BioShock cover art

BioShock

by 2K Boston · published by 2K Games

Released August 21, 2007 on PC, Mac, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360.

BioShock Trailer thumbnail

About BioShock

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.

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 by platform

Xbox 360NAAugust 21, 2007 · Out now
PCAugust 21, 2007 · Out now
Xbox 360EUAugust 24, 2007 · Out now
Xbox 360JPFebruary 21, 2008 · Out now
MacNAOctober 7, 2009 · Out now
MacEUOctober 23, 2009 · Out now

Reviews & players

Critic score938 reviews
Steam reviewsVery Positive94% of 32K positive
Player score873225 ratings on IGDB
Playing now50on Steam at last update

PC system requirements

Official specs from Steam

Full specs

Minimum

Operating SystemWindows XP (with Service Pack 2) or Windows Vista
CPUIntel single-core Pentium 4 processor at 2.4GHz
RAM1 GB
Video CardDirect X 9.0c compliant video card with 128MB RAM and Pixel Shader 3.0 (NVIDIA 6600 or better/ATI X1300 or better, excluding ATI X1550)
Hard Drive Space8GB

Recommended

CPUIntel Core 2 Duo processor
RAM2GB
Video CardDX 9 - Direct X 9.0c compliant video card with 512 MB RAM and Pixel Shader 3.0 (NVIDIA GeForce 7900 GT or better), DX 10 - NVIDIA GeForce 8600 or better

BioShock FAQ

When did BioShock come out?

BioShock was released on August 21, 2007 for PC, Mac, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360.

Is BioShock on PlayStation 5?

No. BioShock has not been announced for PlayStation 5. It is available on PC, Mac, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360.

Is BioShock on Xbox Series X|S?

No. BioShock has not been announced for Xbox Series X|S. It is available on PC, Mac, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360.

Is BioShock on Nintendo Switch 2?

No. BioShock has not been announced for Nintendo Switch 2. It is available on PC, Mac, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360.

Who is making BioShock?

BioShock is developed by 2K Boston and 2K Australia and published by 2K Games.

Is BioShock multiplayer?

No. BioShock is single player only.

How much does BioShock cost?

BioShock costs $19.99 on Steam. Prices checked October 9, 2026.

Is BioShock good?

Steam players rate it "Very Positive" — 94% of 32,253 reviews are positive. Critics average 93/100.

What are the minimum PC requirements for BioShock?

The minimum GPU is Direct X 9.0c compliant video card with 128MB RAM and Pixel Shader 3.0 (NVIDIA 6600 or better/ATI X1300 or better…. See the full minimum and recommended specs on our BioShock system requirements page.

Bioshock series

7 games in release order

Full timeline
  1. BioShock2007
  2. BioShock 22010
  3. BioShock Infinite2013
  4. BioShock Vita2014
  5. BioShock Remastered2016
  6. BioShock 2 Remastered2016
  7. BioShock 4TBA

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