Aliens Dark Descent: new game release date on Steam, Xbox and PS5, gameplay, trailer - and pre-order details

Prepare yourself for a heart-pounding adventure in the treacherous universe of the Alien franchise.

Aliens: Dark Descent is an upcoming real-time strategy game that thrusts players into the role of a commanding force against the relentless Xenomorphs and renegade agents of the Weyland-Yutani Corporation.

Developed with meticulous attention to detail, this immersive gaming experience will keep you on the edge of your seat as you navigate a moon station, battling for survival. Here is everything you need to know about it.

What happens in Aliens: Dark Descent?

Aliens: Dark Descent is an immersive real-time strategy game where players take control from a top-down perspective, their objective being to lead a squad of four colonial marines against both Xenomorphs and renegade agents from the Weyland-Yutani Corporation.

The game offers a selection of five character classes, each equipped with distinctive weapons and abilities, and while the intense combat plays out in real time, players have the ability to temporarily slow down the action to a crawl in order to strategically issue commands or set up well-planned ambushes.

Exploration plays a crucial role in Aliens: Dark Descent as players navigate a moon station, uncovering shortcuts and utilising motion trackers to monitor alien movements.

You'll be able to also make use of an electrical saw to unlock doors or weld them shut as you manoeuvre between rooms, but changes to the level layout are permanent, meaning that sealing a door may impede the advance of Xenomorphs, but might also restrict any future access you may need.

Between missions - which can span anywhere from 20 minutes to an hour - players have the opportunity to upgrade and customise their characters, ensuring their physical well-being as well as their mental health, which becomes a significant factor as each character possesses unique traits that influence their combat performance.

Excessive strain can lead to missed shots, irrational behaviour or even mission sabotage, and since squad members face the risk of permanent death if attacked, you'll need to keep your team in tip top condition.

When can I play it?

Aliens: Dark Descent is set to be released for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X and Series S on Tuesday 20 June 2023.

Where is the best place to pre-order Aliens: Dark Descent?

Aliens: Dark Descent can be pre-ordered from Game.co.uk, where the deluxe edition of the game is available for £34.99.

Simply click on the relevant link below to be taken to the platform of your choice:

• PlayStation 4
• PlayStation 5
• Xbox One & Xbox Series X/S

For PC players, the game can be purchased through Aliens: Dark Descent’s Steam page.

Note: Xbox’s ‘Smart Delivery’ feature means there is just one ‘Xbox’ version of the game to look out for if you’re looking to buy it physically - the game will automatically detect whether you’re using a current or last-gen Xbox console.

But PlayStation players will need to make sure they buy the correct physical version of Aliens: Dark Descent, and since there is no Smart Delivery feature there, if you one day wish to upgrade the PS4 version to its PS5 counterpart, you may need to buy the game all over again!