BioShock cover
FranchiseBioshockSeriesBioshock

BioShock

Critic score8 critics
First release
Aug 21, 2007
Publisher
2K Games
Genres
Role-playing (RPG), Adventure, Shooter, Puzzle · Open world, Action, Science fiction, Horror, Stealth

BioShock is a horror-themed first-person shooter set in a steampunk underwater dystopia. The player is urged to turn everything into a weapon: biologically modifying their own body with Plasmids, hacking devices and systems, upgrading their weapons, crafting new ammo variants, and experimenting with different battle techniques are all possible. The game is described by the developers as a spiritual successor to their previous PC title System Shock 2. BioShock received high praise in critical reviews for its atmospheric audio and visual quality, absorbing and original plot and its unique gaming experience.

Also known as BS

Attributes

No Attributes added.

Details

Storyline, release dates, time to beat, age ratings, modes, links, keywords

Storyline
In the year 1960, a plane crashes in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean with a man named Jack as the only survivor. He has the apparent luck of resurfacing in front of what looks like a door to an underwater complex. Without hesitating, Jack enters the door and is greeted by slogans that praise the city of Rapture, a paradise of free will built in the 1940s by a business magnate named Andrew Ryan. However, even before he assimilates all this new information, the descent to this supposed paradise ends and he can only see ruins and chaos. Learning about the destiny of Rapture will be now Jack's main motivation while he tries to survive the horrors that free can create.Read more

In the year 1960, a plane crashes in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean with a man named Jack as the only survivor. He has the apparent luck of resurfacing in front of what looks like a door to an underwater complex. Without hesitating, Jack enters the door and is greeted by slogans that praise the city of Rapture, a paradise of free will built in the 1940s by a business magnate named Andrew Ryan. However, even before he assimilates all this new information, the descent to this supposed paradise ends and he can only see ruins and chaos. Learning about the destiny of Rapture will be now Jack's main motivation while he tries to survive the horrors that free can create.

Release dates
PC (Microsoft Windows)
Aug 21, 2007
Xbox 360
Aug 21, 2007
Xbox 360
Aug 24, 2007
All 6 release dates
Xbox 360
Feb 21, 2008
Mac
Oct 07, 2009
Mac
Oct 23, 2009
Time to beatIGDB · recorded
Main Story
8h
Main + Extras
16h
Completionist
26h
Game modes
Single player
Perspective
First person
Where to buy
Keywords
ghosts, assassin, bloody, underwater, time travel
… All 227, murder, 3d, photography, minigames, dystopian, guitar playing, crafting, death, robots, horse, 1950s, steampunk, female protagonist, insanity, action-adventure, religion, steam, multiple protagonists, psychic abilities, bird, backtracking, achievements, gore, multiple endings, traps, hacking, artificial intelligence, steam trading cards, revenge, dancing, torture, camera, survival horror, racism, easter egg, capitalism, teleportation, economy, echolocation, singing, mad scientist, silent protagonist, cult, one-man army, boss fight, explosion, spiritual successor, steam achievements, digital distribution, xbox controller support for pc, single-player only, steam cloud, game critics awards, playstation trophies, rivaling factions, playing cards, voice acting, corrupt government, bink video, mind control, human, polygonal 3d, shopping, skill points in game, bow and arrow, damsel in distress, upgradeable weapons, breaking the fourth wall, loot gathering, microtransaction, pop culture reference, playstation move support, motion control, priest, full motion video, racial stereotypes, wasd movement, white noise, non-player character, fake in-game advertising, homage box art, retail games with steam activation, save point, playstation plus, checkpoints, faceless protagonist, saving the world, moral decisions, resistance, downloadable content, melee, auto-saving, real-time combat, environmental puzzles, underwater gameplay, a.i. companion, male antagonist, retro future, secret area, betrayal, vision obstruction, games with gold, difficulty level, nonexistent light source, self-referential humor, scary children, jump scare moment, liberation, movie reference, audio logs, vending machine interaction, rock music, political thriller, rpg elements, respawning, mercenary, falling sequence, floating island, christianity, bread, konami code, cover system, terrorists, atheism, communism, scientist, interactive environments, film noir, playstation now, villain, anti-hero, changing sides, been here before, xbox one backwards compatibility, physics manipulation, item combination, suicide, controversy, hallucination, games on demand, surveillance camera, high definition graphics, pre-order exclusive, dolby digital, dimension travel, plot twist, valuable garbage, alternate reality, horde mode, poverty, d.i.c.e. awards 2014, new protagonist in sequel, environmental kill, psychopathy, women in refrigerators syndrome, finishing move, scripted events, fire manipulation, lock picking, whale, telekinesis, working for the enemy, fireworks, propaganda, superpowers, guided by radio, aquarium, censored version, chinese accent, fascism, arrival by crash landing, context sensitive, reversible cover art, game developers choice awards 2014, the 1980s, airship, falling object, cockroach, anarchism, sociopathy, anti-villain, secret achievements, pax east 2012, biotechnology, swarming enemies, bad parents, foreshadowing, verticality, sex work, playstation home tie-in, slip cover packaging, fictional currencies, utopian civilization, god complex, respawn justification, disfigurement, tragic hero, ghostly manifestation, psychics, redemption, biblical quotes, objectivism, sneaking mission, steam pre-purchase rewards, surgery in game, gamescom 2011, monomyth, southern american themes, animal weaponry, divine punishment, pax prime 2011, contest-driven development, pax east 2011, interactive achievement awards 2008, game developers choice awards 2008, immersive, lgbtq+, male protagonist, political, bees, previously on - gametap, previously on - iwin all access

At a Glance

Critic Score
93
Main Story (IGDB)
8h
Main + Extras (IGDB)
16h
Completionist (IGDB)
26h

Overview

Steam review summary

Steam users rate this Very Positive, 25,232 reviews in all languages, recorded 16 October 2026

Valve's summary of Steam user reviews. Valve counts only reviews from purchases on Steam, not key activations, and leaves out review periods it has marked as off-topic. It isn't part of the CritScore score.

Review summary: SteamSteam data provided via the Steam Web API (opens in a new tab)Not affiliated with Valve →

About storefront and compatibility information

Compatibility, feature and availability information shown on this page is recorded from the storefronts and services named against each fact, on the dates shown. Steam and the Steam logo are trademarks of Valve Corporation; Steam data is provided via the Steam Web API. Other product and service names are trademarks of their respective owners. CritScore is not affiliated with, endorsed by, sponsored by or certified by Valve Corporation or any other storefront or platform holder, and does not itself test or certify any game.