A Full List of Best Alien Games of all Time
Aliens have always been a source of inspiration for graphic designers, cartoon and movie creators, and game designers. In 1978 first arcade alien game was created, and hundreds of alien video games were designed for Play Station, Microsoft Windows Xbox, and the arcade. These games refer to different aspects of the alien play world: shooting and killing, diplomacy, trade, everyday life, etc. Out of all the games, we have collected the best 25 alien video games of all time.
Table of Contents
ALIEN: ISOLATION
Genre: Action, adventure
User score: 8.5
Metascore: 81
Alien: Isolation: first-person survival game is considered the crown jewel of the Alien games produced in recent years. It is a horror video game created by Sega in 2014 for PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Windows, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Linux, OS X, Nintendo Switch, and Luna.
Alien: Isolation is based on Ridley Scott’s film Alien, produced in 1979, and recreates the film’s retro-future style with realistic sound effects and a horror atmosphere. In the game, Amanda Ripley (alien protagonist Ellen Ripley’s daughter) investigates her mother’s disappearance from the Sevastopol space station. Once she gets inside the space station, she realizes it is filled with alien creatures called Xenomorph and needs to find a way out. The player also needs to avoid the monsters. The game is about 15 to 20 hours long, and due to its stressful and horror characteristics, it is mostly designed for people over 17.
ALIENS: FIRETEAM ELITE
Genre: Action, adventure
User score: 7
Metascore: 70
Aliens: Fireteam Elite is a third-person shooter game published by Cold Iron Studio in collaboration with Disney’s 20th Century Games (20th Century Studios) in 2021 for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, PlayStation5, Xbox X/S, and Xbox One.
The events in the game take place 23 years after the original Alien Trilogy. The player can choose a single-player mode or co-operative if they have a group of friends online to play with. The events occur on the planet LV-895 where deadly Xenomorph legions are waiting for you and your Marine Assault Unit.
The game consists of four campaigns, each introducing a new storyline and missions with different environments, such as an abandoned ship, ancient caves, etc. The game is about 8 to 10 hours long and is designed for players over 13.
ALIENS VS. PREDATOR (2010)
Genre: Survival, Horror
User score: 7.4
Metascore: 68
Aliens vs. Predator (2010) is a first-person shooter video game produced by Sega for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360. Unlike the alien games with the same name, Aliens vs. Predator (2010) does not repeat the plot of the previous Alien vs. Predator video games. Aliens vs. Predator (2010) is a new reboot based on the Alien and Predator franchise characters. The game brings the legendary war between the two most popular characters to a new level.
It consists of three campaigns the Predators, the Aliens, and the marines. Thus the players take the role of one of three characters a Predator, an Alien, or a human marine. Each character has its history and mission; thus, depending on the chosen character, the goal will differ.
For the marines, the mission is fighting against the aliens and trying to escape from the planet. Aliens want to rescue the Queen to resume the infection of the planet and continue their kind. And for the predator, the ultimate goal is correcting the mistakes of its type and killing strangers.
Aliens vs. Predator (2010) duration varies from 8 to 10 hours and is mainly designed for people over 18.
ALIENS VS. PREDATOR: EXTINCTION
Genre: Real-time strategy, action, adventure
User score: 8.5
Metascore: 66
Aliens vs. Predator: Extinction was published by Electronic Arts in 2003 for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox. Unlike other Alien vs. Predator games that are mainly first-person soothing games, Alien vs Predator: Extinction focuses on management and combat.
The events occur on the LV-742, where human colonists have found an alien hive while mining. While the Xenomorphs are spreading across the globe, the Predator clan arrives on the planet to destroy them.
As in Aliens vs. Predator (2010), here as well exist three species. Thus three characters, and the player chooses one of them. The game consists of 21 missions: 7 missions for each.
As the game does not contain a lot of brutal and realistic scenes, it is suitable for people over 12 and takes 15 to 18 hours to finish the game.
CRYSIS
Genre: Action, shooter
User score: 8.1
Metascore: 91
Crysis is a first-person and multiplayer shooter video game created in 2007 by Electronic Arts for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PlayStation 4, and Xbox 1.
The game’s events occur in the future, where a vast ancient alien-built structure has been discovered inside a mountain on picturesque Lingshan Islands surrounded by beautiful blue water near the Philippines. The player takes U.S. Army Delta Force soldier Jake Dunn’s role (in the game: Nomad) and fights against human beings and aliens. The player can use different weapons, military modes, and armor that can be easily customized.
The game is designed for people over 18 and lasts about 10 to 13 hours to obtain 100% completion.
STARSHIP TROOPERS - TERRAN COMMAND
Genre: Strategy
User score: 6.9
Metascore: 71
Starship Troopers – Terran Command is a real-time strategy game produced in 2022 by Slitherine Software for Microsoft Windows. The game is based on Starship Troopers film that started in 1997 as a military science fiction movie. The game’s events occur on a harsh desert planet called Kwalasha, which inhabitants have been disturbed by alien troops called the Arachnid. The players control Mobile Infantry troops which come to the planet to save the inhabitants’ lives and kill the aliens.
Unlike other games, Starship Troopers – Terran focuses on military actions and strategies and sometimes lacks the ordinary killing effects.
The game has around 20 Missions and Scenarios for the player to complete and enjoy. Each mission takes about an hour or more to complete depending on the difficulty. So fans need around 15-20 hours to complete the game.
DESTROY ALL HUMANS!
Genre: Action, adventure
User score: 7.6
Metascore: 71
Destroy all humans is an action-adventure video game based on the Cold War-era alien invasion movies. It is the first game in the franchise and is followed by Destroy All Humans 2. The game was published in 2005 by THQ Nordic for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and Xbox.
The events happened on Earth in the 1950s when the evil aliens called Cryptosporidium -137 invaded the planet. They started harvesting DNA from human brains and bringing down the U.S. government. Cryptosporidium -137s’ predecessor Cryptosporidium-136 had landed on Earth with the mission to gather the DNA in the human brain long before Cryptosporidium -137 arrived. Unfortunately, Cryptosporidium-136 was captured by the U.S. government. Now Cryptosporidium -137 mission is to harvest the DNA and find out what has happened to the last Crypto.
Though the game is designed mainly for teenagers, the recommended player age is 16. It takes about 7 hours to complete the game if focused on the main objectives, But if the player wants to experience all the aspects, they will need about 14 hours to complete the game.
STELLARIS
Genre: 4X, Grand Strategy
User score: 8
Metascore: 78
Stellaris is a strategy video game published by Paradox Interactive in 2016 for Windows, macOS, Linux, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.
In Stellaris, the players take control of interstellar civilization in the galaxy. They explore the spectacular and ever-changing universe, interact with different civilizations of aliens that live among the stars, and engage in trade, diplomacy, and warfare with them. The players can send out ships to discover planets, treasures, and galactic wonders. A considerable part of the game deals with scripted and emergent events through which a story of unknown and once powerful empires is told.
Due to its strategic manner and none violent structure, the game is suitable for people over 10. When focusing only on the main objectives, a player may need 28 to 30 hours, but if the player wants to see all the aspects, it may take 285 to 300 hours to complete the game.
ELEX II
Genre: Adventure, shooter, fighting
User score: 7.1
Metascore: 65
Elex is the second part of the vintage well, known ELEX game. THQ Nordic produced the game in 2022 for PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X and Series S, and Microsoft Windows.
Elex II takes you to the post-apocalyptic science fantasy world of Magalan, where the player can freely explore the massive environment. Throughout the whole first game, Jax was warning the Free Peoples of the threat of an alien invasion on Magalan, and now 6 years later, the dangerous aliens invaded. To defend the planet and his family, Jax has to go on a mission to convince the factions to unite against the aliens.
It takes about 80 hours to complete the game, and it is designed for people over 16.
PREY
Genre: Shooter, Adventure
User score: 8.2
Metascore: 82
Prey is a first-person shooter video game developed and published by Bethesda Softworks in 2017 for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.
The events take place in an alternate timeline in 2032. The player controls Morgan Yu, a research director of a scientific team that serves aboard the Talos I space station in orbit. Their mission is to research the alien forces composed of different physical and psychic powers. During some tests, Morgan Yu and other scientists are attacked by aliens called Typhon. When Morgan Yu wakes up in his apartment, he reveals that it is 2025 and that he has been living in a simulation space station for the past three years. Now he has to discover all the secrets hidden in the space station while being hunted by aliens.
The game is designed for people over 17. The game duration is about 16 hours, though if the player wants to engage with all the extra features and content, it may take up to 27 hours.
CRYSIS 2
Genre: Shooter
User score: 7
Metascore: 86
Crysis 2 is a first-person shooter video game published by Electronic Arts in 2011 for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360. The game is the second installment of the Crysis series and a sequel to the 2007 video game Crysis.
Following the events of the original Crysis, aliens have returned to the world. The game starts with the news of an outbreak of the Manhattan Virus, a disease that causes cellular breakdown. Besides the breakdown, terrifying Aliens invaded and are now destroying New York, threatening to disseminate humankind. The city is in chaos: smashed and ruined. Only you have the technology to fight against them. The players take the role of a soldier with the power and weapons to destroy the aliens and protect humanity.
Throughout the game, realistic gunfire, screams of pain, splashes of blood from chests and necks, and large explosions are highlighted. Thus it is suitable for people over 18. The main storyline takes about 9 to 10 hours to be completed.
XCOM 2 COLLECTION
Genre: Turn-based tactics, strategy
User score: 6.6
Metascore: 77
ALIENS VERSUS PREDATOR 2
Genre: Shooter
User score: 8.7
Metascore: 85
Aliens Versus Predator 2 is a science fiction first-person shooter video game published in 2003 by Sierra Entertainment and Fox Interactive for Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X. The game is a sequel to the 1999 Aliens vs Predator game. It is based on the Alien and Predator franchise characters.
The events take place on the fictional planet LV-1201, ruined by aliens. Research carried out by Weyland-Yutani Corporation becomes the reason for the large-scale Xenomorph outbreak.
The players can choose to control one of three characters (Marine, Predator, or the Alien ), each with their abilities and individual story modes.
It takes about 2 hours to complete the gameplay and is designed for people over 17.
DEAD SPACE (2008)
Genre: Survival horror, shooter, action, adventure
User score: 8.3
Metascore: 86
Dead Space is a third-person survival horror video game published in 2008 by Electronic Arts for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and Microsoft Windows.
The events take place on the starship USG Ishimura which has sent a worrying signal from a distant planet to the Concordance Extraction Corporation. The Corporation sends another ship to investigate the causes of the signal. However, it crashes into Ishimura because of a system breakdown. Terrifying monsters attack the crew, and only three people survive. Among them is an engineer Isaac Clarke. The player controls engineer Isaac Clarke as he navigates the spaceship and fights the Necromorphs. Throughout the game, the players with Isac’s help explore different areas of the starship, fix the critically damaged systems of the ship, and try to discover the truth about the horrible events.
The game takes 11 to 12 to be fully completed. The player needs about 20 hours to complete the main storyline and other extra aspects. The game is designed for people over 14.
HALO: THE MASTER CHIEF COLLECTION
Genre: Shooter, adventure game
User score: 7.9
Metascore: 85
Halo: The Master Chief Collection is a collection of single-player and multiplayer first-person shooter video games released in 2014 by Xbox Game Studios for the Xbox One exclusively and in 2019 for Microsoft Windows
The game is a collection of six games: Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary, Halo 2: Anniversary, Halo 3, Halo 3: ODST, Halo: Reach, and Halo 4. The games were released based on chronology, starting with Halo: Reach in December 2019, with the rest following throughout the following year.
The collection includes 45 campaign missions and more than 120 multiplayer maps, including the original Halo Combat Evolved maps and Spartan Ops maps. The games offer countless ways to play with the content. It takes 300 to 500 hours to play all six Halo games, which is suitable for people over 18.
HALO INFINITE
Genre: Shooter, Adventure
User score: 8
Metascore: 87
Halo Infinite is the sixth installment in the Halo franchise and the sequel to Halo 5: Guardians. It is a first-person shooter game published in 2021 by Xbox Game Studios for Windows, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
The events are set in the year 2560. During the events of Halo 5: Guardians, the human artificial intelligence Cortana rebels against its creators (United Nations Space Command). It takes control of old weapons known as Guardians and conquers the galaxy. The player’s character is Master Chief Petty Officer John-117, a United Nations Space Command soldier on a mission to neutralize Cortana.
Players engage in multiple events, such as team battles, capturing the flag or strongholds, and other events on large futuristic battlefields. They use firearms, grenades, and laser swords to kill opponents in battle.
The combats are accompanied by sounds of realistic explosions, gunfire, cries of pain, and realistic bloody scenes. It is suitable for people over 16. The game takes about 16 hours to complete, but if the player wants to complete all the aspects and find the easy-to-miss ancient ruins and skulls, it takes around 20 to 30 hours.
MASS EFFECT LEGENDARY EDITION
Genre: Action, shooter
User score: 6
Metascore: 86
Mass Effect Legendary Edition is a single-player game that contains the primary content of the Mass Effect trilogy. The game was published in 2020 by Electronic for Microsoft Windows, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4
After discovering some mysterious artifacts on Mars, people learned to create new technologies that allowed mankind to make massive progress in different fields, and they enjoyed 7 long years of prosperity. People have discovered some ancient devices that will enable traveling faster than light. This allowed humanity to travel and meet other intelligent races in the galaxy and unite with them to keep the universe safe. Commander Shepard, an elite human soldier, first became a member of the interracial Special Tactics and Reconnaissance forces, whose mission is to deal with the most dangerous situations. The galactic community is fighting against a highly advanced race of synthetic-organic starships called Reapers.
The players can customize Shepard’s gender, appearance, military background, combat training, and first name.
Players who want complete the main can spend about 68 hours playing the game. Mass Effect Legendary Edition is designed for people over 15.
ALIENS: INFESTATION
Genre: Metroidvania
User score: 8.1
Metascore: 76
Aliens: Infestation is a 2011 shooter video game published by SEGA for the Nintendo D.S.
The events of the game are happening 18 weeks after the events of Alien3 on LV-426. The players control four marines as they search the remains of the Sulaco and uncover another shadowy plot by the Weyland-Yutani corporation. Players control up to nineteen Marines, and each has their dialog and personality, but the characters play the same.
Players can encounter the classic aliens, eggs, Xenomorphs, monstrous queens, and even chest-bursting babies. The battles are highlighted by realistic gunfire, explosions, and cries of pain. Deathly injured aliens emit green splashes of blood before collapsing to the ground.
It takes 6 hours to play the main story.
ALIEN TRILOGY
Genre: First-person shooter
User score: 7.5
Alien Trilogy is a first-person shooter video game published in 1996 by Acclaim Entertainment for the PlayStation, Sega Saturn, and MS-DOS platforms. The game is based on the first Alien movies. It took many characters from the Alien film series, such as face-huggers, chest bursters, dog aliens, adult aliens, Queen aliens, etc., and consists of 30 levels and 3 Queen alien bosses. The players control Ellen Ripley as she must travel through the colony and prison, crash an alien ship, destroy the aliens and escape.
The game has about 25 levels, split into 3 parts. The first part takes place in the complex on LV426 (from Aliens), the second is in the prison planet (from Alien³), and the third and final part takes place in the spaceship filled with eggs (from Alien). Each section consists of 10 missions. Every mission has specific objectives that must be accomplished to continue the game. The goals include killing a certain number of enemies, finding items or activating lifts, and others. However, the player can finish the levels without accomplishing any of these objectives – just making their way to the exit. Following the main storyline, the game takes 7 hours to be completed.
DESTROY ALL HUMANS! 2 – REPROBED
Genre: Action, adventure, shooter
User score: 8
Metascore: 67
The story behind Destroy All Humans! 2 happens a decade after the first game’s events. The Russian KGB figured out what happened and attacked the invaders’ ship, wrecking their plans to take over the world and steal human DNA to help rebuild their species. Crypto and his boss fight back against the KGB and begin to learn more about Russia’s history. Aliens fly around the globe, visiting and destroying various famous cities like San Francisco and London.
Most missions involve big firefights. No task in the game takes longer than a few minutes to complete, and with all the facilities in the game, missions can be completed in different ways without boring the player. Each mission has at least one optional objective that allows the players to choose further steps, like killing 10 cops or blowing up five hippie vans.
As the first game, Destroy All Humans! 2 is also designed for people over 15. To complete all achievements of the game, 20-25 hours will be spent.
ALIEN RESURRECTION
Genre: Shooter
User score: 7.4
Metascore: 61
Alien Resurrection is a first-person shooter video game with survival horror elements. It is based on the 1997 film Alien Resurrection. The game was released in 2000 by Fox Interactive for the PlayStation.
The events of the game take place Two hundred years after the events of Alien 3. Military scientists interested in the Alien Queen have cloned Lieutenant Ellen Ripley as she had become a host to one Queen. The scientists intend to use the Alien Queen to breed a force of bio-weapons. But something went wrong, and the aliens escaped and spread on the ship. Now Ellen Ripley’s mission is to escape from the xenomorph-infested spaceship with a crew of mercenaries.
The players control four characters from the movie. Ripley is the main character for the majority of the game’s levels. The other characters, Call, DiStephano, and Christie, also has their level. Each of them has special equipment and weapons.
The game consists of ten levels; the first nine take place in the Xenomorph-infested USM Auriga, whereas the last level events take place aboard the mercenary ship Betty. The player completes different tasks to progress across the game. These include killing clones and ejecting overheating escape pods. Thus the game is recommended for people over 17.
HALF-LIFE
Genre: Shooter
User score: 9.1
Metascore: 96
Half-Life is a series of first-person shooter games published in 1998 by Valve for Windows.
The game is a combination of shooting combat, puzzles, and storytelling.
The players control Gordon Freeman; Gordon Freeman is a scientist experimenting on an unusual crystal. The result of the experiment was a “resonance cascade” that appeared out of nowhere and opened a portal to another dimension called Xen.
Half-Life’s story is told using scripted sequences. Unlike other games of its time, the player controls the situation and events from a first-person viewpoint. The player rarely loses the ability to control the character, who never speaks and is not seen in the game.
Half-Life has no levels. Instead, it is divided into chapters, in which titles appear on the screen as the player moves through the game. Mostly, the player battles through the game alone, but occasionally non-player characters like guards and scientists assist the player. The non-player characters can help reach new areas or provide relevant plot information.
The content of this game is suitable for persons aged 16 years and over only. When focusing on the main objectives, the game is about 12 hours long, But when paying attention and playing through all the aspects of the game, it takes around 15½ hours.
HALF-LIFE 2
Genre: Shooter
User score: 9.2
Metascore: 96
Half-Life 2 was published by Valve in 2004. Half-Life 2 video game combines shooting, puzzles, and storytelling.
The events take place nearly two decades after the events of the first game. As in the first part, the player again picks up Gordon Freeman, who has appeared in an unknown environment where the Black Mesa Incident resulted in the world controlled by “The Combine.” They are interdimensional powers that travel among different star systems, comprising the planets’ inhabitants as allies and enslaved people. Now he has to battle against them to free humankind. In his struggle, he joins his fellow scientists, rebels, and friends
When focusing on the main objectives, the game is about 13 hours long, but if the player wants to see all aspects of the game, it will take about 19 to obtain 100% completion.
Like the first part, Half-Life 2 contains realistic-looking violence and is suitable for people aged 16 years and over.
PREDATOR HUNTING GROUNDS
Genre: Shooter
User score: 5.9
Metascore: 56
Predator: Hunting Grounds is a multiplayer video game based on the Predator film franchise. It was published in 2020 by Sony Interactive Entertainment for PlayStation 4 and Microsoft Windows.
The events take place in distant jungles of the world. One player controls the Predator, while 4 others play as a team conducting counter-terrorist operations in a remote jungle. The team is known as “Fireteam Voodoo.” Their mission is to collect information and eliminate a drug lord. The ultimate goal is to avoid being hunted by the Predator or capture and kill the Predator, who another player controls.
Most missions involve invading areas such as camps, jungle outposts, villages, etc., and obtaining some pieces of information or destroying targets. The combats are highlighted by frequent gunfire, screams of pain, and blood-splatter effects. Using some explosive weapons causes bodies to burst into chunks of flesh, which is why the game is recommended to people over 16.
