The third BioShock trades the ocean depths for the flying city of Columbia and delivers an ambitious political and metaphysical tale. The bond formed with Elizabeth leaves a lasting mark, and its ending remains one of the most debated in the medium.
Your verdict
Category
First-Person Shooter1 player18+
Description
Detective Booker DeWitt journeys to the floating city of Columbia to find a mysterious young woman. Published by 2K Games, released worldwide in 2020. First-person combat mixing guns and powers, travel along aerial rails and a world of haunting atmosphere.
Bioshock Infinite review
MAX
Art direction
★★★★★
"Iconic"
4/5
Music
★★★★★
"Excellent"
MAX
Story
★★★★★
"Masterful"
Columbia flips the undersea horror on its head: a city floating in the clouds, blazing golden light, idealised American architecture and pervasive propaganda. The contrast between dazzling beauty and lurking darkness builds a utopia as luminous as it is disturbing.
A sunlit city in the clouds, steeped in zealotry, soon reveals the rot beneath its flags. Between racism, worker revolt and parallel worlds, the story climbs toward a dizzying finale whose images keep haunting and questioning you long after the credits.
Gameplay
"Masterful"
Soaring over Columbia, a floating city bathed in light, is enough to grasp why the setting remains one of the medium's most striking, and the bond between Booker and Elizabeth carries the adventure with real grace. Skyline rail travel energises the action, yet the firefights have aged a little and feel more conventional than those of the earlier BioShocks. The writing and thematic ambition stay remarkable, building to a finale that lingers long. On Switch it holds up well, and the detour is well worth taking.
Famous mostly for its dizzying ending, this trip to Columbia deserves a fresh look for its setting alone: a sunlit sky-city crossed on aerial rails, where every vista tells a story. Its late Switch release went unnoticed. The real reward in returning is the Booker-Elizabeth bond and the mood around it, made for anyone who loves narrative-driven shooters.
Is Bioshock Infinite still worth playing in 2026?
BioShock Infinite still hits hard with its world and a narrative build toward a finale that lingers. Columbia, a floating city bathed in light, remains one of the medium's most striking settings, and the bond between Booker and Elizabeth carries the adventure with genuine grace. The skyline rails energize gunfights that, for their part, have aged a little and feel more conventional than those of the first BioShocks. The writing and thematic ambition stay remarkable, though. On Switch the experience holds up well. To discover a landmark work, the detour is well worth it.
