Cyberpunk 2077 is a hot topic of discussion when people talk about sci-fi games. CD Projekt Red might have had a rough start with the IP’s release. But they have since recovered all the goodwill surrounding the media by fixing a lot of the issues.
Today, we are going to show you a world of cyberpunk video games that are not related to Cyberpunk 2077. Some of these were even heavily influential for CD Projekt Red’s title itself.
Best Sci-Fi Games Unrelated To Cyberpunk 2077
Deus Ex Series
Let’s get the obvious one out of the way first. Deus Ex is the other sci-fi franchise that everyone can recommend if you are looking for an alternative to Cyberpunk 2077. The first game was released back in 2000 and was developed by Ion Storm.
The franchise has multiple protagonists, but there are two who stand out for the fans, JC Denton and Adam Jensen. The latter is the newest protagonist who appears in Deus EX: Human Revolution and Mankind Divided.
He is a mercenary who had to undergo extensive prosthetic implementation and works with anti-terrorism groups. The original Deus EX follows the story of JC Denton and is also considered the best in the whole series.
Citizen Sleeper
Citizen Sleeper is a sci-fi game that puts a heavy focus on narrative and dialogue choices. If you are looking for an action-oriented experience like Cyberpunk 2077, then you won’t find any of that here.
Citizen Sleeper is specifically for people who love choice-based experiences, and it excels at that. In the game, you play as a character called the ‘Sleeper’ who is controlled by a powerful corporation, but has a human brain.
Circumstances push the Sleeper to escape the facility, and they are now on the run from their captors. What happens next is what you get to experience in this amazing game.
VA-11 Hall-a
Following up a narrative-heavy game with another one, this time it’s a fan favorite. VA-11 Hall-a is an indie game that is made by a group of passionate developers from Venezuela. The game initially released for PC systems, but slowly became available on almost every modern platform.
Although the game is set in a sci-fi, Cyberpunk future, a genre that is known to be associated with Dystopia mostly. VA-11 Hall-a actually moves away from those themes and focuses on highlighting elements from Cyberpunk media that we love.
The game essentially is all about bartending, and while that may sound kind of lacklustre. The title makes up for it with a cast of some of the most well-written characters you will ever find in a genre like this.
Ghost Runner
If you are specifically into the fast-paced combat aspect of Cyberpunk 2077 and want more of it, then Ghost Runner should be right up your alley. The game implements hack-and-slash first-person combat while making players go through some precision platforming.
The speed at which Ghost Runner forces you to make quick decisions is what makes this game incredibly addictive. You step into the shoes of a Ghostrunner named Jack, climbing up a towering structure throughout the game in order to beat the Keymaster.
Ghost Runner is set in a sci-fi world that underwent a cataclysmic event named Burst. Humanity is at the brink of extinction, and has retreated to a place known as the Dharma Tower.
System Shock Series
System Shock is an old game series that is set in a sci-fi world. It explores the relatively common topic of the dangers of having a future where AI is sentient. The whole series is a cyberpunk horror game with first-person immersive sim as the primary gameplay design.
You are trapped in maze-like environments akin to old-school dungeon crawlers in almost every level. The first System Shock game is set in the year 2072, where you are trying to avoid an AI entity that is trying to cause harm to you.
The sequel to this game was highly successful and influenced countless other cyberpunk video games. A remake of the first game was released in 2023 when NightDive Studios acquired the rights to the game.
Signalis
Let’s keep the ball rolling with another sci-fi game with horror at its forefront. This time, it is an indie game that has received high praise. It could very much be one of the best horror games released in recent times.
Signalis is developed by the independent developers at Rose-Engine. It uses isometric game design with gameplay that is influenced by classic survival horror titles. You have to carefully pick your encounters while managing inventory and solving puzzles.
The game’s story follows an artificial technician called Replika. She awakens to find their ship crashed on an unknown planet. Now she must embark on a dangerous mission to figure out the whereabouts of her pilot.
Blade Runner
When discussing sci-fi games, there is no way we would miss out on Blade Runner. The game might be a bit dated by today’s standards, but it deserves a mention on this list. It is adapted from literally one of the most influential pieces of media in the Cyberpunk genre.
It was developed as a point-and-click adventure game back in 1997 by Westwood Studios. Point-and-click adventure games may be a thing of the past. But the DNA of the genre is still survived in games such as Citizen Sleeper and Disco Elysium.
The Blade Runner game was heavily praised back in the day for accurately depicting the original film’s atmosphere. It also boasted multiple endings, which provided good replay value.
Shadowrun series
Other than being one of the most popular RPGs released in recent times. Cyberpunk 2077 is a video game that originated from tabletop RPGs, and not many people know this. Even more people don’t know that it is not the only tabletop sci-fi game that got turned into a video game.
The Shadowrun game series is a tabletop RPG from the late 80s. It also predates Cyberpunk 2077 by multiple decades. The first Shadowrun video game was released on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in 1993.
There are multiple video games in the franchise, with each having its own niche fanbase. It would be hard to pin down just one game and recommend it to fresh fans. But the whole Shadowrun trilogy is a series that is worth going through.
Peripeteia
This is probably going to be the most underrated entry in this whole list. So far, we have discussed Cyberpunk games that are mostly popular among gamers. But Peripeteia is an indie Cyberpunk title that is very fresh and deserves some recognition.
The game is developed by the independent people at Ninth Exodus. They cite games like Deus Ex as being a massive influence on Peripeteia. Gameplay is a mix of immersive sim with third-person shooter, and stealth mechanics.
Peripeteia throws the players into an alt history Cyberpunk Poland that is drowning in a dystopian power struggle between multiple factions. You step into the shoes of Marie, a super soldier and a mercenary.
Even though the title is still in early access, it is worth checking out if you really like the genre for its atmosphere and retro video game vibes.
ONI
This one is a personal recommendation, and sadly it’s a game that is not available on any modern platforms. But if you are a fan of sci-fi games with cyberpunk anime media, such as Ghost in the Shell, Oni is a title that should be right up your alley.
This is a game that was originally developed by Bungie. A lot of the concepts that found their home in the first Halo originated from this game. The primary gameplay involves hand-to-hand combat that is best played with keyboard and mouse.
Oni is that one game that perfectly developed an original fighting system that we have not seen return in modern games. Unfortunately, the rights to the IP now belong to Take Two, and it has pretty much gone dormant.
ONI is thankfully survived by its passionate community. A playable build for the title that can run on modern computer systems can be easily found on the internet.
