There’s no doubt that alien-centric games hold a place in the hearts of many gamers. Whether you’re running for your life in a horror-thriller setting, exploring a vast expanse of alien worlds or striking up negotiations with newfound alien allies, the genre exists with endless possibilities, right at your fingertips. Here are some of the best games featured in the alien genre, all of which are sure to capture and hold your attention:
15. Alien vs. Predator (PC / PS3 / XB360)
Experience the epic struggle between man, Alien and Predator from 3 separate viewpoints. Hunt or be hunted in this multiplayer experience, while also diving into three full campaigns designed for single-player consumption.
- Play as either the Alien, Predator or the Marine
- Amidst intense claustrophobic conditions that depend on the safety of light, unload your arsenal of high tech weaponry against your foes as the Marine
- Wait in the darkness or jump from on high to get up close and personal with your quarry as the Predator
- Experience power first hand as you take the controls of the Alien and swarm your opponents with deadly finesse
- With fantastic strategies and an engaging single-player campaign, there’s tons of replayability with AvP
14. Saints Row IV (PC / PS3 / PS4 / XBO / XB360)
Rather raunchy and still quite charmingly hilarious, this game is certainly one of a kind. As the President of the United States, you must fight to save the Earth from an alien overlord in this open-world game. Sound serious? This game is anything but.
- Surprisingly, you also have superpowers. Yep, superpowers. Leap impossibly high and charge through the streets as you simply kill those who stand in your way with your mind
- Very customizable in both character creation and even weapon choice
- This is a chaotic game for sure that’s bound to bring you a bucket-full of laughs
13. Sid Meier’s Civilization: Beyond Earth (PC)
We’re all aware of just how utterly addicting any Sid Meier’s game is. Beyond Earth is a natural successor to the originally beloved Civilization series. With the collapse of modern society imminent and the planet used up, humanity must leave for the stars to endure. Lead your people into the ultimate and final frontier to forge a new civilization in deep space!
- Pick between eight different sponsors for your expedition
- Discover ancient alien artifacts, new and dangerous life forms and a wealth of precious natural resources on the surface of an alien planet
- Everything you love about Civ is here in Beyond Earth, just with well, aliens and amazing futuristic tech involved. You’ll never notice the time passing
12. Dead Space (PC / PS3 / XB360)
Step into the shoes of Isaac Clarke, an engineer serving aboard a vessel in deep space. Your entire ship goes dark after your crew uncovers a mysterious alien artifact, and you are sent on a repair mission, only to discover that the majority of your crew has been murdered and is now infected by a terrifying alien affliction. You are the last and only hope for any remaining survivors aboard your vessel.
- More of a thriller than just your run-of-the-mill alien game, the story in Deep Space will lead you down a horrific, nightmarish path of survival that will engage you for hours to come and hold you at gun-point through your whole playthrough as you uncover the terrible secrets lying in wait
- Featuring zero gravity combat, this game plays a little differently than others, and you are almost always open to an attack from any angle
- While it is an older game and can experience some hiccups with modern rigs, there’s lots of guides and help out there for making it work correctly if you run into any issues. Don’t let this dissuade you from giving it a try
11. Prey (PC / PS4 / XBO)
Brought to you by Bethesda, Prey will plop you down in a space station orbiting the moon during 2032. You are the mysterious subject of a new experiment meant to change the nature of humanity once and for all, only… we all know something has to go wrong in an alien game, right? Prepare yourself as the station becomes completely overrun with strange alien monstrosities and fight to survive.
- Things are never quite as they seem in this single-player thriller. As you fight to save the station and any survivors on it, you’ll uncover terrible secrets about the private enterprise that owns it, while also coming to the realization that your own past might be… troublesome
- Equipped with mind-bending abilities, excellent top-of-the-line weaponry and your own gumption, the gameplay of Prey will take you on an exciting journey all on its own. Gain new alien abilities as you defeat opponents, craft better items and adapt to the horrors you are faced off against
10. The Universim (PC)
Guide a civilization through the ages as you take on a planet all your own in this Early Access game. Watch as your civilization rises up from nothing into an empire, wrestle with the changing ecosystems of each unique planet you encounter, and make decisions that can change the course of everything.
- Featuring a race of alien lifeforms called Nuggets, each one comes with their own unique characteristics just like any other living being. Meet their needs, help them evolve and watch as they transform into fully fledged beings!
- Every choice you make in your world matters: whether it's hunting or felling trees, the resources you take will affect how the planet interacts with everything else. It’s best not to be reckless when taking from Nature!
9. Spore (PC)
A strangely charming game well-known in the gaming community, Spore will allow you to design a single-celled organism and evolve them over time into a galaxy spanning empire.
- With five separate evolutionary stages, you will be faced with different challenges and objectives in each one on your path to galactic godhood. Can your creature survive with biological tools you’ve given it, or will they perish before they can become the ultimate life form?
- With extremely easy-to-use creation tools, Spore allows you to create an alien creature exactly as you envision it, and it doesn’t stop there. Design vehicles, buildings and your own vessels as you evolve!
- Spore is practically infinitely playable, with the potential for endless hours of gameplay
8. Galactic Civilizations III (PC)
Build up a civilization into a space-faring species in this amazing strategy game. Pick from a plethora of different species to play as, or play as humans – the choice is up to you. Take over new planets, negotiate with the other civilizations found in your exploration of space, and develop your technology as you play through Galactic Civilizations III.
- Each time you play, you will have a different experience. With a ton of different options for game set-up, you can ensure that each time you forge your way through the galaxy is unique and engaging! The galaxy is your playground!
- Face off against AI or other players!
- Equipped with a hugely fleshed out ship-designer, you can completely customize your fleets as you conquer the galaxy and explore the far reaches of space
- This game can go on… for a long time. You can face-off against 16 opponents or 100 in this sandbox game!
7. Destroy All Humans! (PS2 / PS4 / XB360)
Set in the 1950’s, take on the role of a villainous alien set on harvesting the DNA of Earthlings! This remake of the original alien invasion game is sure to scratch that itch left behind in the wake of the adored cult classic. Take down governments, reduce cities to smoldering heaps and harvest humans with advanced technology!
- Injected with humor and now remade, beautiful graphics, this game will draw you back in and delight you for hours to come
- Infiltrate human societies, use your unique psychokinetic abilities to send pathetic humans whizzing through the air or simply bombard their cities. You are the villain of this story, and the choices are all your’s to make
6. Alien: Isolation (PC / PS4 / XBO / XB360 / Nintendo Switch)
If you’ve ever watched Alien and chewed your nails in horror as Ripley fought for her own survival against a terrifying monstrosity, then this game is perfect for recreating that feeling. Except this time, you’ll be the one running and struggling to stay hidden from the Alien! You’ll see Alien: Isolation through the eyes of Ellen Ripley’s daughter, Amanda, who is searching for answers regarding her mother’s mysterious disappearance.
- Stay hidden as the Alien actively hunts you. Use your environment and the items you’ve salvaged to outsmart it, or pay the ultimate price
- You are underpowered and definitely outgunned by the Alien -- your only chance of surviving and saving yourself is to improvise
- Become immersed in the decommissioned trading station where this takes place, meet an array of different characters, and persist through the panic as the Alien hunts all of you
- Each playthrough of this game provides you with a new take. With different difficulty settings and endless encounters with the Alien itself that are dynamic and ever-changing, you will find yourself on the edge of your seat every single time!
5. Crysis 3 (PC / PS3 / XB360)
This action-packed game features a continuation of the Crysis story. You’re still searching for the Alpha Ceph, with a few added investigations into the evil C.E.L.L corporation that has transformed New York City into an urban rainforest. The goal? Save the world, of course.
- Equipped with a high-tech Nanosuit, there is almost nothing you can’t achieve. Whether you’d prefer to strike from stealth and quickly disable your opponents in the shadows or charge into the battle guns blazing and frags going out, you get to choose just how you engage with the combat in this game!
- Come into contact with amazingly fun weapon choices, and learn to use them to their best ability in their unique situational settings
4. XCOM 2 (PC / PS4 / XBO)
With Earth under the rule of harsh alien overlords, the human race has been pushed to the brink of survival. While major cities are being transformed to serve their new masters and a terrible secret looms over the entire planet, you and your strike team exist on the fringes of society, striking back as often as you are able. Failure is highly likely, but you are the only hope of all of humanity!
- Decide precisely where you want your strike team to hit. Assign various tasks to your soldiers, whether its simply saving civilians or going toe-to-toe with alien enemies
- Highly customizable, you can design your team exactly as you wish. Your soldiers all come with their own unique strengths and weaknesses. Your choices dictate if your squad survives
- You are severely outnumbered and outgunned by the alien occupation, so you must make smart choices or risk losing members of your squad. Once a soldier dies, it’s permanent, and you must replace them with a completely green soldier who doesn’t yet know the ropes!
- Excessively replayable with many different map combinations and encounters, XCOM will keep you engaged over and over
3. Subnautica: Below Zero (PC / PS4 / PS5 / XBO / Nintendo Switch)
Return to planet 4546B in this sequel to Subnautica! Taking place in the ice region seen at the end of the first Subnautica, Alterra’s return to the planet brings with it, you: a scientist set on studying this planet’s unique ecosystems and lifeforms while also attempting to reveal what really happened to your sister out here. Uncover abandoned research stations below the waves as you explore the arctic region of the planet, and piece together a terrible truth.
- Encounter amazing alien creatures both beneath and above the waves in this installation of Subnautica! With entirely new creatures suited for the region, you must learn to adapt to their behaviors to survive. While some may be friendly or completely passive to your presence, others will definitely do their best to completely annihilate you
- Featuring new weather systems and large areas of icy plains, there are new challenges that present themselves at every turn, and new threats to your survival
- The environments of Subnautica are as always, breath-taking and truly spectacular immersive experiences. Below Zero is no outlier, and will stun you over and over with its dynamic landscapes and amazing ecosystems
- Construct your own base, fabricate vehicles for traversing both the waves and the ice above, and do your best to survive on a planet that is actively set on making you perish
- Below Zero’s storyline is unparalleled and absolutely engaging. You’re going to be blown away
2. Half-Life: Alyx (PC)
An anticipated return to the Half-Life series, this VR experience will immerse you fully in the world. Fight against the Combine as you play through as Alyx Vance, founder of a resistance movement. Conducting clandestine scientific experiments in an attempt to figure out just how to stop the spread of the alien invasion, you exist as humanity’s last bastion and only hope.
- Solve puzzles, interact deeply with the environment itself, explore the world and fight tooth and nail in engaging combat
- This whole game is designed around the VR experience, meaning you can actually rummage through shelves with your hands, lean around corners and duck under overhangs. Your actions are part of the game, making it incredibly immersive like no other
- This game is heralded as a must-play. With a captivating story, humorous characters that breathe life into the world and amazing graphics that make you feel as if you are actually there, this game will amaze you and keep on doing it even when you think it no longer can
1. Halo: The Master Chief Collection (PC / XBO)
Containing six games into an integrated experience, this long-awaited bundle provides you with everything you need to dive into the Halo universe. Perfect for initiating yourself into the world, and nostalgic as all get out for fans familiar with the story!
- Play through the campaigns of Halo: Reach, Halo: Combat Evolved, Halo 2, Halo 3, Halo 3: ODST and Halo 4 and become part of the epic tales found within. With a grand total of 67 different campaign missions, there’s so much to do in this bundle and so much to engage with
- Create your very own Spartan with new cosmetic additions, and dive into multiplayer sessions with your friends. With its own maps (of which there are a whopping 120), modes and game types, there’s a variety of ways to enjoy this classic game
- You can even build your own maps with Forge!
- It’s Halo, all in one place! What more could you want?
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