Aliens have been a multimedia franchise since the first movie was released in 1979, from travel to books, comedy, long animated cartoons, and, of course, video games.
Despite seemingly a good foundation for a video game, the Alien series has a lot of middle and poor games in its stable.
So before we dive into the depths of the future full of the future, we decided to put together the best alien video games released so far.
We have considered a few things, common acceptance, innovation, and the game’s impact in general, to determine our first fifteen Aliens games.
1. Aliens vs. Predator: Extinction
Platform(s): PS2, Xbox
This is a controversial choice, as Aliens vs. Predator: Extinction has received mixed reviews often.
So why are you on this list, you ask? However, Aliens vs. Predator: Extinction is a unique beast, one of the best alien video games as it is a real-time strategy game.
RTS games are still very rare in console, so it is not uncommon for RTS to remain the only comforter and, to our knowledge, AVP: Extinction is the end of the RTS game throughout the Aliens Franchise.
While Aliens vs. Predator: Extinction is considered to be getting ‘mixed’ reviews, there are some excellent solid reviews out there. GamePro gave the game 4/5, and 1up gave it 70%.
GameSpot gave the game 7.2 / 10, saying, “Extermination does an excellent job of translating the Aliens Versus Predator into RTS.”
While not one of the best games on this list, AVP: Extinction deserves to be recognized as one of the best Alien games as it is a unique game in the Aliens franchise and, technically, is the best Aliens RTS available.
2. Aliens: The Computer Game
Platform(s): Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64 & ZX Spectrum
Aliens: Computer Game is a unique theme, as it seems the UK and USA have discovered two very different versions of the same game.
The UK version often seems very interesting, and it is a slightly different game, as it is a strange combination of a first-person side-shooter.
It has received excellent reviews from many major books at the time, including Computer Gamer, Your Sinclair, and Zzap! 64. It is one of the best alien video games.
The game works for you by navigating different corners of the LV-426 colony and shooting any Aliens you see along the way. However, you are given the task of swapping between six characters and moving them all the way through.
Given that there are over 200 rooms, it is not surprising that it is a very difficult game. Old but completely different, but fear not: a fan remake was released in 2010 called LV-426.
3. Alien 3
Platform(s): Amiga, Commodore 64, Game Gear, Master System, NES, SNES Sega Genesis
While the third Alien movie in the franchise sounded a bit disappointing, the game did not.
If you take the form of running with a gun, the game gives you the task of taking on the role of Ripley, moving on to timed levels, the objectives being to rescue prisoners and block the entry of immigrants.
Like most games of the time, Alien 3 is a bit of a challenge, but it comes with a good movie.
Despite the release in many formats, Alien 3 has received strong reviews and is still one of the best alien video games.
Outstanding were the SNES versions with Mega Drive / Genesis, Sega Force offering 92%, and All Game offering SNES version 4.5 / 5.
In 1993, Alien 3 was released on the 11-year-old Commodore 64, and despite the dramatic reduction in graphics, it had smooth animation and gameplay, especially in the old system.
The Game Boy version was released, but it was very different from other versions; it likes a low-key view.
4. Alien: Resurrection
Platform(s): PS1
As you can guess, Alien Resurrection is based on the fourth divisive movie in the Alien Franchise.
Another first-person shooter, Alien Resurrection, had been trapped in development hell for many years and was finally released in 2000, three years after the 1997 film.
The Resurrection was initially a top-down shooter, in line with the Playstation Loaded Partners game.
The game switched to a third-person adventure game, which followed the success of the Tomb Raider franchise and eventually became FPS. this is one of the best alien video games.
Updates are mixed with Alien Awakening, but it should look different as it was one of the first games to incorporate simultaneous movement into both analog sticks.
And to our knowledge, the first FPS game to include a modern controller, analog sticks that move both the character and their viewing environment.
The game received strong praise from Edge, who gave it 8/10, and PSM, who gave it 7/10.
5. Alien 3: The Gun
Platform(s): Arcade
One thing that can be said about the Aliens video games is that their arcade output was very good.
This is another arcade release only, and from the name to the game to the graphics, Alien 3: Gun is an on-the-air shooter using digital graphics and playing quickly and freely with the Alien 3 storyline.
It involves fighting your way to Sulaco before heading to Fiorina 161, and it’s one of the best alien video games.
One of the most significant selling points was the big guns found in the closet; many previous lightgun games used pistols or uzis as their main weapon, keeping Alien 3: The Gun out of the crowd.
There are two other lightweight Aliens rifle games on the market, Aliens: Extermination of 2006 and 2014 Aliens: Armageddon, both right on their own, but Alien 3: Gun retro style sets it apart from its younger brothers.
6. Aliens
Platform(s): Arcade
If you want to play the next Aliens game, you will need to grab an emulator like MAME and get a ROM for this game or get a very expensive and unusual wardrobe.
Developed and published by Konami, Aliens takes the form of Street of Rage-style scrolling shoot-em-up, where players fight at different levels and face the boss at the end of each, making it one of the best alien video games.
Konami has taken several ‘liberties’ over IP and is working to its advantage. Ordinary aliens are also present (though they have unusual colors), but Konami has added a host of other strange-looking aliens, as well as zombie-like people called Infectoids.
As in the movie, the last boss sees Ripley fight the alien queen on the power load and gives you a chance to open the airlock to free the queen.
Although the reviews are few and far between, Crash, Zzap! 64 and the German magazine Power Play all recommended the game.
7. Aliens vs. Predator (2010)
Platform(s): PC, PS3, Xbox 360
Aliens vs. Predator (2010) was an attempt by Rebellion Developments to relaunch the first-person shooter franchise.
The team had previously worked on both Jaguar AVP and two PC cases in 1999 and 2001, respectively.
The franchise was ready for reuse in the modern generation about ten years later. Modern game consoles have not been honored with AVP FPS, so it was probably wise to bring back the franchise. Another good addition to the list of best alien video games.
By now, you know the game before: play as a human, invader, or Xenomorph, and fight each other through the campaign. AVP 2010 received mixed reviews from multiple publications, with higher reviews like 8.5 / 10 from IGN UK.
However, many reviewers have provided moderate updates, such as Gamespot’s 5.5 / 10 and Destructoid, which offer game 6.5/10.
It did not happen surprisingly well with gamers, with Metacritic users hitting 7.4 / 10 very high, though the Steam updates paint a very good picture.
Despite the acceptance of the snow at the launch, the game did not sell well and sold at least 1.6 million copies. AVP 2010 made more than £ 14 million in the UK, making it the highest-paid alien gaming franchise game since 2013.
It will not be so bad with such good sales, and it may be worth a visit if you miss Aliens vs. Predator 2010.
8. Alien: Blackout
Platform(s): Android, iOS
There have been a few Aliens mobile games over the years, but the highlight should be Alien: Blackout.
Alien’s sequel (type): Isolation returns to the boots of Amanda Ripley, the main character of Isolation, as she tries to lead the survivors to a safe place in the space station.
These survivors, naturally, are followed by Xenomorph, and you should use the channel CCTV to guide them to safety.
Alien: Blackout feels deeply inspired by the popularity of Five Nights At Freddy’s, with the risk that Xenomorph sneaks up and kills the player while trying to direct people to a safe place.
It’s cheap, can be purchased for less than a quid (or dollar if you come across the waves), and has solid user reviews on Android and iOS.
9. Alien Trilogy
Platform(s): PC, PS1, Saturn
In the mid-90s, the 20th Century Fox game studio, Fox Interactive, will come up with the idea: turn all trilogies of their franchise movies into one game.
If you were looking for a chance to hear your favorite franchises or one movie in those franchises, it was your game.
In 1996, Fox released both the Alien Trilogy and the Die Hard Trilogy, yet both were very different. While Die Hard Trilogy separates each movie into different game modes, the Alien Trilogy has taken the form of a continuous first-person shooter.
The Alien Trilogy was not given much prominence in the movies; instead, its standards were based on the places featured in those movies.
First-person shooters were not as common in consoles in 1996 as they are today, but the Alien Trilogy managed to break the pack.
IGN rated 8/10 and said: “The Alien Trilogy did a great job of turning a good movie series into a great game,” while algame.com also rated the game highly, rated it 4/5 and said: “If you are also a fan of first-person shooters or an alien movie lover, it would be wise to take a copy.”
10. Alien vs. Predator (1994)
Platform(s): Atari Jaguar
Today, the Atari Jaguar is often ridiculed as one of the most popular sports console flops. There have been rumors that Atari Jaguar was a difficult stadium to organize, leading to game changes from other stadiums.
One of the brightest Jaguar stars was the first-person AVP shooter.
The game was Doom inspired by 90s FPS and saw you choose to play a man, an alien, or an invader. AVP has included some cool toys, such as picking up acid damage when walking over the bodies of cut-out immigrants and having new digital images.
The game has received strong reviews from significant books. The UK sports magazine GamesMaster gave an amazing match of 95% and was supported by 90% Computer and Video Games.
The American sports magazine GameFan has an exciting review concept called ‘opinion,’ which has seen three people review one game and put all the points together.
Alien vs. Predator scored 98% on each reviewer, giving them a total of 296/300.
Unfortunately, this gem was not included in any other console, so it is the only official way to play it to purchase a copy of this expensive game now.
11. Alien vs. Predator (1994)
Platform(s): Arcade
In the 1990s, Capcom was masters of the beat-em-up scroll type. Coming out of the Final Fight, Capcom released the two players (or three players in other cabinets) who hit the arcade in 1994.
Like the aliens arcade cabinet, Capcom took some independence from the alien world, but they could mix things up a bit since this was not based on any direct film.
The game saw you choose from two predators, two cyborg soldiers or a hybrid, and asked you to hit, kick and blast your way to various levels.
Aliens vs. Predator did not receive a home conversion in this form. A scratch-beat-em-up with the game’s name was released last year on SNES, but it was not the same game at all.
Today, the game is well-received, Heavy.com puts it on the list of 12th best beat-em-ups, and Kotaku calls it one of the best-looking games of the 16-bit era.
According to Capcom, Aliens vs. Predator is one of the re-appeals, but it has been eight years later, and there is no such adjustment. We can assume that licensing issues prevent that from happening.
12. Aliens: Fireteam Elite
Platform(s): PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X | S
The newest game in this list of the best Alien games, Aliens: Fireteam Elite, sounds like an apology for Aliens: Colonial Marines rather than Alien: Isolation.
This is due to the style of Fireteam Elite: while Isolation aims to show off the Alien style with terrific solid gameplay, Fireteam Elite intends to showcase the style of the Aliens.
You (and your partners) take on the role of the Colonial Marines and blast your way through various levels and waves of Xenomorphs – just another bug hunt.
The Fireteam Elite rewards itself for its simplicity, its choice and play environment mean that you and your leading seafood friends can jump to the levels at your will, and there is no heavy topic or in-depth plot twists to follow.
Fireteam Elite hasn’t contacted everyone yet, and it ended up with some nice updates. Gamespot received a solid review, which gave it an 8/10, and the Italian book The Games Machine gave it a 7.8 / 10. NME also gave the game a 4/5, saying, “it was a bad game for the Aliens but a very good co-op blaster.”
Fans disagree with NME testing that Fireteam Elite is a ‘bad game for Aliens.’ While it may be a simple xeno-blast-em-up, it is more fun when played with friends and sounds like a love letter to the series.
This attention to detail and pure source praise has led Aliens: Fireteam Elite to become a cult favorite.
13. Aliens Infestation
Platform(s): Nintendo DS
Another unknown entry in this list, Aliens: Infestation, is from 2D retro professional studio WayForward.
A 2D Metroidvania-style game, Infestation, sees you take on a naval team and face USS Sulaco following the Alien 3 episodes.
Your sailors suffer from permadeath, and the loss of all your sailors can lead to the end of the game.
WayForward will be making a semi-sequel in 2017 called The Mummy Demastered, which has expanded into many Aliens: Infestation ideas.
Aliens: Infestation has received many positive reviews, and Joystiq will also be joining a good review cart, giving it a 4/5.
Another great compliment would come from someone other than Jim Sterling, who, while writing Destructoid, won an impressive Aliens: Infestation 8.5 / 10.
Apart from the compliments, many have never heard of this game, which is probably due to its variability of the Nintendo DS.
14. Aliens Versus Predator 2
Platform(s): PC
While the original Rebellion game of 1999 was an excellent effort, its 2001 sequel, Aliens Versus Predator 2, came out.
AVP2 took what made the 1999 game great and strengthened everything to make an exemplary sequence of an already excellent game.
The story, well, who cares – is about the Aliens against the Predators (and the people). Like the first Jaguar shooter, he takes on the role of a man, alien, or invader, each with his skills and weapons.
AVP2 received a stronger review than its predecessor, with PC Gamer US giving it 89%, GamePro also gave the game a solid update, giving it a 4.5/5 rating.
The late GameZone website gave the game a 9/10 and said: “Aliens Versus Predator 2 is a powerful, action-packed game that captures the spirit of the first-person shooter in a fast-paced fashion.”
It was not AVP3, but instead, the Aliens mentioned above vs. Predator restarted in 2010.
15. Alien: Isolation
Platform(s): PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Switch, Luna, Android, iOS
Alien: Isolation sounds like an apology from Sega. Following a long and very troubling delay, Aliens: Marines, the franchise seems unlikely to find a killer game. Enter Alien: Isolation.
Shocking single-player games, especially those with a bit of fighting, were especially popular as people loved Amnesia: The Dark Descent and co. Alien: Isolation is seen in the role of Amanda Ripley, daughter of Alien character Ellen Ripley, as she faces the release of Xenomorph from the space station.
Alien: Isolation received a thrilling review from many stores, with the British newspaper Guardian giving it 5/5 while PC Gamer awarded 93% and even gave them their 2014 Game of the Year.
Sadly, Alien: Isolation did not reach the sales targets, except for the more than 2 million copies. Many years since the release, and there has never been a subsequent smell – it could be those missed goals that put this game series on the ice.
