BioShock became an instant favorite among fans of first-person shooter games due to its immersive gameplay, role-playing elements, captivating setting, and unique retro-futuristic atmosphere.
The BioShock series revolutionized gaming by introducing a groundbreaking gameplay mechanic that allowed players to use both weapons and magic simultaneously. This innovative formula was incredibly well-received by fans and set the stage for a whole new level of unique gameplay mechanics in the subsequent games of the series.
For those new to the BioShock games and even for experienced players, understanding the timeline can be quite perplexing. Many players have confessed to feeling bewildered by the sequence of events in the series. To help clarify things, let’s explore the BioShock games in both their chronological and release order.
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How Many BioShock Games Are There?
There is a total of four BioShock games, with three of them being released on consoles and PC, and one exclusively released on PC through a web browser. Additionally, there are three expansions available for the BioShock series.
Which BioShock game should you play first?
If you’re interested in exploring the BioShock series, playing BioShock 1 is essential. This game provides a deep understanding of Rapture, an underwater city built by affluent individuals seeking to escape government regulations and societal norms.
With its thought-provoking philosophy, engaging dialogue, stunning visuals, and immersive setting, BioShock 1 is undoubtedly the perfect starting point for experiencing the series.
How to Play the BioShock Series by Release Date
To fully immerse yourself in the BioShock series, it is highly recommended to play the games in the order they were released. This ensures you get the complete experience and fully understand the narrative.
By following the release order, you won’t have to worry about jumping from a newer BioShock game to an older one just to maintain chronological continuity. Playing the BioShock games in order is the best way to enjoy the series.
In order to play the BioShock series, it is important to understand the release order, which is considered the definitive order.
- BioShock (2007)
- BioShock: Challenge Rooms (2008)
- BioShock 2 (2010)
- BioShock 2: Minerva’s Den (2010)
- BioShock Infinite: Industrial Revolution (2013)
- BioShock Infinite (2013)
- BioShock Infinite: Clash in the Clouds (2013)
- BioShock Infinite: Burial at Sea – Part 1 (2013)
- BioShock Infinite: Burial at Sea – Part 2 (2014)
BioShock Games in Chronological Order
The following descriptions may reveal some minor details about each BioShock game, such as characters, settings, and important plot points.
1. BioShock Infinite: Industrial Revolution
BioShock Infinite: Industrial Revolution, a browser-based flash game, was introduced as a pre-order reward for BioShock Infinite. Serving as a prequel to the main game, it involved players solving cog-based puzzles while taking on the role of a worker.
By participating in Industrial Revolution, customers who pre-ordered BioShock Infinite gained access to exclusive items and upgrades that could be carried over to the main game.
In BioShock Infinite, players had the opportunity to delve deeper into the intricate conflicts within the game’s world. These conflicts primarily revolved around the ongoing battle between the Vox Populi and the Founders.
As players completed various challenges, they gained a better understanding of these conflicts and were even given the choice to support either the Vox Populi or the Founders.
2. BioShock Infinite
BioShock Infinite is the third installment in the BioShock series and revolves around the story of Booker Dewitt, a detective working for the Pinkerton agency. Struggling with significant financial obligations, Dewitt is given a straightforward assignment to erase his debts.
His mission entails traveling to the floating city of Columbia and finding a young woman named Elizabeth, whose whereabouts are shrouded in mystery.
Upon Dewitt’s arrival in Columbia, he quickly realizes that things are much more complicated than he anticipated. Columbia, a city floating above the clouds, has labeled him as a “False Shepherd” and its inhabitants are determined to put him to death.
As if that wasn’t bizarre enough, the situation takes a peculiar turn when Dewitt manages to find and save Elizabeth. To his astonishment, Elizabeth possesses the ability to manipulate reality by opening tears and accessing alternate universes.
In the BioShock games, players join forces with Elizabeth to find a way out of Columbia, a city in the sky. Throughout the journey, they must confront the city’s inhabitants, massive security robots, and Elizabeth’s unwavering bodyguard, Songbird.
Along the way, players have the ability to open portals to different dimensions using Elizabeth’s special abilities. This allows them to gather resources and explore alternate realities.
3. BioShock Infinite: Burial at Sea – Part 1
BioShock Infinite: Burial at Sea – Part 1 is the initial expansion for BioShock Infinite, taking place in the same universe as BioShock and BioShock 2.
This downloadable content (DLC) introduces an alternate version of the protagonist, Booker Dewitt, who assumes the role of a private detective in the underwater city of Rapture.
The story is set before Rapture’s collapse and starts with Dewitt encountering Elizabeth, who enlists his help in finding and saving a young girl named Sally.
In the first part of Burial at Sea, players have the opportunity to explore Rapture, a fully functional underwater city, before the events of the first BioShock game.
This downloadable content (DLC) not only offers a glimpse of the city’s past glory but also brings back familiar characters from previous Rapture adventures, like Sander Cohen and Yi Suchong.
4. BioShock Infinite: Burial at Sea – Part 2
Following the events of Burial at Sea – Part 1, BioShock Infinite: Burial at Sea – Part 2 continues the story with a change in perspective. Instead of playing as Booker, players now control Elizabeth.
After the intense conclusion of the previous expansion, Elizabeth awakens and encounters Atlas. In order to ensure the safety of herself and Sally, Elizabeth must assist Atlas in escaping Fontaine’s Department Store and finding a way back to Rapture.
In the game Burial at Sea – Part 2, players adopt a stealth-focused approach to match Elizabeth’s abilities. They navigate through Fontaine’s Department Store in an effort to find a way back to Rapture and rescue Sally.
This installment, created by Irrational Games and BioShock’s creator Ken Levine, serves as a concluding chapter in the BioShock universe. It aims to provide answers to some of the series’ most significant mysteries and directly leads into the events of the first game.
5. BioShock
In the sequence of BioShock games, the first installment introduces us to a character named Jack, who is the only survivor of a tragic plane crash. After managing to escape the wreckage, he seeks shelter in a peculiar lighthouse.
To his surprise, he stumbles upon a submarine within the lighthouse, which takes him to the hidden underwater city known as Rapture. While Rapture may seem like a breathtaking technological wonder, Jack soon discovers that appearances can be deceiving and that the city is far from being the idyllic utopia it initially appears to be.
The BioShock games are a series of video games that take place in a fictional city called Rapture. Rapture was originally envisioned as a thriving and futuristic city where brilliant minds could pursue their ideas without any interference from the government.
However, by the time the main character, Jack, arrives, Rapture has become a ruined and chaotic wasteland. The streets are filled with violence as its citizens, who have become monstrous due to genetic splicing, fight each other to obtain a drug called Adam. Meanwhile, Andrew Ryan, the enigmatic founder of Rapture, maintains control over the city’s remains with an iron grip.
In the BioShock games, players team up with a fellow survivor named Atlas and embark on a journey through the city of Rapture, aiming to escape and make their way back to the surface.
Throughout their adventure, players discover and acquire plasmids, which are potent injections that grant them extraordinary elemental abilities. Over time, BioShock has achieved a legendary status, widely recognized as one of the greatest games ever created.
6. BioShock 2
BioShock 2, which serves as a follow-up to the original BioShock, was created by 2K Marin instead of Irrational Games. In this game, players are immersed in the role of a Big Daddy, a powerful and imposing character.
The storyline takes place eight years after the events of BioShock, once again exploring the underwater city of Rapture and its dystopian environment.
In the BioShock games, players assume the role of a character known as Subject Delta, a Big Daddy with a mission to find a Little Sister he once cared for in the fallen city of Rapture.
Throughout the game, Subject Delta must navigate through the remains of Rapture while being chased by Sofia Lamb, a scientist who has taken control after the demise of Frank Fontaine and Andrew Ryan.
The sequel game, BioShock 2, maintained the same gameplay and themes as the first game. However, it introduced a range of powerful weapons used by Big Daddies and a new gameplay mechanic where players protect Little Sisters while they collect Adam.
7. BioShock 2: Minerva’s Den
Minerva’s Den is an add-on for BioShock 2 that takes place concurrently with the main storyline. In this expansion, players take control of Subject Sigma, another Big Daddy, who has the mission of locating and gaining access to The Thinker, the central computer of Rapture. To achieve this objective, Sigma collaborates with Charles Milton Porter, the creator of the system.
The game called Minerva’s Den is a brief campaign that provides important background information about the city of Rapture in the BioShock series. It also introduces new weapons like the Ion Laser and abilities like the Gravity Well Plasmid. Minerva’s Den is the final installment in the chronological order of the BioShock games.
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