Following hints of a release earlier this summer, the iOS version of 2K Games' original first person shooter BioShock is now available in the App Store. Rumored since 2008, BioShock on iOS is a port of the full, original game first released in 2007.

Set in 1960, BioShock asks players to take on the role of Jack, a plane crash survivor who finds his way into the defunct underwater city of Rapture. Jack has to fight his way out of the city, battling Big Daddies and other enemies while using an array of heavy weaponry and taking advantage of genetics-altering plasmids that grant him super powers. Over the course of the game, players also discover the rich history behind the creation of Rapture and its eventual fall.

One of the greatest first person shooters of all time, BioShock comes to iOS!

BioShock is the "genetically enhanced" first person shooter where you can turn everything into a weapon: the environment, your body, fire and water, and even your worst enemies.

You are a cast-away in Rapture, an underwater Utopia torn apart by civil war. Caught between powerful forces, and hunted down by genetically modified "splicers" and deadly security systems, you have to come to grips with a deadly, mysterious world filled with powerful technology and fascinating characters. No encounter ever plays out the same, and no two gamers will play the game the same way.

Earlier this month, our sister site TouchArcade went hands on with BioShock for iOS, and found that it runs "like a dream on iOS hardware" but had somewhat poor virtual controls as is common with first person shooters on a touchscreen. It does, however, work very well with a Bluetooth controller, which makes it "just like playing on a console." The game's graphics were slightly toned down to make it run on iOS, removing the fog and dynamic shadows, but TouchArcade says "you'd be hard-pressed to tell."


BioShock is limited to newer iOS devices, including the iPad Air, Retina iPad mini, fourth-generation iPad, and the iPhone 5/5c/5s.

BioShock can be downloaded from the App Store for $14.99. [Direct Link]

Top Rated Comments

NameUndecided Avatar
147 months ago
Third generation iPad owner and this is the first time I've personally seen an incompatible app. It begins!!
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
_Refurbished_ Avatar
147 months ago
Would you kindly stop complaining about controller support and just play the game.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
mejsric Avatar
147 months ago
Interesting! Now Pc games can be played on iOS, i wonder what is next?

Next would be continuity. From iOS to Mac then Mac to iOS.

Me playing BioShock on iMac
Mom: Cmon honey we will be late.
Me: "Transfer the game to iPad" Fine!
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jclo Avatar
147 months ago
Is there no controller support? If not, that's sad, and really sad for Apple because they were too stupid to understand that they needed to make their own controller. It wasn't hard to see that third party controllers weren't going to go anywhere. I personally own the Moga one because I won it in a contest, and it is laughably bad, and ridiculously cheaply made, with poor materials. There are also virtually no apps that support them because developers know that no one has them. Only Apple could sell one that a lot of people would buy.

No support for Mfi game controllers like the Logitech Powershell?

It has controller support.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Zellio Avatar
147 months ago
Would you kindly stop complaining about controller support and just play the game.

A man chooses, a slave obeys!
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
saturnotaku Avatar
147 months ago
Bioshock for OS X: 7.25 GB
Bioshock for iOS: 1.65 GB

And yet it seems some people are surprised that the iOS version doesn't look as good as the desktop one.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iOS 26

15 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 26.2

Friday December 5, 2025 9:40 am PST by
Apple is about to release iOS 26.2, the second major point update for iPhones since iOS 26 was rolled out in September, and there are at least 15 notable changes and improvements worth checking out. We've rounded them up below. Apple is expected to roll out iOS 26.2 to compatible devices sometime between December 8 and December 16. When the update drops, you can check Apple's servers for the ...
Intel Inside iPhone Feature

Apple's Return to Intel Rumored to Extend to iPhone

Friday December 5, 2025 10:08 am PST by
Intel is expected to begin supplying some Mac and iPad chips in a few years, and the latest rumor claims the partnership might extend to the iPhone. In a research note with investment firm GF Securities this week, obtained by MacRumors, analyst Jeff Pu said he and his colleagues "now expect" Intel to reach a supply deal with Apple for at least some non-pro iPhone chips starting in 2028....
ive and altman

Jony Ive's OpenAI Device Barred From Using 'io' Name

Friday December 5, 2025 6:22 am PST by
A U.S. appeals court has upheld a temporary restraining order that prevents OpenAI and Jony Ive's new hardware venture from using the name "io" for products similar to those planned by AI audio startup iyO, Bloomberg Law reports. iyO sued OpenAI earlier this year after the latter announced its partnership with Ive's new firm, arguing that OpenAI's planned "io" branding was too close to its...
iPhone 17 Pro Cosmic Orange

10 Reasons to Wait for Next Year's iPhone 18 Pro

Monday December 1, 2025 2:40 am PST by
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models at the same time, which is why we often get rumored features months ahead of launch. The iPhone 18 series is no different, and we already have a good idea of what to expect for the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max. One thing worth...
Photos App Icon Liquid Glass

John Gruber Shares Scathing Commentary About Apple's Departing Software Design Chief

Thursday December 4, 2025 9:30 am PST by
In a statement shared with Bloomberg on Wednesday, Apple confirmed that its software design chief Alan Dye will be leaving. Apple said Dye will be succeeded by Stephen Lemay, who has been a software designer at the company since 1999. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced that Dye will lead a new creative studio within the company's AR/VR division Reality Labs. On his blog Daring Fireball,...
maxresdefault

iPhone Fold: Launch, Pricing, and What to Expect From Apple's Foldable

Monday December 1, 2025 3:00 am PST by
Apple is expected to launch a new foldable iPhone next year, based on multiple rumors and credible sources. The long-awaited device has been rumored for years now, but signs increasingly suggest that 2026 could indeed be the year that Apple releases its first foldable device. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Below, we've collated an updated set of key details that ...
Apple John Ternus 2019

Will John Ternus Really Be Apple's Next CEO?

Friday December 5, 2025 9:01 am PST by
There is uncertainty about Apple's head of hardware engineering John Ternus succeeding Tim Cook as CEO, The Information reports. Some former Apple executives apparently hope that a new "dark-horse" candidate will emerge. Ternus is considered to be the most likely candidate to succeed Cook as CEO. The report notes that he is more likely to become CEO than software head chief Craig Federighi, ...
ios 18 to ios 26 upgrade

Apple Pushes iPhone Users Still on iOS 18 to Upgrade to iOS 26

Tuesday December 2, 2025 11:09 am PST by
Apple is encouraging iPhone users who are still running iOS 18 to upgrade to iOS 26 by making the iOS 26 software upgrade option more prominent. Since iOS 26 launched in September, it has been displayed as an optional upgrade at the bottom of the Software Update interface in the Settings app. iOS 18 has been the default operating system option, and users running iOS 18 have seen iOS 18...
iOS 26

Apple Seeds iOS 26.2 and iPadOS 26.2 Release Candidates to Developers and Public Beta Testers

Wednesday December 3, 2025 10:33 am PST by
Apple today seeded the release candidate versions of upcoming iOS 26.2 and iPadOS 26.2 updates to developers and public beta testers, with the software coming two weeks after Apple seeded the third betas. The release candidates represent the final versions of iOS 26.2 and iPadOS 26.2 that will be provided to the public if no further bugs are found during this final week of testing....
Johny Srouji

Apple Chip Chief Johny Srouji Could Be Next to Go as Exodus Continues

Sunday December 7, 2025 10:41 am PST by
Apple's senior vice president of hardware technologies Johny Srouji could be the next leading executive to leave the company amid an alarming exodus of leading employees, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reports. Srouji apparently recently told CEO Tim Cook that he is "seriously considering leaving" in the near future. He intends to join another company if he departs. Srouji leads Apple's chip design ...