Aliens: Dark Descent: Everything You Should Know

Aliens: Dark Descent puts you in command of a Colonial Marine squad during a spreading Xenomorph outbreak on Planet Lethe. It captures the panic of the films without becoming a conventional run-and-gun shooter.

Aliens: Dark Descent at a Glance

• Status: Released
• Release date: Jun 19, 2023
• Developer: Tindalos Interactive
• Publisher: Focus Entertainment
• Genres: Action, Strategy
• Steam platforms: Windows
• Modes: Single-player.
• Controls: Full controller support.

Storyline and Setting

A new Xenomorph outbreak has trapped survivors on Planet Lethe, where Colonial Marines face familiar creatures, Weyland-Yutani operatives and a threat created for this story. The campaign treats the squad as persistent people rather than disposable units: injuries, trauma, traits and death follow Marines back to base and can reshape later missions.

Gameplay and Core Systems

You issue real-time orders to the entire squad, manage lines of sight and suppressive fire, weld doors, deploy equipment, and retreat before stress and injuries spiral out of control. Marines persist between missions, so wounds, traits, and deaths affect the campaign while base management and research support the next deployment.

You command the full squad in real time, issuing contextual orders for suppressive fire, equipment, welding doors and defensive positions. Large maps retain opened shortcuts, safe rooms and deployed motion trackers. Alien aggression rises as a mission continues, creating pressure to retreat before stress and wounds become catastrophic. Five starting classes branch into specializations, while weapons, armor, perks, medical recovery, research and base upgrades prepare the next deployment. It is entirely single-player and designed around tactical risk management, not direct control of one shooter character.

Art, Audio, and Atmosphere

Dark corridors, motion-tracker warnings, industrial machinery, and bursts of gunfire closely match the language of the Alien films. The pulled-back tactical camera never removes the horror because sound and lighting announce threats before the squad can safely identify them. Marine chatter and rising stress make a clean plan feel increasingly fragile as a deployment continues.

Campaign, Progression, and Replayability

The campaign alternates deployments with management aboard the Otago. Marines gain classes, attributes, trauma, and injuries, while research, physicians, engineers, and equipment determine how ready the squad is for the next descent. Infestation continues to matter outside the immediate firefight, so retreating can be the smart decision. The game is single-player only, but adjustable difficulty and persistent consequences make a second campaign attractive for players who want a harsher or cleaner run.

Steam currently lists 45 achievements. Steam currently lists 1 add-on entry for this app.

Multiplayer, VR, and Controller Support

Modes: Single-player. Controls: Full controller support.

Release and Current Availability

Aliens: Dark Descent was released on Jun 19, 2023 by Tindalos Interactive, with Focus Entertainment publishing. Its current PC edition is listed on Steam for Windows.

Languages and Accessibility

Steam-listed language support: English , French, Italian, German, Korean, Polish, Portuguese – Brazil, Russian, Simplified Chinese, Spanish – Latin America, Traditional Chinese, Japanese
languages with full audio support

Steam-listed accessibility and presentation features: Adjustable Text Size, Camera Comfort, Color Alternatives, Custom Volume Controls, Adjustable Difficulty, Playable without Timed Input, Save Anytime, Stereo Sound, Subtitle Options, Surround Sound

PC System Requirements

Minimum

• 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, 1920×1080 in low

Recommended

• OS: Windows 10 or 11
• Processor: AMD Ryzen 7 1800X / Intel Core i7-9700K
• Memory: 16 GB RAM
• Graphics: 6 GB VRAM, AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT / NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060
• DirectX: Version 12
• Storage: 60 GB available space
• Additional Notes: 60 FPS, 1920×1080 in epic. SSD Recommended

Who Should Play Aliens: Dark Descent?

Tactical-game fans who enjoy pressure, resource management, and meaningful consequences will get far more from it than players expecting direct control of one marine.