‘Alien: Fireteam Elite 2’ is a good old-fashioned bug hunt, ironically plagued by bugs

The very first Aliens: Fireteam Elite was amongst my preferred Alien computer gameand there were a great deal of factors to be thrilled for a follow up.At Summer Season Game Fest 2026we discovered of lots of clever modifications and enhancements to the formula, and I aspired to go bug-hunting once again. A brand-new project, completely revamped classes, and four-player co-op. What could fail?Months later on, Aliens: Fireteam Elite 2’s launching has actually been challenging, mainly due to glaring tech concerns. In spite of this, it’s still a welcome shock of action for a franchise that’s been concentrating on making the Xenomorphs frightening once again over the last few years.

Alien: Romulus (2024) and Alien: Earth ( 2025 )have actually restored the acid-blooded Xenomorphs as authentic scary icons, while video games like Aliens: Dark Descent bank on tense real-time methods and team management; Rogue Incursion alarmed VR and non-VR gamers alike; and we even have Seclusion 2‘s pure survival scary to eagerly anticipate.

Rough edges aside, Aliens: Fireteam Elite 2 is an essential go back to meaningless shooting and dealing with the Xenos as a ruthless crowd, dropping the stalking and slasher-inspired murders in favor of sci-fi shootouts and macho one-liners. It’s far from an unique concept– even the initial video game is just 5 years of ages– however a timeless for a factor.

Another marvelous day in the Corps

This isn’t very first contact; the Marines are more than utilized to bug hunts by now, which indicates there’s less exposition to cut through before getting to the Xeno-blasting mayhem. The composing definitely will not stun the Academy (and there’s certainly excessive of it in between objectives), however the dexterity here is valued. We’ve combated these aliens numerous, sometimes previously. Fireteam Elite 2 is wise enough to avoid phony stress and simply struck the ground running.

At its finest, Aliens: Fireteam Elite 2 comprehends why James Cameron’s work of art still holds up. Throughout the greatest Xenomorph assaults– when the bullets are flying and acid is spraying– the video game’s imperfections and jankier components disappear.

Video game over, man

It’s been 40 years because Aliens initially beautified the cinemahowever Fireteam Elite 2 handles to revitalize that mix of scary and action all right, in spite of sharing much of its bones with the initial video game. The troubling absence of polish threatens to reverse Cold Iron Studios’ finest concepts.

Those concepts consist of more different opponents, which can interfere with practically any tried-and-tested group structure, and even a late-game class that rewards a substantial understanding of the video game by letting veterans choose weapons from all over the lineup to produce a custom-made loadout.

That stated, its loose and positive technique to style is uncommon to see when handling video games that adjust reputable IPs like Alien.

Current Star Wars video games have actually accomplished simply thatand even if Fireteam Elite 2 misses out on a few of its shots and has actually dealt with more preliminary difficulty than the USCM’s very first attack on LV-426, it’s safe to state its heart and mind remain in the best location. Nobody can take that far from the devs. Program me another contemporary Alien computer game that permits you to zap Xenomorphs to death with a huge cannon or to hold them off with fight drones.

We’ve seen designers win uphill struggles before, and we understand for a reality the big Alien fandom is as withstanding as the lethal extraterrestrials, so Daybreak and Cold Iron have an opportunity to turn things around and strengthen Fireteam Elite 2 as the iterative however rewarding follow up it really is.

Aliens: Fireteam Elite 2 is readily available now for PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. A Nintendo Switch 2 variation is being available in 2027.