Summary
It’s been over six years now and players have still seen neither hide nor hair ofBioShock 4. With the lack of much official word about its direction or release date, a slew of rumors and leaks have trickled out since. Some of these have suggested thatBioShock 4has been experiencing various development issues, changing visions and designs as developer Cloud Chamber works to nail down the highly-anticipated fourth entry.
Other information has been slightly more positive though, with some previousjob postings forBioShock 4lending a small measure of encouragement that the project continues to make progress. Whatever is going on behind the scenes at the studio, the silence aroundBS4remains for now. And with this in mind, there’s a good spread of games in a similar vein that could aid in filling the void until it hopefully eventually releases.
BioShock’s creator, Ken Levine, and his studio Ghost Story Games, have been working on their upcoming title, likened to a spiritual successor. However,Judashas now missed its March 2025 release window, and the developer has not provided any updates at this time.
Games to Play While Waiting for BioShock 4
Revisit the Original Trilogy
It may be an obvious starting point, but for fans for whom it’s been a while, or who haven’t gotten to them,all threeBioShockentriesremain worthy of a playthrough, especially since the 2016BioShock Collectionbundled the remastered versions ofBS1andBS2together withBioShock: Infinite.Jumping back into any of these is a solid warm-up ahead ofBioShock 4and is a good reminder of how and why the franchise made such an impact on gaming.
Excellent Other “Shock-Likes” To Check Out Before BioShock 4
All of the above titles share a number of aspects withBioShockand contain similar vibes across their stories, gameplay, or both.Singularityis a somewhat forgottenbut hidden gem from the Xbox 360/PS3 era involving time travel, and one of the earliest games clearly taking inspiration fromBioShock. Night Dive’s work on modernizingBioShock’s own predecessor provides a great take on the 1994 classic. Others likeClose to the SunandSomadraw heavily uponBioShock’s retro steampunk aesthetics, underwater settings, and philosophical musings, but lack combat.
Arkane Studio’sDishonoredfranchise and its often underratedPreyalign closely withBioShock’s gameplay and environmental design, and also invoke similar themes.Ghostwire Tokyomay seem like more of a stretch, but its use of weaponized mystical sigils against hordes of invading malevolent spirits strongly resembles some ofBioShock’s iconic plasmids, and is a more unique setting compared to the others.
More recently, Obsidian Entertainment’sAvowedhas a combat system mixing spells, melee, and ranged options that also feels very “BioShock-y”, albeit within a fantasy framework.Atomfall,fromSniper Elitedeveloper Rebellion, was closely compared toFallout, but likeWe Happy Few, its dystopian world and plot twists echo those ofBioShock’s.
Whether for the first time or going back after many years, checking out any of the titles on the above list could help make the wait forBioShock 4more palatable, and are fun and enjoyable experiences unto themselves. They could also provide some goodinspiration forBioShock 4and how it might continue to evolve the franchise while hopefully staying true to the core components that made it stand out in the first place.
