Because what’s better than a dark, dystopian, futuristic world as a video game setting? The bleak and disturbing underworld hidden under the neon lights and glamor provides the perfect recipe for a tragic story.

VA11 Hall-A: Cyberpunk Bartender Action

VA11 Hall-A is a visual novel developed by Venezuelan studio Sukeban Games. The game was released in 2016. It is available on PC, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, MacOS, and PS Vita.

You play as the protagonist Jill Valentine, a bartender at VA11 Hall-A, a bar generally described as hard to notice. It is located in Glitch City, a cyberpunk dystopian city-state controlled by mega-corporations.

The game features a branching storyline where the path it takes depends on your knowledge of your client’s tastes and what drinks you prepare for them.

VirtuaVerse

VirtuaVerse is a point-and-click adventure game developed by Theta Division Games. The game is available on Windows and MacOS.

The game is set in a futuristic dystopia where largely everything is controlled by Artificial intelligence. You play as Nathan, a rebel who makes a living by smuggling modded hardware and software. As the player, you solve different puzzles and interact with the world to progress further in the story.

The game features stunning pixel art which is sure to catch your eye.

Stray

Stray as described on its Steam page, is a third-person cat adventure game developed by BlueTwelve studio and released in 2022. The game is available on Windows, MacOS, Xbox Series S and X, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, and Nintendo Switch.

Stray is set in a post-cyberpunk world where you play as a cat that’s separated from its family and advance through the neon-lit alleys of a futuristic city as you solve puzzles, Interact with the environment, and fend off dangerous robots.

Deus Ex Series

Deus Ex is a role-playing game series set in a near-future dystopian world full of poverty, diseases, and conflict. The Deus Ex series draws inspiration from real-life conspiracy theories, mythology, and philosophy.

These are the 4 games in the series I recommend playing in order:

1. Deus Ex (2000)-released for Windows and Mac
2. Invisible War (2003)-released for Windows and Xbox.
3. Human Revolution (2011)-available for Windows, Mac, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Wii U.
4. Mankind Divided (2016)-released for Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Linux, and MacOS.

Policenauts

Policenauts is an interactive adventure game released on PC-9821 in 1994. It is one of Hideo Kojima’s most overlooked works, largely due to the game never leaving Japan and being only available on limited platforms.

Policenauts is set in the near future, where the protagonist Jonathan Ingram wakes up after 24 years of cryosleep in space after an accident. We follow Jonathan who now works as a detective, as he helps solve the disappearance of his ex-wife’s husband.

The game is officially available on PC-98, PSX, 3DO, and Sega Saturn. Although the game was never officially released in English, It has now been translated by a team of fans.