How to Play the BioShock Games in Chronological Order

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Players were enamored by the BioShock series from the moment they escaped a crashed aircraft, entered a mysterious lighthouse, and embarked on their undersea voyage to the crumbling city of Rapture. Often referenced and paid tribute to, many consider Irrational Games’ immersive action-horror classic a masterpiece, and in the years following its debut, it blossomed into a long-running franchise.

But in classic BioShock fashion, its sequels were the furthest thing from traditional. As expected for a series that hinges on otherworldly scientific discoveries and reality-tearing experiments, BioShock's story frequently switches between alternate universes, leaving its games out of chronological order.

So, for those looking for a linear way to play through BioShock’s full narrative, here’s a quick runthrough of the BioShock series in chronological order.

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In total, there are four BioShock Games (three released on home console and PC and one released exclusively on PC via web browser) and three expansions.

This list won’t include remasters or ports, including the BioShock Collection, which bundled remasters of the full trilogy and its expansions. It also won’t contain challenge map packs, such as Clash in the Clouds or BioShock’s Challenge Rooms DLC, as these are purely gameplay-focused and thus considered non-canon.

These blurbs contain mild spoilers for each game, including characters, settings, and story beats.

Launching as a pre-order bonus for BioShock Infinite, BioShock Infinite: Industrial Revolution was a browser-based flash game that acted as a prequel to Infinite’s story. Casting players as a worker completing cog-based puzzles, Industrial Revolution allowed pre-ordering customers to unlock special items and