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Bioshock
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Play OverviewPlay Overview

Bioshock (2007) is a first-person shooting game set in a fantastical underwater city. A dark story unfolds about the misuse of surgery and gene therapy, and what happens when a society develops with a power mad genius in control. It's an unusual combination of a deep world, complex narrative with a quick reaction shooting and running game.

The game begins with a plane crash near an abandoned lighthouse in the middle of the ocean. Within is a secret entrance to Rapture, an underwater city built by a fanatical genius for his followers in the 1930s. The Utopia has however undergone some changes since conception and is now a dystopian nightmare full of crazed murderers, turned mad by their constant abuse of ADAM, a serum devised to give the people super powers.

Machines offering instant injections of ADAM in the form of weapons called Plasmids can be found all over the city. Combine Plasmid powers and guns to fight off the murderous citizens and uncover the truth of Rapture and its founders. You will also discover scary little girls protected by massive robots which you can save by destroying the ADAM inside them or harvest it to power your Plasmids. This decision makes a difference to the ending you will get.

The games in the series are available on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PC, Mac, PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Switch either as original releases or in a variety of remastered packs:
  • Bioshock (2007)
  • Bioshock 2 (2010)
  • BioShock: Ultimate Rapture Edition (2012) BioShock and BioShock 2
  • Bioshock Infinite (2013)
  • BioShock Infinite: Burial at Sea (2014)
  • BioShock Infinite: The Complete Edition (2014) Main game and extra content.
  • BioShock: The Collection (2020) HD version of all games on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC, Switch

The result is an ambitious and violent horror game that combines zombies, science fiction, iconic music of the 30s, and Art Deco architecture. It has a strong narrative, an immersive setting and some unique weaponry to play with. Regarded by many as a modern gaming classic.

Our examiner, Andy Robertson, first checked Bioshock 3 years ago. It was re-examined by Andrea Walney and updated 3 months ago.
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Play StylePlay Style

This is a Narrative and Shooting game with Action, Adventure, Fighting and Role-Play elements. This is a single-player game.

DurationDuration

Play Time: This game will take between 13 hours and 20 hours to complete. The different Bioshock games vary in length to some degree, although you can finish most of them in under 20 hours.

BenefitsBenefits

This game is good if you want to:

This game has helped players develop their Behaviour as part of the following pathways:

This game has been the inspiration for the following activities:

Age RatingsAge Ratings

Content Rating

This game is rated PEGI 18 due to frequent strong violence towards human characters, including vulnerable and defenceless people, strong language and gambling. The games are set in historical dystopias, which mimic radical American politics from the 20th century. As a result, there are parts of Bioshock and its DLCs which include offensive and discriminatory language.

There are also occasional instances of swear words such as: *!@?*, damn, hell, whore, ass, *!@?*, goddamn, Jesus, and *!@?*. The player has no control over what lines are spoken in specific instances.

Rated for younger players in Australia. Rated Mature Accompanied (MA 15+) for Strong horror violence and themes.

Skill Level

14+ year-olds usually have the required skill to enjoy this game. Still, it's important for parents and guardians to consider the maturity required to process the game content.

Our Game Pathways reveal how 39-year-olds play this game:

CostsCosts

Bioshock usually costs £13.99 to £44.99. 

BioShock Remastered

Steam Store PC £13.99 – –
Steam Store Mac £13.99 – –

Bioshock

XBox Store Xbox One £14.99 – –

Bioshock Infinite

XBox Store Xbox One £19.99 – –

Bioshock Infinite: The Complete Edition

XBox Store Xbox One £15.99 – –
PlayStation Store PS4 £15.99 – –
Switch Store Switch £15.99 – –

Bioshock Remastered

Bioshock: The Collection

XBox Store Xbox One £39.99 – –
PlayStation Store PS4 £44.99 – –
Switch Store Switch £39.99 – –
There are the following additional costs associated with this game:
  • In-Game Purchases: Additional in-game purchases are offered for items that enhance the experience.
  • In-Game Pass: Purchase a season/battle pass to gain access to limited in-game purchases, reward items and other aspects of the game.
 
Bioshock offers purchasable packs such as "Plasmid" and "Challenge Rooms".
BioShock: The Collection includes BioShock, BioShock 2, BioShock Infinite, and all related content remastered for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC.
Bioshock 2 also offered similar items including "The Protector Trials", "Minerva's Den", "Sinclair Solutions Tester Pack" and so on. Bioshock Infinite offers two additional adventures, Burial at Sea - Episode 1 and Burial at Sea - Episode 2. There is also minor content available to purchase individually or via the Season Pass. 
 
It's important to set up your accounts and devices appropriately. More information is on our Financial Resources page.
 

DetailsGame Details

Release Date: 21/08/2007, updated in 2016

Price: 60% off

Out Now: Mac, PC, PS3, PS4, Switch, Xbox 360 and Xbox One

Content Rating: PEGI 18

Skill Rating: 14+ year-olds

Players: 1

Genres: Narrative, Shooting (Action, Adventure, Fighting and Role-Play)

Accessibility: 17 features

Components: 3D First-Person

Developer: Ghost Story Games (@GhostStoryGames)

Game FranchiseThe Bioshock Franchise

Bioshock is part of the Bioshock franchise of games:

Video GameBioshock
PEGI 18 Video Game Age Rating for Bioshock in UK and Europe
Video GameBioshock Infinite
PEGI 18 Video Game Age Rating for Bioshock Infinite in UK and Europe
Video GameBioshock 2
PEGI 18 Video Game Age Rating for Bioshock 2 in UK and Europe

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Taming Gaming Book Written by parents for parents, the database complements the in-depth discussion about video game addiction, violence, spending and online safety in the Taming Gaming book. We are an editorially independent, free resource without adverts that is supported by partnerships.

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