BioShock's Steampunk Replacement Officially Announced For 2027

Published Nov 8, 2026, 4:01 AM EST

Nicholas Becher is a gaming journalist with an MFA in Creative Writing from FAU. With extensive experience playing video games, he covers all forms of gaming content at Screen Rant, from breaking news to the latest fan theories. Most-played games range from Clair Obscur to Civ to Elden Ring to Halo 2 and beyond. 

At this point, waiting for BioShock 4 has started to feel like an endurance test for longtime fans. It's been more than 13 years since BioShock Infinite launched, and although 2K officially announced a fourth installment back in 2019, there have been virtually no meaningful development updates since. Unfortunately, what little information has emerged hasn't exactly inspired confidence.

Reports in 2025 suggested that BioShock 4's story failed to meet expectations during an internal review, prompting a significant narrative overhaul and leadership changes at developer Cloud Chamber. The studio subsequently laid off more than 80 employees, with the game's previously anticipated release window pushed back even further. Even Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick noted his disappointment with how long it's taking, although he expressed renewed confidence in the project after the shake-ups.

While BioShock 4 still has no official release date, fans of the franchise fortunately have something else to look forward to, with an incredibly promising alternative arriving in 2027 that could be exactly what BioShock fans have been waiting for.

While we still don't know when BioShock 4 will happen, developer inXile Entertainment is preparing to release what could be the perfect alternative for longtime fans. Clockwork Revolution is an ambitious first-person action RPG arriving in 2027, and everything revealed so far suggests that it could scratch the same itch as the beloved BioShock franchise, particularly BioShock Infinite.

The similarities are immediately apparent in the game's distinctive steampunk aesthetic and dystopian setting. Players will explore a Rapture-esque Avalon, a sprawling Victorian-inspired metropolis filled with mechanical automatons and elaborate clockwork technology. There's also a disturbing divide between the city's wealthy elite and struggling working class, setting up the game's core narrative conflict.

Like BioShock, there's something much darker underneath the surface. Players assume the role of Morgan Vanette, a customizable protagonist and member of the Rotten Row Hooligans, who discovers that the ruthless Lady Ironwood has been manipulating history to maintain her stranglehold over the city.

However, Clockwork Revolution is arguably going way beyond anything BioShock ever did. Its biggest selling point is an ambitious time-travel mechanic that allows players to return to the past, change important events, and witness the consequences of those changes in the present timeline.

Basically, your changes can fundamentally reshape Avalon, affecting everything from individual characters and relationships to entire neighborhoods. Developer inXile has also said that player choices will have very meaningful consequences on the entire adventure, and the possibilities there are exciting and show the game is definitely not just copying BioShock's winning formula by any means.

That said, combat should feel very familiar to BioShock veterans. Players can combine powerful firearms with unique abilities, manipulate time during encounters, hack robot or automaton enemies, and craft elaborate steampunk weapons and gadgets.

Originally announced in June 2023, Clockwork Revolution actually just got another substantial showcase in June 2026, giving players an additional look at its characters, setting, and narrative possibilities. More importantly, Microsoft officially confirmed that the game will launch sometime in 2027, although a specific release date has not yet been announced.

Clockwork Revolution will be available on Xbox Series X/S and PC, including through Steam, with a day-one release on Xbox Game Pass. The game is already available to wishlist on Steam, although preorders and pricing information have yet to be announced. With BioShock 4 still being a major question mark, Clockwork Revolution could end up being the closest fans get to a new BioShock experience for the foreseeable future.

Clockwork Revolution

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