BioShock Infinite

Worth buying? What 300 Steam reviews say.Worth buying? Here’s what 300 Steam reviews actually say.

Very Positive · 93%Very Positive · 93%2013

The verdict

A gorgeous, story-driven FPS with a memorable twist and a great companion in Elizabeth. Skip it if you want the immersive-sim depth or horror of the first two BioShocks.

Great for

Players who want a cinematic, linear story shooter with striking art and a strong companion

Main risk

Expecting a true BioShock and getting a linear shooter with a convoluted multiverse plot

What changed in the last 30 days

112 recent reviews

Several recent negative reviews report the game being buggy, stuttery and crashy, plus controller and save complaints. Evidence is thin; the shift may also reflect ongoing disputes over the story.

112 recent reviews

What players love

Gripping story and twist

Mentioned in ~1 in 2 positive reviews

“the best plot twist and story writing/character writing ive ever seen in a video game”
Steam review · 12.9 h played ↗

“After BioShock 1 and 2, I didn’t believe there could be a game with an even better twist. Boy, was I wrong.”
Steam review · 78.7 h played ↗

“But my God, what a great story. The chemistry between Booker and Elizabeth is perfect. And the finale pays off everything.”
Steam review · translated · 10.9 h played ↗

Stunning art direction and Columbia

Mentioned in ~2 in 5 positive reviews

“Columbia is easily one of the most beautiful places I've ever explored in a game”
Steam review · 47 h played ↗

“After all these years, the art direction on this game is still one of the best.”
Steam review · 36.7 h played ↗

“From the first minutes my jaw dropped at the amazing style and great graphics, and this is 2013.”
Steam review · translated · 20.4 h played ↗

Fun, fast gunplay and abilities

Mentioned in ~1 in 4 positive reviews

“the combat is insanely fun, normal difficulty is perfectly tuned unlike BS2”
Steam review · 18.2 h played ↗

“it plays much more dynamically and snappier than the previous two games”
Steam review · translated · 15.5 h played ↗

Elizabeth is a superb companion

Mentioned in ~1 in 7 positive reviews

“It features what is possibly the best video game companion ever created.”
Steam review · 34.8 h played ↗

“Elizabeth is still one of the best companion characters in any game. She actually adds to the experience instead of feeling like someone you have to babysit.”
Steam review · 7.5 h played ↗

“a pleasant companion, Elizabeth, who can save you at the right moment by tossing a medkit or ammo”
Steam review · translated · 50.3 h played ↗

Holds up well today and runs well

Mentioned in ~1 in 8 positive reviews

“the game runs really well on Steam deck as well and doesn't necessarily feel like a battery killer”
Steam review · 92.6 h played ↗

“If you're wondering whether it is still worth it 10+ years after the release the answer is yes.”
Steam review · 32.1 h played ↗

Great music and sound design

Mentioned in ~1 in 12 positive reviews

“The music design is just phenomenal, the way the music plays and suits itself to your actions”
Steam review · 18.9 h played ↗

“the soundtrack is just on another level”
Steam review · 18.9 h played ↗

What players complain about

Not a real BioShock; dumbed down

Mentioned in ~1 in 3 negative reviews

“calling this "Bioshock" is about as accurate as calling a movie about the Second Punic War "James Bond".”
Steam review · 11.8 h played ↗

“The one key aspect of first 2 games - the atmosphere - is completely gone.”
Steam review · 7.4 h played ↗

“The game lost the sense of horror and isolation.”
Steam review · translated · 18.9 h played ↗

Convoluted, inconsistent multiverse story

Mentioned in ~1 in 3 negative reviews

“The story, though ambitious, eventually collapses under the weight of its own pseudo-intellectual complexity and 'multiverse' tropes”
Steam review · 49.9 h played ↗

“A story that thinks it's smarter and more profound than it really is, combined with repetitive gameplay.”
Steam review · 16.9 h played ↗

“The third act is illogical. It just exists.”
Steam review · translated · 53.8 h played ↗

Game-breaking bugs and launch problems

Mentioned in ~1 in 6 negative reviews

“But during the last chapters there is a famous bug when you are in an elevator.”
Steam review · 13.4 h played ↗

“Nearly every chapter has a scripted event fail, so i get locked.”
Steam review · 22.5 h played ↗

“The game stopped working on Windows 10 at some point.”
Steam review · 27.7 h played ↗

Repetitive, linear arena combat

Mentioned in ~1 in 6 negative reviews

“repetitive, mindless shooting in linear 'arenas.'”
Steam review · 49.9 h played ↗

“each level is basically just the same level over and over again and it just becomes quick scope simulator”
Steam review · 13.6 h played ↗

Only two weapons at a time

Mentioned in ~1 in 8 negative reviews

“You can only carry two guns at a time. Half-Life, a game that came out in 1998. Allows you to carry 14 different weapons.”
Steam review · 21 h played ↗

“making it so you can only carry 2 weapons at a time was an absolute downgrade from the first two games.”
Steam review · 14.4 h played ↗

Poor controls, no manual save, ammo scarcity

Mentioned in ~1 in 12 negative reviews

“You destroyed this game by not putting in manual save option.”
Steam review · 7.7 h played ↗

“clearly designed with a game controller in mind, again, for no good reason.”
Steam review · 2.1 h played ↗

“The ammo system is broken — you barely get any bullets”
Steam review · 61.7 h played ↗

System requirements

From the Steam store page

Steam Deck: Playable

Minimum

OSWindows Vista Service Pack 2 32-bit

ProcessorIntel Core 2 DUO 2.4 GHz / AMD Athlon X2 2.7 GHz

Memory2GB

GraphicsDirectX10 Compatible ATI Radeon HD 3870 / NVIDIA 8800 GT / Intel HD 3000 Integrated Graphics

Storage20 GB free

Recommended

OSWindows 7 Service Pack 1 64-bit

ProcessorQuad Core Processor

Memory4GB

GraphicsDirectX11 Compatible, AMD Radeon HD 6950 / NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560

Storage30 GB free

OSWindows Vista Service Pack 2 32-bit

ProcessorIntel Core 2 DUO 2.4 GHz / AMD Athlon X2 2.7 GHz

Memory2GB

GraphicsDirectX10 Compatible ATI Radeon HD 3870 / NVIDIA 8800 GT / Intel HD 3000 Integrated Graphics

Storage20 GB free

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