Aliens: Dark Descent on Steam - User reviews, Price & Information
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Drop into the gripping journey of Aliens: Dark Descent, a squad-based, single-player action game in the iconic Alien franchise. Lead your soldiers in real-time to stop a new and terrifying kind of Xenomorph outbreak on Planet Lethe.
Aliens: Dark Descent is a strategy, action and tactical game
developed by Tindalos Interactive
and published by Focus Entertainment.
Released on June 19th 2023 is available only on Windows
in 12 languages: English, French, Italian, German, Korean, Polish, Portuguese - Brazil, Russian, Simplified Chinese, Spanish - Latin America, Traditional Chinese and Japanese.
It has received 15,650 reviews of which 13,803 were positive and 1,847 were negative resulting in a rating of 8.6 out of 10. 😎
The game is currently priced at 39.99€ on Steam, but you can find it for 2.11€ on Gamivo.
The Steam community has classified Aliens: Dark Descent into these genres:
Media & Screenshots
Get an in-depth look at Aliens: Dark Descent through various videos and screenshots.
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System requirements
These are the minimum specifications needed to play the game. For the best experience, we recommend that you verify them.
Windows
- Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
- OS: Windows 10 or 11
- Processor: AMD FX-6300 / Intel Core i3-6100
- Memory: 8 GB RAM
- Graphics: 3 GB VRAM, AMD Radeon R9 380 / NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960
- DirectX: Version 12
- Storage: 60 GB available space
- Additional Notes: 30 FPS, 1920x1080 in low
User reviews & Ratings
Explore reviews from Steam users sharing their experiences and what they love about the game.
Aliens: Dark Descent is a hidden gem that is bold enough of a project to bring something revolutionary into the tactical shooter genre. That's a relief to see that some developers are brave enough to experiment! The unique features: 1) Squad as a single entity: This isn't a typical shooter where you babysit one hero. You control a cohesive squad as a unit. It’s a brilliant mix of RTS elements and squad tactics. The way the AI handles your orders while you focus on the bigger picture feels incredibly fluid and smart. 2) Tactical slowdown / hard pause. Instead of classical turn-based combat (which I adore btw), the game uses a visceral slow-motion. It’s a game-changer. It keeps the pressure at 100% while giving you just enough room to make life-or-death decisions. You feel the heat of the moment every single second - though, it may be changed in game options to hard pause, giving precious moments to think at nightmare difficulties. 3) The "Human" factor: This is where the game truly shines, and what makes it stand off and be distinctive. Your Marines aren't just fearless "toy soldiers", as units in majority of games - they are fragile humans. The stress system is really cool. Your squad succumb to PTSD and panic in a lot of ways. The system isn't dumb, it starts out with small stress (Marines gain debuffs) being easily relieved, and then progresses towards serious and various trauma. The stress factor is deepening the immersion impressively, and it's easier to relate yourself with those "more-of-a-real" humans. I loved it! 3) Stealth & Vulnerability: Your Marines are elite, but they aren't invincible Ordo Xenos Terminators. A huge part of the game is stealth and silent maneuvering. If you go in guns blazing every time, you’re dead - at least until you build the squad for fearlessness. This balance between being a badass hunter and being hunted is perfect. 4) The atmosphere and respect to lore. The Pulse Rifle clatter and the Motion Tracker pings are identical to the movies. It’s an authentic, claustrophobic horror experience that treats the source material with massive respect. Additionally, though it's not a "unique feature", the game runs smoothly after all the patches and effort from the devs. Time for rough edges: Despite being imo a successful novel experiment, the game is not perfect - the environments can get "samey", despite the good atmosphere, and missions feel a bit too long for their own good. Also, soldiers replies to commands are repetitive, just 1-2 voice lines for each action, which becomes sooo little when hearing them 200+ times (like, looting a crate or reading datapad has only a single voice line for the action - the action which would be taken dozens of times). But these are minor cons. And what about the plot? The story is straightforward but effective - it involves you immediately. It's that kind of plot (like in Xcom) which is simple, but good old hooking, where we have good guys and bad guys (and a corpo). It wouldn't win the plot competition, but sometimes I even miss such a straightforward storyline. Tldr; great experiment with tactical shooter genre, marvellous stress system implemented, genre blend, 100% alien vibe.
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Aliens: Dark Descent – A Tactical Descent into Terror (36-Hour Review) Gameplay Overview Aliens: Dark Descent is a hybrid of real-time tactical combat, survival horror, and psychological management. It’s not just about eliminating xenomorphs,it’s about surviving them, out maneuvering them, and keeping your squad mentally and physically intact. The game rewards precision, patience, and a deep understanding of both tactical systems and franchise lore. - Squad-Based Tactics: You lead a team of marines with distinct roles, traits, and stress levels. Every decision, whether to push deeper or extract early, can determine the fate of your squad. - Real-Time with Tactical Pause: Instead of traditional turn-based combat, time slows to allow for command input. This creates a cinematic, high-pressure flow that mirrors the chaos of the Aliens universe. - Persistent Consequences: Injuries, trauma, and death are permanent. You’ll grow attached to your marines, and their loss carries real weight. Strengths - Atmosphere and Authenticity: The game captures the oppressive dread of the Aliens franchise with precision. The motion tracker, ambient sound design, and hive escalation mechanics create a constant sense of unease. - Stress and Sanity Mechanics: Marines accumulate psychological trauma from combat and environmental tension. Managing their mental state adds a layer of realism and strategic depth. - Combat Flow: Tools like suppression fire, flamethrowers, and overwatch are impactful and satisfying. You’re not just fighting enemies, you’re managing space, timing, and morale. - Lore Integration: The narrative respects the franchise’s tone and themes. Weyland-Yutani’s presence adds familiar corporate menace, and the xenomorphs are portrayed as truly lethal threats. Weaknesses - Technical Issues: Pathfinding bugs, UI glitches, and occasional crashes can disrupt immersion. For a game that demands tactical precision, these flaws are particularly noticeable. - Map Repetition: While atmospheric, the environments can feel visually and structurally repetitive. This may lead to fatigue during extended play sessions. - Story Pacing: The plot begins with promise but loses momentum midway. Some narrative threads, especially those involving synthetics and corporate intrigue, feel underdeveloped. - Limited Strategic Layer: Outside of missions, base management is minimal. Players seeking deeper resource planning or broader strategic control may find this aspect lacking. Psychological Edge One of the game’s standout systems is its stress mechanic. Marines accumulate trauma from combat, darkness, and hive encounters. If unmanaged, this leads to breakdowns, hallucinations, or desertion. It’s a compelling mechanic that adds emotional stakes, though it can feel punishing without careful planning. Final Thoughts After 36 hours, you’ve likely: - Refined your squad compositions and learned how to exploit enemy behaviour. - Experienced both triumphant escapes and devastating losses. - Grown attached to your marines, only to lose them in moments of chaos. - Pushed through technical flaws because the core experience remains compelling. Aliens: Dark Descent is not a flawless game, but it’s a bold one. It restores the xenomorphs’ menace, respects the franchise’s tone, and offers a tense, tactical experience that rewards careful planning and emotional investment. For players who value atmosphere, lore fidelity, and high-stakes decision-making, it delivers a memorable descent into darkness. Rating Summary (Out of 10): Atmosphere & Immersion: 9.0 Tactical Gameplay: 8.5 Story & Lore: 7.5 Technical Stability: 6.5 Replay Value: 7.0 Overall Experience: 8.0
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1. Game is no longer updated. 2. There are two achievemnts glitched: Recouped Investment and archivist you need to downgrade the steam version of the game in order to 100% the game if you are going for 100% achievents. 3. Game has some small visual bugs, ragdolls of dead aliens freeze in running / attacking pose. Despite all of the above I liked the game a lot! Visuals, sounds and action taken streight from James Cameron's master peace. The gameplay was fun. Played entire story 3 times on all different difficulty settings and with different marine build.
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If Alien: Isolation is the Perfect "Alien" game - this is the perfect "Aliens" Game. A truly unique combination of strategy and horror that's keeping you on your toes the whole time.
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Aliens: Dark Descent is a game that has some issues. There are some bugs that can be annoying, mission events that will not trigger unless you open the right door and so on. The character models and their faces is a bit cheap looking. But, compared to what is offered this is an absolutely minor detail. Aliens: Dark Descent is a perfect blend of a sci-fi horror IP and the game mechanics from X-Com. It marries perfectly. When playing the game I am sucked in into the world. The atmosphere, the tension, the sounds of the motion tracker. In a way it magically simulates the movie Aliens. I go on missions and often they end with me carrying one marine on my shoulders, firing a handgun while another squadmate lays down supressive fire and launch grenades as we run towards the APC. And these scenes just create themselves. The overall story is great and the new additional Aliens all feel fitting to the lore. A great triumph for Tindalos and Focus Entertainment.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Aliens: Dark Descent is currently priced at 39.99€ on Steam.
Aliens: Dark Descent is currently not on sale. You can purchase it for 39.99€ on Steam.
Aliens: Dark Descent received 13,803 positive votes out of a total of 15,650 achieving a rating of 8.61.
😎
Aliens: Dark Descent was developed by Tindalos Interactive and published by Focus Entertainment.
Aliens: Dark Descent is playable and fully supported on Windows.
Aliens: Dark Descent is not playable on MacOS.
Aliens: Dark Descent is not playable on Linux.
Aliens: Dark Descent is a single-player game.
There is a DLC available for Aliens: Dark Descent. Explore additional content available for Aliens: Dark Descent on Steam.
Aliens: Dark Descent does not support mods via Steam Workshop.
Aliens: Dark Descent does not support Steam Remote Play.
Aliens: Dark Descent is enabled for Steam Family Sharing. This means you can share the game with authorized users from your Steam Library, allowing them to play it on their own accounts. For more details on how the feature works, you can read the original Steam Family Sharing announcement or visit the Steam Family Sharing user guide and FAQ page.
You can find solutions or submit a support ticket by visiting the Steam Support page for Aliens: Dark Descent.
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Additionally, we incorporate data from the SteamSpy API, which offers insights into game sales and player statistics. This helps us present a comprehensive view of each game's popularity and performance within the gaming community.
Last Updates| Steam data | 05 March 2026 18:26 |
|---|---|
| SteamSpy data | 09 March 2026 16:11 |
| Steam price | 15 March 2026 20:26 |
| Steam reviews | 15 March 2026 08:05 |
If you'd like to dive deeper into the details about Aliens: Dark Descent, we invite you to check out a few dedicated websites that offer extensive information and insights. These platforms provide valuable data, analysis, and user-generated reports to enhance your understanding of the game and its performance.
- SteamDB - A comprehensive database of everything on Steam about Aliens: Dark Descent
- SteamCharts - Analysis of Aliens: Dark Descent concurrent players on Steam
- ProtonDB - Crowdsourced reports on Linux and Steam Deck Aliens: Dark Descent compatibility
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Game modes
Features
Online players
276
Developer
Tindalos Interactive
Publisher
Focus Entertainment
Release
19 Jun 2023
Platforms
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