure comes from turning information into a better plan, not merely from collecting a stronger weapon.
That structure also makes Deathloop a weaker fit for readers who want BioShock’s claustrophobic horror or a single directed campaign. Its tone is more playful and its repetition is intentional. If you prefer to test possibilities, learn from failure and refine a route, the loop is the point; if you want every corridor to advance one continuous mystery, choose Prey or SOMA instead.
Have you played the whole BioShock series?
If the original BioShock is the only entry you have finished, the safest next games are BioShock 2 and BioShock Infinite. They preserve the series’ first-person gunplay, powers and story-led structure while changing the setting and point of view.
BioShock 2
BioShock 2 returns to Rapture with a new perspective. It is the straightforward choice when you want more of the underwater city’s fiction, art direction and mechanical vocabulary before moving to another series.
BioShock Infinite
BioShock Infinite moves the action to Columbia while keeping the first-person combination of firearms, powers and narrative momentum. Metacritic’s 2022 comparison page lists a 96 Metascore. As with every aggregate, that score describes the cited comparison period and should not be read as a prediction of your personal preference.
These two games are continuation options, not substitutes for the new worlds above. Put them first if “another BioShock” is what you mean; put Prey, Dishonored 2 or System Shock 2 first if you want to see how other games interpret the same design ideas.
How should I choose among these games?
Start with the part of BioShock you most want to preserve. The table below separates story direction, exploration freedom, typical solutions and emotional tone so that “similar” does not become a vague promise.
| If you value… | Choose | Why | Watch for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Exploration and a mystery in a connected location | Prey | Talos I supports multiple routes, verticality and environmental clues. | More scavenging and systems-driven decisions than a directed shooter. |
| Powers that enable different solutions | Dishonored 2 | Abilities, stealth and level design support many approaches. | Stealth and experimentation are more central than constant gunplay. |
| The lineage behind BioShock | System Shock 2 | RPG skills, hacking, audio logs and science-fiction atmosphere. | Older presentation and less immediate accessibility. |
| Isolation and existential dread | SOMA | Story discovery and horror atmosphere drive the experience. | It does not provide BioShock’s weapon-and-power loop. |
| Retro-futurist art direction with action | Atomic Heart | Alternate-history facility, weapons and glove-based powers. | More combat and boss-fight emphasis, less horror. |
| Learning a world through repeated attempts | Deathloop | A time loop turns powers and exploration into experiments. | Less linear and less claustrophobic than BioShock. |
What do the available review figures actually tell you?
Published scores and storefront percentages are useful signals, but they are not interchangeable measures. The following figures come from the named sources and dates in the comparison material:
| Game | Figure | Source and date | How to read it |
|---|---|---|---|
| BioShock Infinite | 96 Metascore | Metacritic comparison page, 2022 | Historical aggregate score. |
| System Shock 2 | 92 Metascore | Metacritic comparison page, 2022 | Historical aggregate score. |
| Dishonored 2 | 88 Metascore | Metacritic comparison page, 2022 | Historical aggregate score. |
| Prey | 91% Very Positive on Steam | Gamelikey snapshot refreshed October 16, 2026 | Dated user-review percentage. |
| Dishonored | 98% Overwhelmingly Positive on Steam | Gamelikey snapshot refreshed October 16, 2026 | The figure is for Dishonored, not Dishonored 2. |
| System Shock | 90% Very Positive on Steam | Gamelikey snapshot refreshed October 16, 2026 | The figure is for System Shock, not System Shock 2. |
| SOMA | 96% Overwhelmingly Positive on Steam | Gamelikey snapshot refreshed October 16, 2026 | Dated user-review percentage. |
Do not use the Dishonored or System Shock percentages as if they belonged to their sequels. Storefront figures also move over time, while Metascores summarize a different set of publications and a different period.
What platforms and purchase formats are documented?
Platform support and storefront inventory change by edition and region, so check the current listing for the version you intend to buy. The documented purchase references specifically identify Prey PS4, Dishonored 2 PS4 and System Shock 2 PC; those labels are not interchangeable editions.
That distinction matters for physical copies, backward compatibility and save support. A PS4 listing is not evidence that every console version is available, and a PC listing does not establish a console release. Confirm the platform, edition and seller before purchasing rather than relying on a generic franchise page.
How were these recommendations selected?
The list uses five decision axes: how story-led each game is, how much freedom its exploration offers, whether combat or stealth is the dominant solution, how intense its horror or dread is, and what the documented platform or purchase information says. The ranking gives priority to the specific reasons people seek a BioShock follow-up—first-person discovery, environmental storytelling, unusual powers, systemic spaces and a memorable setting—rather than treating review scores as a substitute for fit.
That is why Prey leads despite being more open-ended, why Dishonored 2 follows for powers and choice, and why SOMA appears as a clearly labeled horror-first option instead of being presented as a mechanical clone. Atomic Heart and Deathloop address narrower preferences, while BioShock 2 and Infinite are separated as same-series continuations.
Which should I play first?
Choose Prey for the broadest overlap with BioShock’s exploration, mystery and powers. Choose Dishonored 2 when your favorite part was deciding how to use abilities, and System Shock 2 when you want to trace the ideas back to their immersive-sim roots. Pick SOMA for pure atmosphere, Atomic Heart for retro-futurist action, and Deathloop for repeatable experimentation. If you simply want another official chapter, play BioShock 2 or BioShock Infinite before leaving the series.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to play System Shock before Prey?
No. Prey stands on its own and does not require knowledge of System Shock’s story. Playing System Shock 2 first is worthwhile only if you want to recognize the design lineage and older immersive-sim conventions that influenced Prey.
Which recommendation has the least traditional combat?
SOMA is the clearest horror-first option and is not built around BioShock’s weapon-and-power loop. Its appeal is sustained unease and narrative discovery, so it suits players who are willing to trade combat variety for atmosphere.
Is Deathloop a linear story game?
It has a central objective, but its time-loop structure makes discovery non-linear in practice. You revisit locations and schedules to learn information and refine your plan, which is different from BioShock’s mostly forward-moving campaign.
Are the Steam percentages current forever?
No. The percentages cited here are snapshots from Gamelikey’s October 16, 2026 refresh. New reviews can change a game’s displayed percentage, so treat the date as part of the figure.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to play System Shock before Prey?
No. Prey stands on its own and does not require knowledge of System Shock’s story. Playing System Shock 2 first is worthwhile only if you want to recognize the design lineage and older immersive-sim conventions that influenced Prey.
Which recommendation has the least traditional combat?
SOMA is the clearest horror-first option and is not built around BioShock’s weapon-and-power loop. Its appeal is sustained unease and narrative discovery, so it suits players who are willing to trade combat variety for atmosphere.
Is Deathloop a linear story game?
It has a central objective, but its time-loop structure makes discovery non-linear in practice. You revisit locations and schedules to learn information and refine your plan, which is different from BioShock’s mostly forward-moving campaign.
Are the Steam percentages current forever?
No. The percentages cited here are snapshots from Gamelikey’s October 16, 2026 refresh. New reviews can change a game’s displayed percentage, so treat the date as part of the figure.