One doesn't need to look too far into the future for inspiration in video games. Because video games set during the 2070s have already made masterpieces based on that time period alone. There's only a handful of such games, but a few of them have managed to paint a compelling, albeit rushed view of what the 2070s hold.
Some of them were set during alternate or highly fictitious timelines to avoid being drawn with parallels, and that's a good thing. Because most games set in the 2070s are rather bleak or dystopian in their portrayal of societies. But despite the doom and gloom of some titles, they're still more than worthy of the player's time.
8 Cyberpunk 2077
- Release year: 2020
- Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and Series S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Google Stadia, Microsoft Windows
Cyberpunk 2077 takes place in an alternate timeline when the whole cyberpunk dystopia began as early as the 1980s in their time period. But despite being a distant take on the future of mankind, the game is still a good indication of what the future holds assuming corporate greed remains unchecked.
It's a world where most people are cyborgs and most people are immoral and treacherous. At the heart of it all is V, a hopeful Night City resident who wants to make it big in his/her insane world. To that end, it's more like GTA with a cyberpunk coat of paint.
7 Deus Ex: Invisible War
- Release year: 2003
- Platforms: Microsoft Windows, Xbox
Speaking of cyberpunk video games, Deus Ex: Invisible War is a sequel to one of the greatest and most significant cyberpunk titles of all time, which is Deus Ex. Unlike its predecessor, however, Deus Ex: Invisible War took a different gameplay approach and shed some of the chaotic freedom that the original allowed.
The level design was smaller and more cramped since they had to test it out on a new engine, among many other gameplay overhauls. Still, this game takes place in the very same universe as Deus Ex, but 20 years after the events of the original, with just as many corporate and tech conspiracies.
6 System Shock
- Release year: 1994 (original)
- Platforms: Microsoft Windows, Linux, DOS, MS-DOS, PC-9800 series, Mac operating systems, Classic Mac OS
The original System Shock was so iconic, that there's now a full remake underway, which will hopefully release in 2023. It's set in 2072 in a space station operated by an AI. And wouldn't you know it, the AI went rogue and started taking over the said space station.
Unluckily for the protagonist, they're the only one left to deal with the rogue AI named SHODAN who, in addition to siccing mutants and deadly cyborgs at the players, is also on a philosophical tirade to justify her actions. This 1990s classic is definitely a must-play for its novel ideas about horror and its compelling story.
5 Anno 2070
- Release year: 2011
- Platforms: Microsoft Windows
Anno 2070 is one of the first games in the series to set its playground in the future, so a lot of guesswork went into how several decades into the 21st century would look. For the most part, Anno 2070 got it somewhat right. The world is on the brink of an environmental apocalypse and three main world powers are vying for control.
The game thus focuses on a lot of gameplay quirks and mechanics involving environmental factors. At the same time, it also retained its signature Anno gameplay where players settle on islands and try to make their settlements thrive through tidy city-building and resource management.
4 Overwatch & Overwatch 2
- Release year: 2016
- ​​​​​​​Platforms: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Microsoft Windows
Overwatch and its sequel were supposedly set in an alternate timeline 60 years around the game's release date. So that puts it at around 2070. Rapid technological and scientific advancements have turned the world upside down, practically into a superhero MOBA arena.
What contributed to this setting was the notorious Omnic Crisis where robots went rogue and lethal, promptly waging war on mankind. After conventional armies failed, humanity formed the titular international task force to combat the threat and restore order to Earth once again.
3 Invisible Inc.
- Release year: 2015
- ​​​​​​​Platforms: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Microsoft Windows, iOS, Linux, macOS, Classic Mac OS
Invisible Inc. is presumably another game that takes place in a cyberpunk setting, but players take control of futuristic spies who are tasked with infiltrating dangerous corporate strongholds. This is a turn-based stealth video game, where sound tactics and decision-making are rewarded.
Players must acquaint themselves with bleeding-edge cyberpunk technology in order to carry out their successful corpo-war espionage. Each character gives players the opportunity to customize their builds and tailor their playstyle according to their preferences.
2 VA-11 Hall-A
- Release year: 2016
- ​​​​​​​Platforms: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Microsoft Windows, Linux, macOS, PlayStation Vita, Mac operating systems
If espionage, city-building, and saving the world are a little too much for someone just trying to relax, then VA-11 Hall-A offers something more laid-back. It's a unique premise; players assume the role of a bartender in a cyberpunk world.
Instead of customizing their cybernetics to fight better, they're mixing futuristic cocktail blends and entertaining their customers over the counter. Every customer is a mini-story, and conversing with them job as the players try to make it in the cyberpunk world with their bartender salary.
1 Zero Escape: Virtue's Last Reward
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- Release year: 2012
- ​​​​​​​Platforms: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Microsoft Windows, PlayStation Vita, Nintendo 3DS
Zero Escape: Virtue's Last Reward, like a lot of video games made in Japan, is a mix of genres that blend well together. But primarily, it's a visual novel and puzzle game. The game follows the story of Sigma Klim, who was kidnapped and must now play a mini-battle royale with several other people in an enclosed area.
The story starts off in 2028 but due to a rather haunting circumstance regarding Earth's safety, the game extends well into 2074. It's worth playing the game alone just to see how that happened to poor Sigma and his girlfriend and why they were forced to participate in this psychological horror.