Top 17+ Games with a Steampunk Theme

Steampunk has gained a lot of steam over the years and there are a lot of video games that adapt the style. Here’s a look at the top 17+ Games with a Steampunk Theme that players shouldn’t ignore.

Steampunk is a design aesthetic that employs grittier, darker technology elements in video games. A steampunk-inspired video game typically takes place in a Victorian era environment and uses steam and electricity as its sources of power. Even while this overlapping topic doesn’t appear to get as much attention from people who aren’t sci-fi fans, it is nonetheless a rich subgenre with a dedicated following.

With its 19th-century themes of rusting steam-powered machinery and gear-laden gadgets, the distinctive, rich imagery stimulates the imagination. It goes without saying that this lays the groundwork for some big, atmospheric gaming experiences. Compared to sci-fi books, movies, or anime, there isn’t as much of a list to choose from, but there are still many excellent steampunk games.

Updated September 21, 2023, by Kristy Ambrose: The oversize metal gears, steam-powered flying machines, and primitive electric gizmos of the steampunk genre make awesome game visuals. It’s not difficult to find great steampunk games, and with the remakes and updates of older titles, classics are also becoming more popular and widely available. Updated graphics are making steampunk games that were originally designed for computers now have console-friendly versions. This includes bringing console or computer games to handheld devices and brand crossovers, giving anyone who likes the genre an array of choices.

18. Sunless Sea (2015)

• Developer: Failbetter Games
• Genre: Rogue-like
• Platforms: Linux, Microsoft Windows, OS X, iOS, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One

Exploring the barren seas of Sunless Sea gives off a definite sense of the somber atmosphere that steampunk games are renowned for. The game adds a ton of interesting backstories and terrifying marine creatures to the web adventure game Fallen London, which it partially expands.

Most of the time, this steampunk game is a slow-moving, straightforward quest that lets the beautiful surroundings and sad music shine. As you explore these submerged remnants of Victorian-era London, you can’t help but feel awe. If you appreciate the Victorian theme, you should give this survival roguelike game on the PC and PS4 a shot.

17. Professor Layton And The Curious Village (2007)

• Developer: Level-5
• Genre: Puzzle, Adventure
• Platforms: Nintendo DS, mobile, iOS, Android

The Professor Layton series is one of the cuter endeavors that highlight the whimsy of steampunk games. The titular character has his own entire franchise, and this one similarly takes place in a setting inspired by Victorian England.

These games are for the Nintendo DS, just like the others in the franchise, but due to their success, they have also been ported to Android, making them a great option for mobile games. Since The Curious Village is the first game in the series, anyone interested in learning more about this universe should choose it.

16. The Room (2023)

• Developer: Fireproof Games
• Genre: Mystery, Puzzle
• Platforms: Andriod, Windows

The Room is a steampunk game with a mysterious narrative that was created in the style of vintage first-person Viewpoint like the CD ROMs of yore. While simultaneously using a sequence of hints to break out from some sort of imprisonment in the present, the player must uncover the secrets of the past.

It’s a well-reviewed and well-liked game, despite the fact that there aren’t as many platforms where it can be found. The Room is compatible with Windows and Android-powered devices, and despite its size and price range, the graphics make amazing use of both platforms.

15. Frostpunk (2018)

• Developer: 11-bit studios
• Genre: City-building, Survival
• Platforms: Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4 and 5, Xbox One, macOS

Frostpunk is a steampunk city-building strategy game set in a post-apocalyptic world where all energy sources are fiercely guarded. A volcanic winter has frozen the entire planet, and the player must establish a settlement, assemble other survivors, and endure the winter.

A variety of scenarios that all feature variations in the same setting are available to players. A year after the game’s initial release for Microsoft Windows, it was made available on consoles, macOS, and Android.

14. Machinarium (2009)

• Developer: Amanita Design
• Genre: Graphic Adventure, Puzzle
• Platforms: Windows, Windows Phone, OS X, Linux, PlayStation 3, 4, Network, and Vita, iPad 2, BlackBerry PlayBook, Android, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One

The graphic adventure game Machinarium by Amanita Design is a good illustration of how the steampunk game aesthetic can lead to some delightful, opulent graphics styles.

This game’s straightforward point-and-click gameplay is adorned with realistically grim, intricate wastelands and broken machinery. Given that it has a variety of puzzles that require you to fiddle with various buttons, knobs, and other gadgetry, the steampunk-style assets fit in well. This is a fun little artistic journey that is time well spent.

13. Professor Layton And The Unwound Future (2008)

• Developer: Level-5
• Genre: Puzzle Adventure
• Platforms: Nintendo DS, iOS, Android

This fun steampunk game experience has elements of both a virtual animation program and a fanciful book. The third installment of the Professor Layton puzzle series is frequently recognized by fans as the series’ pinnacle. Layton Brothers: Mystery Room is a spinoff series as well as a four-game prequel series.

Throughout the years, both the engaging animated cutscenes that further describe the situation and the original point-and-drag puzzles have attracted a large following. The time machine, which Layton and Luke are asked to check out during the game’s opening, is just one of the amazing set pieces and steampunk-themed gadgets that adorn the rich English settings.

12. The Legend Of Zelda: Spirit Tracks (2009)

• Developer: Nintendo EAD
• Genre: Action-adventure
• Platforms: Nintendo DS

Fantasy-based adventures that frequently emphasize magic over machinery have made Nintendo’s cherished Legend of Zelda series a mainstay. But young Link’s unusual journey is mostly focused on using trains to go around. This game is classified as steampunk since the mode of transportation is a train designed to look like it was built in the 19th century, similar to how Skyward Sword takes use of flying and Wind Waker adheres to sailing.

The intense sword-based fighting and well-known fantasy themes are still present, but Spirit Tracks for the DS adds some of its retro-technical flair to make it stand out. When traveling through this 25-hour trip, it’s simple to become sucked in.

11. Steamworld Dig 2 (2017)

• Developer: Image and Form
• Genre: Platformer, Action-adventure, Metroidvania
• Platforms: Nintendo Switch, Linux, macOS, Windows, PlayStation 4 and Vita, Nintendo 3DS, Xbox One, Stadia

This charmingly colorful romp is oozing with a steampunk atmosphere and exploration-based gameplay that Minecraft and Terraria fans are sure to love. Indeed, the Steamworld Dig games play like a somewhat smaller version of Re-Logic’s epic; but one that’s similarly rife with fun content.

It’s tough to get more prototypically “steampunk” than a clanky robotic protagonist powered by steam. In addition to steampunk, you’ll likely be getting some Indiana Jones vibes too, as you spend your time exploring vast caverns and mining for various goods. Unlock new steam-powered mechanisms and weapons like pressure bombs for more efficient bots, making for an increasingly rewarding journey.

10. The Misadventures Of P.B. Winterbottom (2010)

• Developer: The Odd Gentlemen, 2K China
• Genre: Puzzle platformer
• Platforms: Xbox 360 (XBLA), Windows

A puzzle platformer that curious gamers can find on the Xbox Live Arcade and Microsoft Windows, The Misadventures of P.B. Winterbottom has been compared to games like Portal but with a quirky and often rude wit.

The titular main character of this steampunk game has two main abilities, collecting pies and making clones of himself. The design of the game is unmistakenly steampunk, including a variety of gears and cranes on a monochrome background reminiscent of Victorian-era rotoscope movies.

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9. Grandia (1997)

• Developer: Game Arts
• Genre: Role-playing game
• Platforms: Sega Saturn, PlayStation, Nintendo Switch, Windows

While the PlayStation was taking off with its renowned Final Fantasy games, Game Arts had quietly crafted an underrated RPG epic with Grandia for the rival Saturn. The game did receive a PS port soon after, along with an eventual HD Switch remaster.

Grandia balances colorful fantasy worlds and magic with technological elements, adding a sense of “grandiosity.” Fans are often drawn to the appealing system of combat, which balances turn-based concepts with free-flowing action. While the strictly “steampunk” elements are light, there’s certainly a mechanical and industrial vibe to many of the areas throughout this 40-plus hour journey.

8. Dishonored (2012)

• Developer: Arkane Studios
• Genre: Action-adventure, Stealth
• Platforms: PlayStation 3 and 4, Windows, Xbox 360 and One

There has been a trend in modern gaming to decorate scenes with profoundly grey, gritty hues. This action-stealth romp by Arkane Studios manages to feel distinct in its heavy use of grimy industrial themes. The setting, the city of Dunwall, exudes a dismal feel with its run-down and rusted decor.

While the mechanisms of Dishonored’s harsh landscapes run on oil rather than steam, there’s plenty of that familiar steampunk style that blends dystopian sci-fi with retro themes. Fans have found much to love with this PS4 and Xbox One franchise; not just with its atmosphere, but also with its satisfying, complex stealth gameplay.

7. Skies Of Arcadia (2000)

• Developer: Overworks
• Genre: Role-playing
• Platforms: Dreamcast, GameCube

Oldtime airships are an emblematic feature in much steampunk-themed content, and Skies of Arcadia utilizes this element overtly and terrifically. Sailing the vast skies with your airship as you travel the floating continents creates a sense of wonder and majesty that fans of this motif tend to love.

The game features an array of unique elemental powers and vibrant fantasy themes, combined with a more technological edge, giving Skies a distinct sense of atmosphere. Fans of this Dreamcast classic have praised the game for its rich world-building, fun exploration, and rewarding turn-based combat.

6. Thief: The Dark Project (1998)

• Developer: Looking Glass Studios
• Genre: Stealth
• Platforms: Microsoft Windows

Anyone with an interest in gaming history, stealth games, or the early days of 3D development needs to check out Thief: The Dark Project. It was developed for Windows in 1998 and got a lot of love from both gamers and critics for its stealth elements, complex story, and likable main character, master thief Garrett.

The steampunk setting, which mixes several different kinds of architectural styles and designs from the time of the Industrial Revolution, is simply known as the City. Three factions control this vast metropolis and Garrett comes in contact with all of them throughout the story, which begins when he’s a child and follows him through his life.

5. The Order: 1886 (2015)

• Developer: Ready at Dawn
• Genre: Action-adventure
• Platforms: PlayStation 4

Released for the PlayStation 4 in 2015, The Order: 1886 is set in an alternate timeline that includes the tech and design of steampunk. The storyline puts the Arthurian Round Table in a modern version of London, and the player takes on the character of Sir Galahad in their quest to defend the city against a variety of monsters.

According to the game’s lore, certain human beings turned half-animal in the 7th or 8th century, and also about the same time knightly orders were rising in power. The modern incarnation is the Order of Knights and the variety of weapons and other items used in the game mix medieval and steampunk technology.

4. Dishonored 2 (2016)

• Developer: Arkane Studios
• Genre: Action-adventure, Stealth
• Platforms: PlayStation 4, Windows, Xbox One

The much-anticipated sequel to Dishonored also uses a similar steampunk aesthetic and stealth features. Dishonored 2 continues with the same characters and storyline in the 1850s, but this time in the fictional city of Karnaca. In addition to playing Corvo Attano, the protagonist from the first installment in the franchise, Empress Emily Kaldwin is also available as a playable character and takes players through the prologue section.

The player can use side-missions to unlock the non-lethal and stealth options, making the game based more on strategy as opposed to melee or ranged combat. NPCs are labeled in different ways, as either sympathetic, murderous, or guilty, and the progress of each mission depends on whom the player kills and how.

3. SteamLands (2011)

• Developer: Nitrome
• Genre: Puzzle platformer, Real-time Strategy
• Platforms: Samsung SM-T515, HTML5

An older steampunk game with a limited audience because of the platform limitations, it’s possible to find this game on the Nitrome website that runs on HTML now that most browsers no longer run Java. The animation is reminiscent of comic books, and uses the same basic rules and 2D design as a lot of other mobile games.

​​​​​The premise of the game starts with a tank, which is controlled by the player, as they fight their way through the Pirates that are invading the realm of New Britannia. The weapons, vehicles, settings, and other details are given a cartoony steampunk theme that gives it a fun, unique look.

2. BioShock (2007)

• Developer: 2K Boston and 2K Australia
• Genre: First-person Shooter
• Platforms: Microsoft Windows, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Mac OS X, iOS

Along with epics like The Elder Scrolls series, the breakout hit BioShock helped pave the way for a new era of dynamic open-world games in a 3D space. The amount of freedom allotted in this makes for an exhilarating experience, which is enhanced further by the dark, gloomy underwater setting of Rapture.

The game and the series as a whole draw heavily on steampunk for its visual influences, and it certainly shows. This eerie shooter blends intense action with exploration and light RPG traits. The result is an immersive experience and mechanical marvel that draws you in and doesn’t let go.

1. Final Fantasy VI (1994)

• Developer: Square
• Genre: Role-playing
• Platforms: Super NES, original PlayStation and 4, Game Boy Advance, Android, iOS, Windows, Nintendo Switch

In a departure from the more stock Medieval settings that made up Square’s prior Final Fantasy games, this renowned 6th rendition goes full-throttle into steampunk game territory. Much like FFVII’s distinctly cyberpunk influences, this SNES gem shines with its darker themes, strengthened by a gritty steampunk overlay.

While the game’s gothic atmosphere and moving narrative take center stage, there’s no shortage of enjoyable gameplay. Fans have praised the detailed battle system featuring tons of unique abilities, spells, and party member options.

“Gamerant”