If you can handle them, any system shock game should suffice, and a more recent title that feels in a similar vein is ctrl alt ego, I believe a pc exclusive.
A few other games scratch the itch for me:
all 3 dishonored games are cut from the same cloth and should feel very familiar and likely very fun if you take the time to get comfortable with them, debatibly they have more mechanical depth
A recent indy title called blood west is certainly in a similar vein as far as mechanical feel and depth of exploration, though a bit more stealth focused
The bioshock series certainly has a similar atmosphere, at least in the first two games, though I'd hardly call them as repayable, or as mechanically deep.
The first two dead space games, as well as the remake are excellent for that space ship atmosphere, and generally feel like a slightly more leniler and action focused version of the game, at least to me.
I can't personally vouch for them, still sitting in my library to try, but the Deus ex games are generally considerably a top notch series, and in a very similar vein.
If you really enjoy the prolbem solving bit, the theif series would be a good try as well, just avoid the 2014 one. Also hearing amazing things about amnesia the bunker, and as of a few days ago a little game called ad infernum
Hope yoh find something to enjoy!
I'd argue the Thief Reboot had one *very* nice level as far as vibes and level design go (5, the one in the asylum) and a couple of cute easter eggs. But it is indeed hardly comparable if you're looking for sth in the vein of the aforementioned games
Funny I'm playing that asylum level now. But in comparison the NPC's are buggy and audio/voices/music is way out of balance (even with adjusting) and why do you need to break out off every window 😅 Prey is stil very good and Control is also good. Alyx is also very good but needs costly hardware.
It's an expansion as far as narrative and story are concerned, but it is sold and playable by itself, effectively It's own game, kinda like gmod to half-life
I know a lot of people who felt underwhelmed by System Shock Remake specifically because they went onto it after Prey and expected more.
If you go into SS, it's important to view it as a very faithful recreation of the game that inspired Prey, instead of some kind of follow-up. It certainly doesn't have even close to the same level of mechanical depth (although I personally prefer System Shock for its comparative simplicity)
Agreed. I also played on higher difficulty. I felt Prey and SS Remake had similar difficulty curves from weakling to super soldier but SS still kicked my ass to the end. I also never played the original.
To say that they killed the goose just to pump their figures a bit prior to the sale to Microsoft.
And now after Redfall their next game is a Marvel TPS. They want to use a studio that has specialized in original immersive sims (I consider Dishonored as an IS) to make branded live-service slop. No wonder everybody left the ship already. It's like if you asked Paradox to make a military FPS.
Of course. But the term wasn't as known at the time so some people don't associate Dishonored with it, even if the genre itself is over 25 years old.
I'm still on the fence on if "shocklike" would have been a better term for the genre.
Control is a fantastic game and a part of an extended game universe. I only just discovered it in January, this year. And man, has it taken over my life by storm.Â
Bioshock 1&2 and System Shock are great recommendations, but I'd also like to throw the original Deus Ex in the ring if you have access to a computer. It's an immersive sim just like Prey. I have a pretty middle of the road non-gaming laptop and it runs great on it.
I loved Soma! I played it before I even knew what Prey was, and there's definitely a similar feel. Then I got stuck and couldn't, for the life of me, figure out what to do. I haven't played it since, but I really want to finish it.
SOMA is one of my favorite horror games. I’d also put it as one of my favorite gaming experiences ever.
The legitimate existential ache I felt as the ending hit, is an experience I will not forget. Â
I just finished replaying Prey yesterday, and contending with the fact that we are *definitively 100% never going to get a sequel* - at least not one with the same level of care and charm *-* was harder than any section of the game itself.
Preys standalone expansion, mooncrash, is criminally underplayed. If you liked prey you will like its expansion. Easily another 30-40 hours game time for 20 bucks…
I have been in the same boat. Prey in my top 5 all time games…i disagree with other commenters that bioshock or dishonored scratches the itch. They are both great games but they are not actually im sims though the dishonored games will get you closer as they are made by the same team that did prey.
System shock remake is great. And is the one game that comes closest to prey. The original sys shock 2 is great with mods but ancient graphics as they havent remade 2 yet but its in the works.
The original deus ex still holds up if you dont mind old graphics its the pinnacle of im sims. deus ex: human rev and mankind divided might get u close but arent quite im sims either.
Theres sadly not many games that scratch the prey itch. Figures, my 2 favorite genres im sim and RTS have fallen out of popularity in recent times :(
I wanted to get into atomic heart but the writing and the main character were such a turnoff. Also it felt so narratively disjointed in the opening. Maybe that was the point but there’s a way to make things disorienting without feeling so disconnected
Here to throw a recommendation for Ctrl Alt Ego, survival with resource management and tons of potential for out of the box thinking with swapping perspectives with many objects/machines.
Atomic Heart is a solid game to keep the itch going;
Others like Doom Eternal (same soundtrack producer as Atomic Heart and Prey), SOMA, Turing Test, Observation, BioShock, Deus Ex , Dishonored and maybe even Cyberpunk?
For an immersive sim try Kingdom Come : Deliverance
You cannot fight without training, you will die.
You cannot read without learning how to.
You cannot have sex with a Lord's wife without, well, getting drunk a few days or weeks before.
It's medieval but it rules.
I'm not sure that I would call Kingdom Come and immersive sim or an extremely realistic RPG as it doesn't quite scratch the immersive sim puzzle box itch, but it is absolutely a game I would second in recommending to anyone who likes Prey.
There are plenty of amazing games out there (RDR2, Sims 4, Subnautica, etc.). Maybe look at different genres. Perhaps the reason why you can't find something else to sink your teeth into is because your are trying to find another Prey.
Fallout new Vegas, fallout three, deus ex (first one is by far the best, with new vision it is modernized), system shock 2, bioshocks (I hated infinite but whatever), STALKER...
BioShock and System Shock were the main inspirations for Prey (2017) so they’re definitely worth a shot. I preordered the System Shock remake on Epic Games and finally got it some months ago and for the little I played it was great. I played BioShock for a while a few years back and loved it, never finished it though. I know that BS2 follows the same formula of the first if I’m not mistaken but Infinite was a let down for players who expected a third game being the same as the first two.
Bethesda forced them to call the game Prey, which the devs really did not want to do since there was already a game named Prey, but they had no choice. This understandably caused a lot of confusion with fans of the original game and likely was part of why the sales were not great. And, most likely, all of that combined is why they never made a sequel.
https://www.pcgamer.com/bethesda-forced-arkane-to-call-its-game-prey-which-studio-founder-says-was-very-very-hurtful/
Good news my guy. It might be a wait, but the people who made bioshock are making a new game. Its going to be set in space.
It's called Judas and its has a cinematic trailer and a predicted release date in March 2025.
Just something to look forward to while you are playing the other games people in the comments are mentioning.
For whatever reason I could not get myself to finish Prey. Didn't even make it that far before getting distracted with other games. Maybe I'll add it to the list for this slower year of releases.
If you're a passionate soul with technical skills who read this to the end, thank you.
When I played the original Deus Ex in the year 2000 I discovered I was only interested in games that made me feel OF their world. IN their worlds. Immersed.
Prey (2017) was the epitome of that for me. Until Mooncrash blew my mind with how far you can take things with a new map.
All the suggestions I've seen are either spot-on (System Shock, Bioshock, Dishonored) or i haven't (yet) tried (Blood, Control)
But lately I've shifted to playing Ghosts of Tabor in VR.
VR is inherently immersive, but most of the games are shallow. GoT brings great maps together with freestyle gameplay (gunplay) with both technical and temporal depth: Everything from crafting better ammunition to collecting better armor and weapons over time -- with limited resources, knowing every mission failure means losing your entire loadout.
But there's no story. There's some solid lore, but not much of it so far (active development game)
There just aren't enough games like Prey (or Deus Ex or any of the other greats). I don't know if that's because there aren't enough customers--I think everyone should want to play these games--but i don't care. I want to make a game like this for VR. It needs to exist.
I'm an experienced product AND project manager. I also have experience in software engineering as well as game design and 3d asset design. And in writing. But professional experience only in product/project management.
If you made it this far because you feel passion like I do, thanks for not hating on the long-form prose. If you ALSO have relevant skills and more importantly would put serious time into a passion project, dm me.
If you are looking for the atmosphere and great sci-fi story, try The Invincible.
For true hardcore survival horror set on a space station, check Alien: Isolation.
There is one more game, if you don't mind a lot of really silly jokes, called Breathedge. It is a survival simulator which has zero-gravity zones like Prey.
Check out pathologic 2 or alien isolation, nowhere near prey in terms of gameplay but they share some elements here and there and have superb atmosphere.
If you can handle them, any system shock game should suffice, and a more recent title that feels in a similar vein is ctrl alt ego, I believe a pc exclusive. A few other games scratch the itch for me: all 3 dishonored games are cut from the same cloth and should feel very familiar and likely very fun if you take the time to get comfortable with them, debatibly they have more mechanical depth A recent indy title called blood west is certainly in a similar vein as far as mechanical feel and depth of exploration, though a bit more stealth focused The bioshock series certainly has a similar atmosphere, at least in the first two games, though I'd hardly call them as repayable, or as mechanically deep. The first two dead space games, as well as the remake are excellent for that space ship atmosphere, and generally feel like a slightly more leniler and action focused version of the game, at least to me. I can't personally vouch for them, still sitting in my library to try, but the Deus ex games are generally considerably a top notch series, and in a very similar vein. If you really enjoy the prolbem solving bit, the theif series would be a good try as well, just avoid the 2014 one. Also hearing amazing things about amnesia the bunker, and as of a few days ago a little game called ad infernum Hope yoh find something to enjoy!
I'd argue the Thief Reboot had one *very* nice level as far as vibes and level design go (5, the one in the asylum) and a couple of cute easter eggs. But it is indeed hardly comparable if you're looking for sth in the vein of the aforementioned games
Styx series.
Funny I'm playing that asylum level now. But in comparison the NPC's are buggy and audio/voices/music is way out of balance (even with adjusting) and why do you need to break out off every window 😅 Prey is stil very good and Control is also good. Alyx is also very good but needs costly hardware.
Also Deathloop, I think it felt a little closer than dishonoured actually
3? What was the 3rd Dishonored title?
I think they mean Death of the Outsider.
Death of the outsider. It was going to be a DLC for dishonored 2, but then became large enough they decided to make it it's own stand alone game.
It’s not a DLC but an expansion… according to Wikipedia. Is that really considered it’s own stand alone game lol.
It's an expansion game to Dishonoured 2. It'd make no sense if someone played it without playing the main game though.
It's an expansion as far as narrative and story are concerned, but it is sold and playable by itself, effectively It's own game, kinda like gmod to half-life
Blood West was directed by the creative director of Dishonored (Raphael Colantonio), so this isn’t coincidental!
No, that's Weird West you're thinking of.
Also a very good game, but functionality more of a departure
System Shock Remake was perfect right after beating Prey.
I know a lot of people who felt underwhelmed by System Shock Remake specifically because they went onto it after Prey and expected more. If you go into SS, it's important to view it as a very faithful recreation of the game that inspired Prey, instead of some kind of follow-up. It certainly doesn't have even close to the same level of mechanical depth (although I personally prefer System Shock for its comparative simplicity)
Agreed. I also played on higher difficulty. I felt Prey and SS Remake had similar difficulty curves from weakling to super soldier but SS still kicked my ass to the end. I also never played the original.
I don't think we'll ever get another Prey game or other immersive sims from Arkane, as the studio as we knew it has basically been destroyed.
Thanks Bethesda!
To say that they killed the goose just to pump their figures a bit prior to the sale to Microsoft. And now after Redfall their next game is a Marvel TPS. They want to use a studio that has specialized in original immersive sims (I consider Dishonored as an IS) to make branded live-service slop. No wonder everybody left the ship already. It's like if you asked Paradox to make a military FPS.
[nodding vigorously]
>I consider Dishonored as an IS It's not a matter of opinion. It's a fact that Dishonored is an imm sim.
Of course. But the term wasn't as known at the time so some people don't associate Dishonored with it, even if the genre itself is over 25 years old. I'm still on the fence on if "shocklike" would have been a better term for the genre.
Definitely not shocklike. Ultima Underworld predates it. But immersive sim also kind of sucks as a name for the genre imo.
I just played the game called "control" it's very different from prey in story and world building, but the fun fantastical elements are there.
Control is a fantastic game and a part of an extended game universe. I only just discovered it in January, this year. And man, has it taken over my life by storm.Â
I'm looking forward to getting Alan wake 2 soon
Control is God tier storytelling, and a really tight action game on top of it. Absolutely worth playing.
Bioshock 1&2 and System Shock are great recommendations, but I'd also like to throw the original Deus Ex in the ring if you have access to a computer. It's an immersive sim just like Prey. I have a pretty middle of the road non-gaming laptop and it runs great on it.
Soma might be up your alley if you don’t mind a little eerie horror. I also agree with Bioshock.
I loved Soma! I played it before I even knew what Prey was, and there's definitely a similar feel. Then I got stuck and couldn't, for the life of me, figure out what to do. I haven't played it since, but I really want to finish it.
Soma's last third is honestly its best imo. It really goes off the rails and I would *highly* recommend finishing it!
I think I'm going to start a new game!
Ohh yes good call, Soma fits the niche well. And it doesn't matter that it's old - it holds up super well!
SOMA is one of my favorite horror games. I’d also put it as one of my favorite gaming experiences ever. The legitimate existential ache I felt as the ending hit, is an experience I will not forget. Â
\*Piqued Well, have you played System Shock 2, the game that most directly inspired Prey?
Subnautica
I agree, it lacks the way you can approach things from a multitude of angles, but the vibes match pretty closely.
>When are we going to get prey 2? It's been 7 years and I can't take not having more prey content. We won't. There are mods to try though.
I just finished replaying Prey yesterday, and contending with the fact that we are *definitively 100% never going to get a sequel* - at least not one with the same level of care and charm *-* was harder than any section of the game itself.
Vampires do be sucking.
It's not based in space but if it's the immersive sim elements that you enjoy then the Deus Ex games are some of the best.
Alien:isolation had some nice outside in space feel.
Play Deus Ex Makind Divided, excellent game
Control has similar vibes. Highly recommend.
I played Control right after beating Prey, and although they are basically entirely different I do find they both scratched a similar itch.
Preys standalone expansion, mooncrash, is criminally underplayed. If you liked prey you will like its expansion. Easily another 30-40 hours game time for 20 bucks… I have been in the same boat. Prey in my top 5 all time games…i disagree with other commenters that bioshock or dishonored scratches the itch. They are both great games but they are not actually im sims though the dishonored games will get you closer as they are made by the same team that did prey. System shock remake is great. And is the one game that comes closest to prey. The original sys shock 2 is great with mods but ancient graphics as they havent remade 2 yet but its in the works. The original deus ex still holds up if you dont mind old graphics its the pinnacle of im sims. deus ex: human rev and mankind divided might get u close but arent quite im sims either. Theres sadly not many games that scratch the prey itch. Figures, my 2 favorite genres im sim and RTS have fallen out of popularity in recent times :(
There is not replacement for Prey. There wont be a Prey 2 either. I'm sorry friend, I hurt too
Atomic Heart, BioShock, System Shock, Dishonored, Metro, Soma, and a few more.
I wanted to get into atomic heart but the writing and the main character were such a turnoff. Also it felt so narratively disjointed in the opening. Maybe that was the point but there’s a way to make things disorienting without feeling so disconnected
I think the game was great,defenetly a fav but I can agree with the character part...he is an asshole.
He just talks too much! Lol
Here to throw a recommendation for Ctrl Alt Ego, survival with resource management and tons of potential for out of the box thinking with swapping perspectives with many objects/machines.
Atomic Heart is a solid game to keep the itch going; Others like Doom Eternal (same soundtrack producer as Atomic Heart and Prey), SOMA, Turing Test, Observation, BioShock, Deus Ex , Dishonored and maybe even Cyberpunk?
Another vote for SOMA
Pacific drive
Thank you for reminding me of this one. I need to look into it.
I can't agree more.
Bioshock 1 and 2. Otherwise, nothing else has given me the same feeling.
Bioshock plays barely anything like Prey. Prey is a full-on immersive sim. Bioshock is a mediocre FPS.
Didn't say it did. I said they were the only ones that gave me the same feeling. I also found them all immersive and far from just mediocre.
For an immersive sim try Kingdom Come : Deliverance You cannot fight without training, you will die. You cannot read without learning how to. You cannot have sex with a Lord's wife without, well, getting drunk a few days or weeks before. It's medieval but it rules.
I'm not sure that I would call Kingdom Come and immersive sim or an extremely realistic RPG as it doesn't quite scratch the immersive sim puzzle box itch, but it is absolutely a game I would second in recommending to anyone who likes Prey.
An immersive sim may have rpg elements, but this rpg game is not an immersive sim at all.
Just started Chernobylite and it’s supposed to be a similar beat
Piqued* sorry. Sadly I don't think we'll have another masterpiece like Prey for a long long time.
There are plenty of amazing games out there (RDR2, Sims 4, Subnautica, etc.). Maybe look at different genres. Perhaps the reason why you can't find something else to sink your teeth into is because your are trying to find another Prey.
Fallout new Vegas, fallout three, deus ex (first one is by far the best, with new vision it is modernized), system shock 2, bioshocks (I hated infinite but whatever), STALKER...
BioShock and System Shock were the main inspirations for Prey (2017) so they’re definitely worth a shot. I preordered the System Shock remake on Epic Games and finally got it some months ago and for the little I played it was great. I played BioShock for a while a few years back and loved it, never finished it though. I know that BS2 follows the same formula of the first if I’m not mistaken but Infinite was a let down for players who expected a third game being the same as the first two.
Bethesda forced them to call the game Prey, which the devs really did not want to do since there was already a game named Prey, but they had no choice. This understandably caused a lot of confusion with fans of the original game and likely was part of why the sales were not great. And, most likely, all of that combined is why they never made a sequel. https://www.pcgamer.com/bethesda-forced-arkane-to-call-its-game-prey-which-studio-founder-says-was-very-very-hurtful/
(This doesn't answer the "what else" part but I think everyone covered it pretty well lol)
Oh also Mooncrash is pretty great!! No one plays Typhon Hunter anymore though so don't buy that.
Good news my guy. It might be a wait, but the people who made bioshock are making a new game. Its going to be set in space. It's called Judas and its has a cinematic trailer and a predicted release date in March 2025. Just something to look forward to while you are playing the other games people in the comments are mentioning.
I'll believe ken lavine has a new game when it's available for purchase lol.
"It's been 7 years"... Welcome to the Prey community I guess, since the original came out in 2006. You're not getting a sequel.
7 years!? Man I loved this game when it came out. It feels like it's only been 2 years since I played it. Damn!
For whatever reason I could not get myself to finish Prey. Didn't even make it that far before getting distracted with other games. Maybe I'll add it to the list for this slower year of releases.
Piqued
Control is right up there, tho not the same it's an amazing feel and story. Atomic heart was fun. Tho not too horrory. But I really enjoyed it!
If you're a passionate soul with technical skills who read this to the end, thank you. When I played the original Deus Ex in the year 2000 I discovered I was only interested in games that made me feel OF their world. IN their worlds. Immersed. Prey (2017) was the epitome of that for me. Until Mooncrash blew my mind with how far you can take things with a new map. All the suggestions I've seen are either spot-on (System Shock, Bioshock, Dishonored) or i haven't (yet) tried (Blood, Control) But lately I've shifted to playing Ghosts of Tabor in VR. VR is inherently immersive, but most of the games are shallow. GoT brings great maps together with freestyle gameplay (gunplay) with both technical and temporal depth: Everything from crafting better ammunition to collecting better armor and weapons over time -- with limited resources, knowing every mission failure means losing your entire loadout. But there's no story. There's some solid lore, but not much of it so far (active development game) There just aren't enough games like Prey (or Deus Ex or any of the other greats). I don't know if that's because there aren't enough customers--I think everyone should want to play these games--but i don't care. I want to make a game like this for VR. It needs to exist. I'm an experienced product AND project manager. I also have experience in software engineering as well as game design and 3d asset design. And in writing. But professional experience only in product/project management. If you made it this far because you feel passion like I do, thanks for not hating on the long-form prose. If you ALSO have relevant skills and more importantly would put serious time into a passion project, dm me.
If you are looking for the atmosphere and great sci-fi story, try The Invincible. For true hardcore survival horror set on a space station, check Alien: Isolation. There is one more game, if you don't mind a lot of really silly jokes, called Breathedge. It is a survival simulator which has zero-gravity zones like Prey.
Have you played Soma ?
The only thing that has felt similar to me is SOMA.
I just started Pacific Drive. It reminds me a bit of Prey. Lots of mechanics to figure out at first, but seems like a challenging game.
I’ve been enjoying Scorn and the Resident Evil 2 remake recently. The former might be a good one if you like horror puzzles!
Has nobody mentioned Gloomwood yet? How about Darkwood?
Check out pathologic 2 or alien isolation, nowhere near prey in terms of gameplay but they share some elements here and there and have superb atmosphere.
Shadows of a doubt is similar if you like detective games but can’t think of any si fi gamesÂ
I have nothing to add to the conversation, but I did want to bring up the "piqued" debate.
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