The subgenre of cyberpunk is trending, especially due to the excitement around the release of Cyberpunk 2077. However, not all gamers are pleased with how the game turned out. Luckily for them though, there is a whole hidden world of cyberpunk video games to explore.
As for what defines a game to be cyberpunk, the games fit into the realm of science fiction. The specifics include being set in the future with high-tech innovation, but shadowed by most people having a low quality of life. Cyberpunk is a future dystopia of neon lights, drugs, and sometimes radical social hierarchies.
10 Invisible, Inc
This is a cyberpunk game for stealth-based gameplay fans. It is also turn-based strategy.
The player takes control of agents who infiltrate dangerous corporations. Features include character selection, character build customization, animated cutscenes, and randomly generated worlds. It is short and sweet, with nice stylized visuals.
9 VirtuaVerse
This cyberpunk game is a point-and-click adventure with lovely pixel art. Reviews have commended the game for its visuals, music, and stability. Players have also noted that the game takes about eight hours to complete.
In the game, the player takes the role of Nathan, an off-the-grid smuggler of tech who uses a custom headset to see reality while others have headsets where their experiences are constantly optimized.
8 Cyberpunk 2077
Released just recently, this game is gorgeous, but only for those who have a strong enough PC and/or already got their hands on next-gen consoles. On one hand, it has won a ton of awards such as Best PC Game, Best Role-Playing Game, and Best Sony PlayStation Game. On the other hand, it has faced controversy for its treatment of transgender narratives.
The game is a mixed bag, especially after all the hype that gamers had. The game promised a lot, but came out with plenty of bugs and glitches.
7 Shadowrun Returns
The world of Shadowrun is special in terms of cyberpunk, as it combines magic and science fiction. Shadowrun Returns came to be through a crowd-funded kickstarter, and its RPG content did not disappoint.
While there are fantasy races such as trolls, dwarves, and elves, the world is run by mega-corporations and they have dramatically advanced the world's technology.
6 The Red Strings Club
This is a game with a ton of heart in its writing, themes, and characters. The story takes place in a cyberpunk world where a corporation plans to release a system that will get rid of negative emotions from society.
The main characters are a hacker and bartender, and they think this new system is a bad idea and work together to bring down this dystopian scheme.
5 Observer
Most cyberpunk stories have a bit of edge and darkness, but some decide to immerse themselves fully in the horror genre as well. That is what Observer did, through the first person perspective of a detective named Daniel Lazarski.
The detective is able to hack into the minds of others and see their greatest fears and memories. There are a couple jumps scares, but the game definitely doesn't simply rely on shock to put the player at unease. They keep the atmosphere creepy.
4 VA-11 HALL-A
The reviews of this cyberpunk title are overwhelmingly positive. It has all the cyberpunk traits from corporate rulership to nanomachines. The player takes the role of a bartender and learns the stories of various people who visit while making them drinks. The game is less about the cyberpunk world itself as much as the people living in it.
All who have played the game have found that this title is severely underrated. Of course, not every gamer enjoys visual novels, which is the style of this title.
3 The Deus Ex Series
This series has been around since 2000, and has six titles to its name on PC, PS2, iOS, Wii U, PS3, PS4, Xbox One, Xbox, and Xbox 360. While every game has its own different story, they all take place in the same cyberpunk world.
Like many cyberpunk dystopias, control of the world is tied to just several organizations and the main characters often have superhuman abilities due to artificial augmentation. Fans have already been comparing this series to Cyberpunk 2077 in terms of their shared genre.
2 System Shock 2
From 1999, System Shock 2 highly influenced the gaming industry in terms of the horror genre and first-person shooters. It has had many popular spiritual successors such as the Bioshock series and Prey.
The games takes place on a starship and players take the role of a soldier trying to survive and stop an outbreak of a genetic infection.
1 Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon
Just looking at the cover of the this game, anyone knows this is a cyberpunk title. What they might not know is the humor, as the game is a parody. Everything in the game is neon, even the wild animals!
The game is about a cyber soldier trying to stop the evil schemes of a rogue military leader. The story is basically a satire of those cyberpunk 80s films about dystopian futures.