What are Steampunk Games?

Step into a world where Victorian-era aesthetics meet advanced steam-powered technology. Steampunk games transport players to alternative histories and fantastical realms, where brass gears turn alongside clockwork marvels. From airships soaring through smog-filled skies to elaborate contraptions and daring adventures, these games immerse players in a unique blend of innovation and nostalgia. So what are Steampunk games and which are some of the best.

What are Steampunk Games?

Steampunk games are a subgenre of games that incorporate science fiction and fantasy themes. They depict a world that draws inspiration from the Victorian era or the American “Wild West,” when steam power was prominently used. But beyond the technology used in the 19th and early century, steampunk games push the envelope into the sci-fi and fantasy realms. They can feature alternate histories of the Victorian or Wild West, depicting the “path not taken” in the art style, setting, and stories portrayed.

The term “steampunk” was first coined in 1987, when sci-fi author K.W. Jeter used it to describe a style of sci-fi fantasy featuring Victorian technology powered by steam. It then grew in popularity all through the 1980s and early 1990s. Over the years, steampunk games have grown from a subgenre of literature to encompass multiple forms of media. Today, it’s a subculture in gaming that has accrued a loyal fanbase of Victorian fantasies. 

Gameplay

Steampunk games can take on any genre. They can be platforming, action-adventure, survival-horror, and more genres, provided the theme of steam power, and its respective era, remains. Often, steampunk games dabble in science fiction and fantasy. The setting can take place in the 19th-century Victorian era of industrialism or the American “Wild West.” But it can also portray an alternate history story arc, depicting what could have been or the “path not taken.” 

As for the design and art style, developers don’t shy away from pushing the boundaries of “steampunk” to incorporate fictional technology. With more experimentation and blossoming ideas, steampunk games have expanded to offer an infinite wealth of options to play. Yet whether fictional or real era-specific gameplay, steam power often always remains at the core of the steampunk gaming experience. 

Best Steampunk Games

As developers innovate on gameplay by experimenting in alternate Victorian-era settings, gamers continue to be spoilt for choice. Among the games available, these best steampunk games tower above the rest.

5. Frostpunk

The survival game, Frostpunk, ought to be at the top of your must-play steampunk games. It bestows upon you the power of rulership over the last city on Earth. Your job? Manage the remaining survivors of a post-apocalyptic event, from putting up solid infrastructure and ensuring a stable state of mind. But there’s a more significant catch. Frostpunk isn’t like any city. It’s situated on a frozen land in an alternate history in 1886. 

The winter will persist for the foreseeable future, and so every energy source must be protected and conserved. To get through the winter, you’ll find ways to generate heat. You do tackle different challenges so, each run is engaging, some of which pose some tough moral-based decisions and policies. But steam power remains a crucial resource to keep a close eye on.

4. Thief

In Thief, you take control of a master thief, Garret, who sneaks around a fantasy steampunk world undetected. It’s the perfect game to devour steampunk aesthetics, with its Industrial Revolution London-esque infrastructure and distinct gothic charm. You feast your eyes, using open-ended exploration to study ancient technology in the Victorian and Middle Ages. 

The trick is to get away with several robberies. But also, you’re stealing as a means to the end of chaos and destruction. While the first Thief: The Dark Project was released in 1998, it spun three sequels, all worth diving into. Moreover, the series inspired many more stealth games, like Hitman and the steampunk genre as well.

3. Dishonored

Alternatively, consider Dishonored, which takes you to a plague-ridden fantasy industrial city called Dunwall. At its heart is a compelling story following Corvo Attano, bodyguard to the Empress of the Isles. While the engines in the game are run by oil, the outcome of the world in general portrays a steampunk vibe. It’s heavily industrial, pulling the curtain back to portray a more authentic classist dismal tone. 

Dunwall takes after London in the Victorian age, except crawling with zombies, magic, and rats, of course. You get the full package, complete with fantasy and dangerous, sometimes unreliable technology. Robots roam around, nailing a futuristic vibe. But also, paying close attention to historical detail, whether Victorian architecture, paintings, or sculptures.

2. BioShock: Infinite

You could trek down to airborne 1912 Columbia instead. Playing as a hired gun and veteran of the US Calvary, you jump at the opportunity to wipe your slate clean. The mission requires you to brave multiple trials and a tyrant to rescue an imprisoned girl. But steampunk lovers will appreciate the heavy emphasis on the Victorian era. 

Beyond the Victorian era, however, BioShock: Infinite focuses on alternate and futuristic takes on late steampunk. It manages to capture early 20th-century dystopia. But beyond historic references, it pushes the breadth of imagination with killer automatons and high-tech gear. It’s incredibly sci-fi, perhaps way more than most steampunk games, yet it remains a perfect blend with its vintage underpinnings intact.

1. SteamWorld Dig

The platform mining adventure draws heavily from Metroidvania and steampunk. It gives you doses of heavy exploration in a charming, content-packed world. But also puts emphasis on steampunk, via its clanky robotic Rusty powered by steam. You’ll have to dip into your Indiana Jones side, exploring twisted caverns for treasure. Throughout your playthrough, you’ll discover steampunk gear and weapons that increase mining efficiency.

Watch out for enemies, too, lurking in the shadows. But there are also lots of secrets that cement the rewarding experience SteamWorld Dig provides. It doesn’t get any more specific than having “steam” in its title. But at least the gameplay delivers on its promise of fun-filled adventure. And if you wrap up your playthrough too soon, you can always jump on SteamWorld Dig 2 or Steamworld Heist to take charge of a steam-driven pirate crew engaged in plenty of more shootouts and strategy.

So, what’s your take? Will you be picking up a copy of the best steampunk games? Are there more games we should know about? Let us know over on our socials here.