We Love It's Guide to…
Command Colonial Marines on Lethe, sneaking and fighting through a Xenomorph outbreak in real-time tactical missions.
Released 19 Jun 2023
Sneak Past Xenomorphs
Track Alien Patrols
Hold Off Alien Hunts
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.
Developed by Tindalos Interactive · Published by Focus Entertainment









You command a squad of Colonial Marines sent to Planet Lethe to confront a Xenomorph outbreak, along with hostile human operatives and other threats. The campaign follows their missions through a persistent world where the squad’s actions can change the levels.
Guide the squad as a unit through large, multi-route environments, completing objectives and searching for supplies. Combat unfolds in real time, with tactical slowdown or pause for issuing orders. Use stealth, motion trackers, traps, safe rooms and defensive positions to limit detection, since enemy activity can escalate into increasingly dangerous hunts.
Between deployments, manage the Marines’ health, stress and resources, and decide when to rest, treat injuries or return to a mission with a fresh squad. Soldiers gain experience, classes and abilities, while base research and equipment upgrades expand your options. Losses can be permanent, making squad composition and preparation part of the campaign.
Players often praise the game’s tense atmosphere and its blend of real-time squad tactics with stealth and survival management, with several noting how the stress and injury systems make Marines feel worth protecting. Reviews also appreciate its use of the Alien setting and its mission environments. Some players, however, report frustrating difficulty, control limitations and bugs, including progression-blocking issues.
| Platforms | Windows |
|---|---|
| Achievements | 45 |
| Age ratings |
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| Controller support | Xbox |
| Controller required | No |
| DLC / extras | 1 listed on Steam |
| DRM / EULA |
|
| Metacritic | 75/100 View on Metacritic |
| Website | Official website |