BioShock is a famous first-person shooter game (developer 2k Boston) with a massive global fan following. So far, there have been 3 games in the series, with a cumulative 34 million copies of the game sold till end-2019 alone. It is the best-selling video game franchise of all time. It is no surprise; many tattoo lovers happen to be fans of this world-famous video game. The game’s concept is in line with warfare ideology. Combining that with the extremely captivating characters in the game series make for some incredibly cool tattoo choices.
BioShock tattoos are great choices because of the unique and impactful look of the game’s characters. Furthermore, the mass global appeal of the game, and the positive, meaningful symbolism of the designs, add to the attraction. More on the symbolism as you read through the article. I’ve compiled 32 of the most amazing BioShock tattoo ideas on the internet. The artist information is given alongside each design so that you’re able to explore more of their work or reach them directly.
BioShock Tattoo (Ideas and Designs)
Nothing’s a more fun idea than getting engraved with mind-blowing gaming tattoos. If you’ve made up your mind to opt for a BioShock video game tattoo, you have some incredible options to pick from. Heck, after going through the awesome pieces of virtual reality below, I won’t be surprised if you end up going in for multiple BioShock tattoo designs!
The sci-fi game has a cult status, and it personally means a lot to many gaming and tattoo enthusiasts the world over. The depth and suspense of the gameplay get gamers immersed in the fantasy world of the series. Getting inked with one or more of these tattoos is sure to get fellow gamers noticing your body art.
Get ready for great conversation starters, new friendships, and looking amazing. Here are the top BioShock tattoo ideas to blow your mind away:
#1. BioShock “Big Daddy” Tattoo
This is a beautiful BioShock tattoo engraved on the arm, showcasing a Big Daddy character from BioShock. BioShock is set in the fictional, underwater city called Rapture, where Big Daddies are on the mission to protect Little Sisters. A Big Daddy is a heavily spliced human being with its body transplanted into an atmospheric diving suit that is heavily armored and steampunk-inspired. These suits are fully armed with cool weaponry, including a heavy drill, a rivet gun, an ion laser, or even a rocket launcher.
#2. BioShock Sleeve Tattoo
If you’re a gaming enthusiast, love tattoos, and love the color green, this tattoo can be your new milestone to achieve. I love how the artist has played with green ink and grey shading to engrave this perfect, stunning BioShock sleeve piece. Also featured in this tattoo is the famous BioShock quote, “We all make our choices, but in the end, our choices make us.” The philosophical nature of the BioShock game series emphasizes how each player, and us in general, are made by our choices, thus this important quote.
#3. “Big Daddy & Little Sister” BioShock Tattoo
Big Daddies are the big creatures that protect the Little Sisters. Big Daddies were created by Dr. Suchong by enhancing and psychologically sterilizing humans in diving suits and armory. As seen from this wonderful calf piece tattoo, the Big Daddy is abiding by its mission to safeguard the little Sisters while at their work.
#4. “Welcome To Rapture” BioShock Tattoo
If you’re a BioShock game enthusiast, you would recall this — “Welcome To Rapture” — being the first level of the game. It’s the tutorial level, wherein, as a player, you receive the first weapon and Plasmid (a serum that gives the user superpowers). All in all, this is a stunning, colorful tattoo that looks great on both men and women.
#5. BioShock “Splicer” Tattoo
This is a realistic BioShock piece that looks perfect on the forearm. The blood effect on the character ‘Splicer’ is done to perfection by the tattooist. Splicers are the main enemy of the BioShock universe. These villains are common Rapture survivors, addicted to ADAM, a gene-splicing wonder drug. These dangerous, negligibly armored characters wear mysterious masks.
#6. Traditional BioShock Tattoos
This is a traditional tattoo of a BioShock scene with a Big Daddy and a Little Girl at work. This piece looks ideal for the arm.
#7. BioShock Calf Tattoo
Here’s another incredible “Welcome To Rapture” tattoo. This one sits perfectly in the calf region.
#8. BioShock “Songbird” Tattoo
This is a detailed tattoo of an interesting creature from BioShock. The creature in question is the beast “Songbird.” A lot like the Big Daddy, the Songbird is a cross between a human and a machine. Songbird is a psychological pair-bond with Elizabeth, which happened as a result of a freak accident by scientists.
#9. “Songbird” Back Piece Tattoo
Here’s another mesmerizing tattoo of Songbird. This time it’s a cartoon-like, colored depiction that spans the entire upper back of this woman. It’s one of the boldest Bioshock tattoo ideas. You can’t go wrong with it if you’re a die-hard fan.
#10. BioShock “Little Sister” Tattoo
This BioShock tattoo of a ‘Little Sister’ gels well with the overall aqua world theme of the game. Little Sisters were originally termed as Gatherers. These young genetically altered girls have no offensive abilities and are mentally conditioned. They’re accompanied by a Big Daddy at all times, and their purpose is to reclaim ADAM from Rapture from the corpses.
#11. BioShock “Splicer” Leg Piece Tattoo
There’s something about Splicer tattoos that makes them elegant pieces, even though it’s the character of a villain. This awesome tattoo looks pretty as a leg piece. A choice you won’t regret.
#12. BioShock “Undertow Vigor Bottle” Tattoo
Undertow is a vigor that gives users the ability to attract and repel adversaries. It’s featured in BioShock Infinite (released in 2013). This is a vibrant tattoo that looks best on the forearm.
#13. BioShock “Murder Of Crows” Tattoos
This is yet another fantastic BioShock forearm tattoo idea. This tattoo features “Murder of Crows,” which is a Vigor in BioShock Infinite. This Vigor grants users control over groups of crows.
#14. BioShock Chest Piece Tattoo
This is another bold BioShock piece. It covers the entire chest, featuring a Big Daddy and Little Sister at work.
#15. BioShock “Elizabeth” Tattoo
Imprisoned in Columbia since her childhood (a flying city in BioShock), Elizabeth, a nineteen-year-old woman, is the deuteragonist in BioShock Infinite, Burial at Sea – Episode 1. She’s the protagonist of Episode 2 of the same series. This sweet, illustrative piece looks remarkable on the woman’s forearm.
#16. BioShock “Symbols” Tattoo
One of my favorite tattoo ideas from any of my favorite gaming-inspired pieces is the symbols from the storyline. This BioShock tattoo is a classic example of excellent black ink work. It features the lighthouse, Jack (protagonist of BioShock), and the cityscape of Rapture. The Lighthouse emitting light is one of the most iconic visuals of BioShock across the franchise series.
#17. BioShock “EVE” Tattoo
EVE is a glow-in-the-dark, bright blue substance which powers the use of Plasmids. You can say it’s the equivalent of a “mana” in many other video games, used for powering magical spells and attacks. EVE, however, is a byproduct of ADAM. This bright blue tattoo of EVE looks super cool.
#18. BioShock “ADAM Syringe” Tattoo
A lot of us love the creepy bits in video game themes. The ADAM Syringe is used by the creepy Little Sisters in BioShock to extract ADAM from dead bodies.
#19. Colorful BioShock “Little Sister” Tattoo
This is a beautiful tattoo of a Little Sister holding an ADAM Syringe. You can also spot a Splicer mask and some glowy, pretty background elements in this articulate piece.
#20. “A Man Chooses” BioShock Tattoo
The complete phrase is “A Man Chooses, A Slave Obeys.” What makes this tattoo cool is leaving out the latter part of this BioShock quote. This quote is derived from Andrew Ryan’s personal philosophy based on the premise of “choice.”
#21. Black Linework BioShock Tattoo
This symbol represents Plasmids, which are special serums made from ADAM that grant users special powers. If you’re looking for a simple yet meaningful tattoo inspired by BioShock, then this could be hitting bulls-eye.
#22. BioShock “Bird & Cage” Tattoo
Source: @soultaffer via Instagram
Some way, along with the storyline of BioShock Infinite, you would be required to choose between a bird or cage pendant to give to Elizabeth. This pair of tattoos can be your perfect, personal statement that you’re a die-hard BioShock fan. It also connotes the philosophy behind the importance of making “choices” in life.
#23. Watercolor BioShock Tattoo
This is a watercolor-style tattoo masterpiece by the artist. Depicted on the arm is a tattoo of, you guessed it, a Big Daddy and a Little Sister. There’s also the slogan, “Would you kindly,” which is a special phrase that works as a programmed trigger for the post-hypnotic suggestions into the protagonist Jack’s mind.
#24. Watercolor BioShock “Songbird” Tattoo
Here’s another pleasing Songbird tattoo in watercolor style this time. This arm tattoo is quite detailed and colorful.
#25. BioShock “EVE Syringe” Tattoo
This is yet another EVE Syringe tattoo, this time in a bright color scheme. I love the dot work on the rose petals. This is a girly tattoo, but some men would love this idea as well.
#26. “Wash Away My Enemies” BioShock Tattoo
Source: @gutterrooster via Instagram
This is another splendid Undertow Vigor design inspired by BioShock Infinite. The slogan “Wash Away My Enemies” is the essence of the Vigor. The bruised hand and the intricacy of the other elements depicted in this design make it a cherishable piece.
#27. “Andrew Ryan” BioShock Tattoo
This illustrative piece looks out of the world on the arm. You can see the symbolic lighthouse and Rapture — the underwater city. In many ways, this is an emotional image that die-hard BioShock fanatics would feel strongly about.
#28. BioShock “Lighthouse” Chest Piece
Source: @drew.blood via Instagram
This is a remarkable chest piece depicting the monolithic five-story tall, landmark lighthouse building in BioShock. It is set on a small, rocky island, topographically located at 63° N, 32° W in the Atlantic Ocean. On top of the lighthouse rests an imposing Art Deco winged statue. The figure is symbolic of the city of Rapture, as evidenced through various arts and decor throughout the game’s worlds, throughout the series.
#29. Forearm BioShock Tattoo
Bioshock is a game deep-rooted with philosophical messages. This tattoo is a classic example of that. The black and grey dot work is done impeccably by the artist in this forearm piece.
#30. BioShock “Chain” Tattoo
This three-linked Bioshock chain design has great symbolism. one theory is that this tattoo represents the number of days that the protagonist, Jack, was held in slavery. Another widespread theory is it’s the great chain in the city of Rapture. It’s an allegorical term that Andrew Ryan coined. It depicts the evolution of the market and the economy as a whole. It’s a simple yet meaningful tattoo that BioShock fanatics would instantly recognize.
#31. Grey Dotwork “Big Daddy” BioShock Tattoo
This is an astonishing Big Daddy and Little Girl tattoo in grey shading and dotting work. It’s an exceptionally well-engraved piece for the thigh region of your body. Larger tattoos of your favorite gaming characters with such detailing aren’t short of the perfect tattoo idea.
#32. Cool BioShock Arm Tattoo
Finally, last but by no means least is this exceptional arm piece. The combination of black, grey, white, and orange, gives this piece a realistic yet classy effect. The Big Daddy and Little Girl in action, going about their work, is shown as a real-time scene from the video game.
Conclusion
BioShock-inspired tattoos come in all shapes, sizes, colors, and styles. Some of the most popular ones are the simplest ones. The reasons for that include the lower price of getting a simple tattoo as well as the minimum pain and time associated. Simple ones include the three linked chain designs that people generally frequent on their wrists.
In most cases, people are super fans of the series and would like to go for the real deal. This means they want the crux of the matter, the uncommon of the lot. In this case, the artist would have to sketch a detailed scene that would make for an astonishing design that would shock onlookers at first glance. My favorite is the watercolor tattoo of a Big Daddy saving a Little Girl amidst an array of colors.
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