Summary
Cyberpunk is one of science fiction’s most popular genres, featuring an unmistakable aesthetic centered around corporate governments, neon lights, cybernetics, and dystopian futures. Cyberpunk as a setting is the perfect playground for interesting narratives and awe-inspiring art direction, making it a perfect fit for video games.
Although not every game on this list is a strictly narrative experience, these games all take place in cyberpunk settings to varying degrees, grabbing different elements from cyberpunk as a genre and taking it in their own unique directions. All the games on this list are made by independent developers and/or studios.
Despite a few bugs in and aroundThe Ascent’slaunch bringing the overall experience down, this solid top-down twin-stick shooter takes place in a cyberpunk underworld ruled by gangs, featuring a pulsing synth-wave soundtrack and a variety of awe-inspiring vistas.
The Ascent’sgreatest strengths are its visuals and atmosphere, with carefully crafted and beautifully lit environments, talented voice work, and an appropriate soundtrack to score the action. Furthermore,The Ascentfeatures local and online co-op with up to four players.
This tough-as-nails action platformer, published by Yacht Club Games (the studio behindShovel Knight), is brimming with retro style.Cyber Shadowfeatures an old-school pixel-art aesthetic, challenging boss battles, and a classic, pulpy cyberpunk story.
Cyber Shadowis a linear game, but its stages are as varied as they are challenging. It’s one of the more unforgiving games on this list, but its retro charm, attention to detail, fun upgrades, and engaging narrative make it a worthwhile experience.
AlthoughCyber Knightsis in Early Access at the time of writing, this squad-based tactics game by indie developers Trese Brothers (developers of the sci-fi sandboxStar Traders: Frontiers) is already a promising venture packed with tense turn-based action and elements of stealth gameplay.
On top of itsXCOM-style turn-based combat and unique security system,Cyber Knightsis also a deep and complex RPG that’s already packed with content despite its current state as an Early Access title. Taking jobs, mastering the game’s turn-based tactics, and watching a crew evolve is a rewarding cyberpunk package that makesCyber Knightsworth it, even at this early stage.
This story-focused, neo-noir cyberpunk game isa relaxing experiencewith a brilliant, moody atmosphere facilitated by a synth-fueled soundtrack, 3D voxel-based graphics, and a gameplay loop that revolves around the player making deliveries in the rain-soaked cyberpunk city of Nivalis.
Nivalis is so evocative and fun to explore that the developers are currently working on a fully-fledged cyberpunk life simulator named after the city itself, which is set to release in 2024.Cloudpunkis primarily a narrative-driven game about exploration, but the game is so visually stunning and well-written that it’s worth experiencing on those merits alone.
This action-packed top-down twin-stick shooter features a clean-cut, striking aesthetic with a stark, limited color palette and beautifully lit environments.RUINERis a fast-paced and brutally unforgiving experience in which players can die extremely quickly, making it a game not for the faint of heart.
AlthoughRUINERis certainly reminiscent ofHotline Miami, its cyberpunk theme, skill tree, and dodge mechanic allow it to distinguish itself from Devolver Digital’s hit indie title. Despite a fairly loose narrative,RUINERis an action-packed experience that’s visually stunning from beginning to end.
This visually stunningturn-based tactics gametakes heavy influence from the late80s science fictionfilmThe Running Man, taking place in a fictional hyper-violent game show. InShowgunners,players explore and solve puzzles in real-time, before taking their party members into tactical turn-based combat.
Showgunnersinnovates with its variety of environments and absurd hazards, giving off a more comical tone than other games on this list and evoking more of a pulpy science fiction atmosphere than straightforward cyberpunk. However,Showgunners’combination of pulp 80s science fiction and a violent cyberpunk dystopian future makes for a consistently entertaining experience.
This cyberpunk role-playing game takes heavyinspiration from tabletop RPGs, as players explore a cyberpunk space station devoid of law viadice-throwing as a core mechanic.Citizen Sleeperis a narrative-heavy game, so those looking for challenging action won’t find thathere.
Citizen Sleeper’svisuals are minimal, but cleverly crafted to create moody and atmospheric environments. Furthermore, the game’s detailed character portraits are evocative, doing a great job of bringing the citizens ofCitizen Sleeper’sspace station to life.
This exploration-heavy game takes place in a beautifully realized cyberpunk city populated by walking, talking robots, and tasks players with exploring its nooks and crannies from the perspective of a stray cat.
Strayis, first and foremost, an adventure game withlittle in the way of gameplay outside of platformingand exploration. Players will be spending most of their time scrambling around cyberpunk environments, interacting with friendly robots, and taking in the hand-crafted locations.Stray’sclean visuals and attentive art direction, combined with its atmospheric sound design and soundtrack, make platforming around its cyberpunk cityan immersive delight.
