Everything We Know About BioShock 4

It’s been 12 years since BioShock Infinite, and fans have been eagerly waiting for the franchise’s return. From its turbulent development history to intriguing leaks of an open-world design, here’s a complete breakdown of what we know about the next entry in the legendary series.

The BioShock franchise has taken us from the dystopian depths of Rapture to the clouds of Columbia, delivering some of the most iconic settings in gaming. Since the conclusion of Burial at Sea in 2014, however, the series has remained silent.

Now, with original creator Ken Levine working on his separate project (Judas), publisher 2K Games has been building BioShock 4 with a brand-new studio, Cloud Chamber. But the path has been rocky.

📅 Release Date Status

• No official release date yet.
• The game was first confirmed in 2019, but has faced multiple reboots and delays.
• Internal reports suggest BioShock 4 is still in active development, with Rod Fergusson (known as a “closer” who helped ship BioShock Infinite) joining the project in 2025.
• After recent layoffs (around 80 employees, nearly a third of the studio), development has reportedly been restructured.

👉 Based on current progress, a release around 2027–2028 seems likely.

🎮 Platforms

While not confirmed, here’s what’s most likely:

• PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC were the original targets.
• With delays pushing development further, BioShock 4 could shift toward PS6 and the next Xbox generation.
• A Switch 2 port remains a possibility, though not guaranteed.

🏙️ Setting & Story

Reported Setting

According to a VGC report, BioShock 4 is expected to take place in the 1960s, within a fictional Antarctic city. The game will reportedly tie into the broader BioShock narrative, keeping thematic links with Rapture and Columbia while carving out a new dystopia.

Leaked Concept – “Two Cities”

Leaks (take with caution) suggest the game might feature two cities with opposing ideologies:

• One aboveground
• One underground, directly below
• Both locked in a “vertical war” across a shared border zone

This idea would expand BioShock’s tradition of exploring utopian ideals gone wrong, but with a dual-world twist.

🕹️ Gameplay Leaks & Features

Early job listings at Cloud Chamber hinted at BioShock 4’s ambitious scope:

• Open-world design with primary and secondary missions
• A dynamic urban crowd system powered by advanced AI
• Emphasis on character-driven storytelling in a sandbox-style environment

If true, BioShock 4 may represent the biggest structural shift in the series, moving beyond linear storytelling into a broader, more reactive world.

🔎 BioShock Isolation – Fact or Fake?

A set of leaks also teased the potential subtitle “BioShock Isolation.” Alongside a supposed logo, insiders claimed:

• The game would be set in a new dystopian city, isolated from the outside world
• It may carry over the two-cities concept
• “Isolation” aligns with BioShock’s recurring themes of confinement and failed utopias

While unverified, these details match earlier reports of the Antarctic setting and reinforce the idea of a fresh but thematically consistent direction.

🚀 The Future of BioShock

With Levine focusing on Judas and Cloud Chamber steering BioShock into new territory, the series is entering uncharted waters. We’ve been under the sea and above the clouds — now it seems we’re heading to the icy edges of the Earth, or perhaps even beyond.

Whatever direction it takes, one thing remains true:“There’s always a lighthouse. There’s always a man. There’s always a city.”