Best Steampunk Games 2023

We've crated the ultimate list of all the best Steampunk games in existence. If you're into Steampunk games, you need to play these games next!

The best steampunk games strive to immerse players in fantastical worlds where the past and future collide to create one of the most visually striking sci-fi subgenres.

Most steampunk games are easily recognized by their focus on retro-futuristic technology, steam-propelled weapons and machinery, and Victorian-era meets Wild West aesthetic.

In this list, we’ll highlight the best steampunk games to play in 2024, including the best steampunk games on steam and the best steampunk indie games.

We’ll be updating this list in the future with new titles, so make sure to check back and let us know if we missed any of your favorite steampunk games!

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Both the original Dishonored and its sequel see players inhabiting heavily industrialized cities overrun with grimy exteriors and rusted décor.

This theme also extends to characters’ appearance, with the main character Corvo and countless NPCs wearing Victorian-era button coats and similar attire. 

As you make your way around Dunwall city, it becomes increasingly clear that Arkane built the game’s dystopian world with steampunk themes in mind.

And while the machines you encounter throughout the game may technically be powered by oil and not steam, that’s a relatively small grievance we’re willing to look past.

BioShock and its subsequent sequels are frequently credited with paving the way for the dynamic, simulation-driven open-world games we now call immersive sims.

However, the series also happens to feature one of the best depictions of steampunk themes, one that marries gritty machinery with grandiose architecture and a creepy underwater setting to create Rapture.

This is further complemented by gameplay that emphasizes action and exploration, allowing you to search every nook and cranny to discover secrets and take in Rapture’s mesmerizing scenery.

Each entry builds off of these core themes until finally culminating with BioShock Infinite’s ambitious floating steampunk city Columbia.

One of the more recent releases on this list, F.I.S.T. is a side-scrolling action platformer with an eye-catching aesthetic developer TiGames calls “dieselpunk.”

With that said, the game’s artists were clearly inspired by steampunk themes when designing F.I.S.T.’s mechanically-based environments.

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Additionally, the main character is an anthropomorphic bunny that wear’s an enhanced combat mech that can be outfitted with various steam-powered weapons and gadgets.

This extends even further to the game’s story, which sees you inhabiting a dystopian society where mechanical monstrosities control everything.

While the majority of Ace Attorney detective games are set in contemporary periods, The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles takes players back to the tail end of the 19th century in Great Britain.

The story follows Ryunosuke Naruhodo, a student at the prestigious Imperial Yumei University and an ancestor of the Ace Attorney series’ protagonist Phoenix Wright.

Throughout his adventure, Naruhodo encounters a host of characters wearing both traditionally Victorian era clothing as well as more eccentric steampunk-inspired garb.

Additionally, many of the courtrooms and other environments he visits to interview witnesses and suspects have steampunk-themed décor.

Next up, Black Skylands is a top-down 2D game that casts you as the Captain of a skyship traveling through a steampunk-inspired open-world comprised of floating islands high up in the clouds.

Like many of the games covered in this list, Black Skylands’ primarily focuses on action and exploration in which you build up your vessel and go around battling pirates and monsters to claim new territories.

Along the way, you’ll encounter valuable resources and materials that allow you to craft new steampunk-looking gear, including weapons and modifications for your ship.

Skylands’ sandbox world also boasts an assortment of optional dynamic events and quests, including aerial combat battles and village distress signals.

Project Grove is a first-person adventure puzzle game that takes place in a magical wild forest brimming with nature and discovery. 

You play as a renowned alchemist tasked with collecting exotic material to craft ability-granting potions while harnessing vintage-futuristic technology.

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This includes a robot companion named L-P1N that acts as your travel guide, best friend and mobile platform for traversing the world.

Unlike many of the games we’ve discussed so far, Project Grove manages to strike the perfect visual balance between natural environments and man-made machines.

Another steampunk-inspired indie game worth checking out is Flaskoman, a charming 2D puzzle-platformer about a thinking, feeling, mechanical test subject called FLASK-157.

Taking on the role of Flask, the game asks you to complete a series of experimental platforming challenges in an underground lab designed to test your intellect.

Each chamber is filled with interactive objects including levers, transportation lines, and mysterious liquids used to power various machines.

The game wears its love for steampunk aesthetics on its sleeve, depicting rusted-over mechanical environments outfitted with copper pipes and spinning cogs.

Dream Engines: Nomad Cities is a survival city builder that takes place in a post-apocalyptic world defined by its dark steampunk aesthetic.

In it, you’re tasked with building flying cities by gathering materials throughout the world and using them to create an assortment of machines for different functions.

Cities will frequently get invaded by dream plagues, nightmarish creatures that are drawn to the power generated by your city’s machinery.

In addition to surviving attacks from these monsters, you’ll also spend time upgrading and automating your city’s production lines to stockpile resources and expand your steampunk empire.

Another steampunk game that revolves around crafting and base-building gameplay is Volcanoids, a first-person open-world survival title set in a world where humanity and technology have intertwined.

You’re tasked with exploring a volcanic island aboard a steam-powered drillship that can travel beneath the surface of the world and acts as both a mobile base and factory.

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As you traverse the world, you’ll have to deal with volcanic eruptions and attacks from mobs of robots that will try to flank your drillship from either side.

A recent update for Volcanoids introduced a customization system that lets players assign different paint jobs to their drillship for stylish steampunk traveling.

Set during the 19th century where a new Ice Age has plunged the world into darkness, Frostpunk puts you in charge of a colony that relies on steam-powered machines to stay alive.

To ensure your people survive, you’ll have to manage dwindling resources while earning your citizens’ trust and harnessing a myriad of retro-futuristic tech inspired by the steampunk genre.

There are also random in-game events that require you to make tough decisions that will impact your villagers’ quality of life and overall morale, both negatively and positively.

If you end up enjoying time with the game, make sure to keep an eye out for the upcoming sequel Frostpunk 2, currently in development by 11-bit studios.

Indie developer Image & Form is known for producing some of the best steampunk-inspired games around, including the critically acclaimed Metroidvania SteamWorld Dig 2.

In it, you play as a robot named Dorothy as she tracks down the protagonist from the original SteamWorld Dig across a vibrant desert setting with colorful NPCs and a network of underground mines.

As you dig down gathering minerals, crystals, and other resources, you’ll encounter various puzzles, enemies, and traps that will impede your progress.

The more secrets you uncover, the more you’ll learn about the SteamWorld universe and what the future holds for its mechanical inhabitants.

If it wasn’t clear already, doom and gloom are pretty common for steampunk-themed games, especially ones as brutal as Sunless Sea.

This roguelike survival RPG has you traversing the sunken ruins of Victorian-era London in search of food, resources, and survivors to join your crew.

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Along the way, you’ll have to deal with enemy ships, otherworldly beasts, and your own crew’s psychological descent into madness.

Thematically, Sunless Sea combines the best parts of steampunk, gothic, and Lovecraft to deliver a satisfyingly morbid top-down survival game.

Instead of exploring the open seas, why not take your steampunk aspirations to the heavens in Airships: Conquer the Skies.

In this task, you have to create your own unique airships and use them in battle against opposing ships in the world.

Gameplay is presented from a side-on POV, allowing you to see all of your ship’s modules and crew to best determine which commands, positions, and tactics a battle calls for.

Since ships and terrain are all fully destructible, you can set up powerful plays that send your opponent crumbling to the ground, or watch as your own steampunk creations fall apart in real-time.

They Are Billions is a steampunk-themed colony sim set in a post-apocalyptic world overrun with flesh-eating zombies at every turn.

As you guide humanity to salvation and try to rebuild civilization, you’ll have to fight massive swarms that frequently attack your settlements.

The game arms you with a host of mechanical defenses you can craft to protect survivors as well as steam-powered weapons for cracking a few zombie heads.

Although battles can get quite intense at times, They Are Billions allows you to pause the action mid-fight to build new structures, issue new orders to your troops, or simply admire its steampunk aesthetic.

Amanita Design has a flair for making lavish point-and-click adventure games with bold art styles that set them apart from everything else on the market.

The studio has put out several noteworthy titles throughout the years but for the purposes of this list, we’re recommending a game that draws from the steampunk well heavily.

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Machinarium centers on a robot named Josef as he explores a sprawling mechanical city solving puzzles and dealing with street thugs in an effort to rescue his girlfriend Berta.

Puzzles include a variety of buttons, knobs, switches, and other steampunk tools that Josef must manipulate to reveal fresh routes and conquer challenges in his way.

Our last recommendation for anyone who enjoys playing steampunk games is the iconic first-person adventure puzzle game Myst.

While the game’s mysterious island is home to a number of different themes spanning its many worlds and worlds within worlds, one in particular stands out.

In the Mechanical Age, players find themselves fully immersed in a steampunk-lovers paradise complete with mechanical wonders that make for some of the best interactive puzzles the game has to offer.

Additionally, Myst developer Cyan is currently working on a VR follow-up titled Firmament, which is designed almost entirely around steampunk themes.

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Justin Fernandez

As a fan of both indie and triple-A games, Justin finds joy in discovering and sharing hidden gems with other passionate gamers. In addition to reporting on the latest and greatest titles, he manages GamingScan’s social media channels.

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