Bionic Commando

2009 Capcom Action, Adventure

Windows 11With a fix

MacNot sold

LinuxGold

Steam DeckPlayable

Gamicality score

Metacritic 694

OpenCritic Not rated

Steam players 701

How it’s combined

Playability today

2.5

Runs today3.5/5

Design today1/5

Steam user reviews

Mostly Positive

72%

1,703 reviews1

Get it on Steam Watch the trailer

Facts checked November 1, 2026

Does Bionic Commando run on Windows 11, Apple Silicon Macs, Linux and Steam Deck?

Windows 11With a fix

Runs with a fix. See the steps below.1

Mac (Apple Silicon)Not sold

No Mac version is sold.

LinuxGold

Through Proton. ProtonDB: Gold, runs perfectly after tweaks.3

Steam DeckPlayable

Playable, as rated by Valve. May need some setup.1

Played Bionic Commando lately?

One click, no account, so the next player knows. How we check where it runs

How to get Bionic Commando running today

If the game crashes on startup, install Nvidia PhysX System Software 9.13.1220, as listed on PCGamingWiki.
If that fails, install PhysX 9.18.0907 and run the game in Windows 98 / Windows ME compatibility mode (PCGamingWiki).
If the game reports a missing OpenAL32.dll or no sound card, install OpenAL (PCGamingWiki).
Cap the frame rate at 60 fps through the graphics driver if the grapple keeps sticking to walls (Steam Community).
Mouse aim speed depends on frame rate; set the in-game aim sensitivity to its minimum and adjust with mouse DPI (PCGamingWiki).

Synopsis

Bionic Commando is a third-person action game that continues Capcom's 1988 classic, casting you as Nathan Spencer, a disgraced soldier sent back into a ruined city with a mechanical arm. The arm works as a grappling hook for swinging between buildings and as a weapon for hurling cars, rubble and enemies.

Developer: Capcom
Released: 2009
Genre: Action, Adventure
Where to get it: Steam

Reception

Critics at release loved the swinging, which GamesRadar called thrilling once levels open up, but faulted weak gunplay, radioactive zones that act as invisible walls, frequent loading and too few checkpoints, landing the PC version at 69 on Metacritic. Many reviewers also mocked the story. Players now split sharply: fans call it an underrated gem with traversal that few games match, while recent reviews describe clunky grappling, mediocre shooting and a cheap late-game difficulty spike.

Trailer from Steam

Playability today

The average of two parts, each from 1 to 5. Tap a check to see why. How it works

Runs today

3.5/5

Sold or given away today by an official source
Needs fan patches to run well on Windows 11
?Not confirmed yetSingle-player works without an internet connection
No source covers the current version yet, so this check counts as open, not passed. Played it lately? Tell us
Some content no longer works (servers, DLC, unlocks)
Online multiplayer stopped working when its servers closed in 2022, leaving only LAN play (PCGamingWiki).
Supports modern resolutions and widescreen
Widescreen, ultrawide and multi-monitor resolutions are supported natively (PCGamingWiki).
Full controller support or remappable controls
Full XInput controller support with Xbox prompts and hot-plugging (PCGamingWiki).
Steam Deck Verified or Playable
No intrusive DRM or required third-party launcher account
No pay-to-win or pushy microtransactions
Known game-breaking bugs in the current version
Startup crashes on Windows 11 need specific PhysX versions, and some players still cannot launch the game after every fix (PCGamingWiki, Steam Community).

Design today

1/5

Controls feel awkward on a modern controller or mouse and keyboard
Mouse aim speed changes with frame rate and the vertical axis runs about 40 percent slower than the horizontal, and players report the grapple sticking to walls and enemies. Source: pcgamingwiki.com, steamcommunity.com.
Menus, text or interface are hard to read on today's screens
HUD elements, text and button prompts do not scale and turn very small at 4K. Source: pcgamingwiki.com.
Saving is harsh: few saves or checkpoints, progress gets lost
Progress saves only at checkpoints, and reviewers found them spread far apart, forcing long sections to be replayed after each death. Source: gamesradar.com, commonsensemedia.org, gamecritics.com.
Hard to make progress without a guide
Swinging takes a long time to get used to, radiation zones that fence off levels are poorly marked and kill within seconds, and on fast PCs a physics bug can stop objects from being thrown in the tutorials. Source: gamesradar.com, steamcommunity.com, steamcommunity.com.
Pacing drags: grind, filler or forced backtracking
Early hours funnel the player through linear corridors fenced by radiation, and frequent load screens break up play. Source: gamesradar.com.
Camera or movement fights the player
Swinging means hunting for grab points with the camera while steering Spencer's body, and players describe awkward camera angles, imprecise grapple targeting and the grapple sticking to walls at high frame rates. Source: gamesradar.com, steamcommunity.com, steamcommunity.com.