Aliens: Dark Descent

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Lead Colonial Marines through a Xenomorph outbreak, where stress and the hive both close in.

Platforms: PC, PlayStation, Xbox
Stores: Steam, Epic
Price: Paid
Rated: Very Positive on Steam (88% of 9,485 English reviews); Metacritic 75; 3.66 of 5 on the PlayStation Store (9.2K ratings)
Length: about 13 to 25 hours for the story missions
Players: 1
Controls: Mouse and keyboard or controller: select the squad, order moves, abilities and weapons
Made by: Tindalos Interactive
Released: 2023

On PlayStation: one of the PlayStation horror games.

Get it on Steam Epic Games Store PlayStation Store (PS5, PS4)Xbox (Xbox One, Series X|S)Focus Entertainment (publisher's page)

What frightens You command a squad of Colonial Marines through dark colony buildings during a Xenomorph outbreak. Every time the squad is detected its stress rises, and stressed marines panic, miss shots and pick up lasting traumas; noise and contact make the hive hunt you in growing numbers, a beeping motion tracker shows movement you cannot yet see, and marines who die stay dead.
Content: blood and gore, violence, strong language.

Aliens: Dark Descent is a real-time squad tactics game by Tindalos Interactive set in the Alien universe. You lead Colonial Marines through a Xenomorph outbreak on Lethe, sneaking past the hive, watching the motion tracker and keeping your soldiers' stress from breaking them, knowing that every marine lost is gone for good.

About Aliens: Dark Descent

Aliens: Dark Descent was developed by Tindalos Interactive and published by Focus Entertainment. It came out on PC on June 19, 2023 (Steam and the Epic Games Store) and on PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S on June 20, 2023. It tells an original Alien story: a Xenomorph outbreak on Lethe, rogue Weyland-Yutani operatives, and a new threat made for this game. Voices are in English, with menus and subtitles in eleven more languages.

You see each mission from above and give orders to a squad of marines in real time. The levels are large and persistent: you can weld doors, set up motion trackers and make safe zones that stay in place for later missions, and between missions you level up and specialise marines from five starting classes and develop your base to research new tech.

What makes it frightening is how little control you keep. Each time the squad is spotted its stress goes up; stressed marines lose accuracy, panic and can come back with lasting traumas. Getting noticed brings the hive after you in growing numbers, and the screen warns when it has launched a hunt, so most missions are a slow creep with the motion tracker pinging and too few medkits and too little ammunition to fight everything. Death is permanent, so a careless push can cost a marine you have levelled up over many hours.

Reviewers found it hard even on Medium, and close fights hurt in their own way: Xenomorph acid blood damages marines who stand too near. One review also found the marines' constant radio chatter repetitive. Guides put the story missions at roughly 13 to 25 hours, longer on higher difficulties.

It suits players who like Alien: Isolation's motion tracker dread but want to lead a squad, and fans of tactics games who want their strategy to feel tense rather than safe. It leans on careful planning more than reflexes.

How to play Aliens: Dark Descent

Pick a squad of marines and their gear at the base before each mission.
On the level, move the squad together, watch the motion tracker and stay out of sight where you can.
When Xenomorphs attack, order the squad's abilities and weapons with a button press.
Weld doors, place motion trackers and set up safe zones that stay in the level.
Leave before the squad is worn down, then level up and equip them at the base.

Screenshots

Aliens: Dark Descent screenshot: marines fire rifles and a flamethrower at Xenomorphs in a dark control room, with fire and blue console light

Aliens: Dark Descent screenshot: four marines move through a dark, alien-infested industrial hall seen from above, lit by weapon lights and orange glow

Aliens: Dark Descent screenshot: marines in a dark red-lit corridor, one cutting a door with sparks, while Xenomorphs lurk in the shadows above

Aliens: Dark Descent screenshot: five marines with flashlights move through a dark industrial corridor, squad health and ammo bars along the bottom

Aliens: Dark Descent screenshot: marines weld a glowing orange door in a dark corridor while a Xenomorph lurks on a ledge, with squad health bars and a minimap

Aliens: Dark Descent screenshot: five marines fire at a Xenomorph in a red-lit, smoky hive corridor, with squad health, ammo and a minimap shown

Aliens: Dark Descent screenshot: a marine squad advances along a rainy neon-lit street past utility trucks and a burning wrecked cafe, seen from above

Tips

Retreat early: a squad that pushes on while stressed and wounded is how marines die for good.
Use welded doors and safe zones to control where the hive can reach you.
Spread classes across your roster so losing one marine does not cripple the next mission.
Watch the motion tracker more than the screen; it warns of what is coming before you see it.
Keep room to fall back in a fight: Xenomorph acid blood burns marines who are too close to a kill.

Questions

Is Aliens: Dark Descent a horror game?

It is a real-time tactics game built to be tense: a hive that hunts you when you are spotted, a stress system that breaks your marines, scarce supplies and permanent death.

Can I play Aliens: Dark Descent on PlayStation and Xbox?

Yes, on PS5, PS4, Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S as well as PC.

Is it multiplayer?

No, it is a single-player campaign.

Do marines die permanently?

Yes. The store page states death is permanent, so losing a soldier means losing their levels and skills.

How long is Aliens: Dark Descent?

Guides put the story missions at about 13 to 25 hours, depending on difficulty and how many side objectives you take on. It has 13 chapters counting the prologue.

Where can I buy it on PC?

On Steam and the Epic Games Store, for $39.99 on Steam at the time of writing.