BioShock vs BioShock Infinite
BioShock is an FPS horror game from Irrational Games (2007) while BioShock Infinite is an FPS RPG game from 2K (2013).
What each one is
Steam files BioShock under FPS and Horror. In contrast, it files BioShock Infinite under FPS and RPG.
BioShock is a shooter unlike any you've ever played, loaded with weapons and tactics never seen. You'll have a complete arsenal at your disposal from simple revolvers to grenade launchers and chemical throwers, but you'll also be forced to genetically modify your DNA to create an even more deadly weapon: you.
Indebted to the wrong people, with his life on the line, veteran of the U.S. Cavalry and now hired gun, Booker DeWitt has only one opportunity to wipe his slate clean. He must rescue Elizabeth, a mysterious girl imprisoned since childhood and locked up in the flying city of Columbia.
At a glance
| BioShock | BioShock Infinite | |
|---|---|---|
| GamingPickz Score | 8.5/10 | 8.4/10 |
| Steam rating | Very Positive (94%, 32,145) | Very Positive (93%, 145,518) |
| Critic aggregate | 96/100 | 94/100 |
| Price | $4.99 | $7.49 |
| Install size | — | — |
| Steam Deck | playable | playable |
| Released | 2007 | 2013 |
| Developer | Irrational Games | 2K |
Prices and Steam ratings are read live and move over time.
BioShock vs BioShock Infinite, point by point
Each facet side by side. A round is marked won only where a figure settles it; feel and "which is better" carry no mark, because no number we hold decides them.
Genre and premise
BioShockFPS horror gameBioShock InfiniteFPS RPG gameWhat each is filed as. Each game describes itself in full above; we do not judge a premise.
How it plays
BioShockFPS, Atmospheric, Story RichBioShock InfiniteFPS, Story Rich, ActionThe tags players apply most, in order of votes. A read on feel, not a verdict.
Reception
BioShock ✓Score 8.5 · 94% on Steam · 96 criticBioShock InfiniteScore 8.4 · 93% on Steam · 94 criticThe GamingPickz Score is a composite of player sentiment, critics and popularity, computed the same way for every game.
Content and scale
BioShock32,145 reviewsBioShock Infinite145,518 reviews · 5 add-onsReach and footprint, not quality: more reviews or a bigger install is not a better game.
Price
BioShock ✓$4.99BioShock Infinite$7.49Read live from Steam and subject to change.
On a Steam Deck
BioShockPlayableBioShock InfinitePlayableValve's own Deck compatibility rating.
BioShock takes 2 of the marked rounds to 0. That is only what a number can decide, not which you will enjoy more.
The two on the grid
Compare the whole catalogueBioShock and BioShock Infinite on the axes the GamingPickz Score is built from, on the full 0 to 100 scale so each dot is its real position. Change either axis to compare them on any measure.
2 games have both
Players. The share of Steam reviews marked positive, pulled toward the catalogue average in proportion to how few reviews stand behind it. A game with 200 reviews moves a long way toward the average; one with 200,000 barely moves at all. Without this a title sitting at 100 percent on nine reviews outranks Half-Life 2 at 98 percent on 278,000.
Popularity. A blend of two things that are not the same. Audience is how many people wrote a Steam review, which is a floor on how many played it. Reach is how many language editions of Wikipedia document the game, which is cultural footprint rather than sales. A game can score high on one and low on the other: a huge free-to-play title has audience without reach, and a landmark console exclusive has reach without a Steam audience at all. Where both exist they are averaged; where only one does, that one carries it.
- Mobile
- Multi-platform
Every point links to that game's entry. The value map and the reception map are fixed views of the same data.
How positions are decided
No paid placement, no favouritism, live third-party data
- Placed by the published method, not by us. Every coordinate is computed from the axis definitions and weights printed on this site. Nobody moves a point. See the axes.
- Nothing here is paid for. No sponsored placements, no promoted slots, no arrangement of any kind affects a position. If that ever changes it will be labelled and sit outside the ranking.
- No favouritism, including our own. The 16 games we have written full reviews of are scored by exactly the same formula as the other 1,510, from the same third-party inputs, and they land where it puts them. Our own opinion of a game does not enter its coordinates.
- A position is not an endorsement. It says how a game was received and what it costs, not that we recommend it. Where we do recommend something, it carries a written review with a name on it.
- Fetched from live third-party data. Player sentiment from Steam, critic aggregates as published on store pages, prices checked hourly, attention from Wikipedia. Each figure carries its source and the date it was read, and we do not adjust any of them.
Which to pick, by what you want
- The cheaper right now: BioShock ($4.99)
- The safer bet by weight of reviews: BioShock Infinite (145,518 reviews)
What they have in common
Both are tagged by Steam players with:
FPSAtmosphericStory RichActionSingleplayerSteampunkFirst-PersonShooter
Where they differ
HorrorClassicUnderwaterDarkPolitical
BeautifulTime TravelFantasyGoreLinear
Tags players apply to one game and not the other.
Difficulty and who each is for
By the tags players apply, BioShock is middle-of-the-road on difficulty. BioShock Infinite is middle-of-the-road on difficulty.
System requirements, side by side
| BioShock | BioShock Infinite | |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum GPU | — | — |
| Minimum CPU | — | Intel Core 2 DUO 2.4 GHz / AMD Athlon X2 2.7 GHz |
| Minimum RAM | — | 2 GB |
| Install size | — | — |
Can your PC run them? Check each against your own kit: BioShock · BioShock Infinite.
Accessibility features
Steam store pages declare 1 accessibility feature for BioShock and 1 for BioShock Infinite. A declaration is a floor, not a review.
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Common questions
How different are BioShock and BioShock Infinite in scope?
BioShock has drawn 32,145 Steam reviews. BioShock Infinite has drawn 145,518 Steam reviews and ships 5 add-ons.
Is BioShock or BioShock Infinite better?
By the GamingPickz Score, BioShock rates higher (8.5 to 8.4). That is a composite of player sentiment, the critic aggregate and popularity, not our taste. "Better" also depends on price, length and platform, which the table above lays out.
Which is cheaper, BioShock or BioShock Infinite?
BioShock is cheaper right now at $4.99, against $7.49. Prices move, so this is read live from Steam and can change.
Do you rank one above the other for a fee?
No. Neither game, nor anyone else, pays for placement or a verdict here. The order and every figure come out of the same public data the rest of the site uses.
Related comparisons
How we compare, and what we will not do
The GamingPickz Score is a composite of player sentiment (adjusted for sample size), the critic aggregate and popularity, computed by the same code every ranked list on this site uses. The Steam rating label is Valve's own, reconstructed from the positive percentage and review count. Prices are read live. We do not write an opinion of which game is "better": we report the numbers and say which wins each measurable question above.