While the first teaser for the sequel to Alien: Isolation caught our attention last month, another sequel to a video game based on that popular sci-fi franchise is actually coming out before it. The other game in question is Aliens: Fireteam Elite 2, a follow-up to an underrated co-op shooter from 2021.
Aliens: Fireteam Elite 2 was revealed by IGN on May 7. Its reveal trailer is mostly cinematic, showing a group of three marines fighting off a horde of Xenomorphs that have taken over a space station, only for a fourth marine to show up and help in the fight. The trailer then shows off some gameplay, confirming that this is another co-op third-person shooter, and that it’s launching for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X sometime this summer.
I have a soft spot for the original Aliens: Fireteam Elite, which was released in 2021. Whereas Alien: Isolation taps into the intimate horror of the original Alien, Fireteam Elite leans into the more over-the-top action of Aliens to great success. It has character classes and powerful weapons that make Xenomorphs easier to take down than you’d think. It’s dumb fun, and the closest we’ve gotten to an Aliens version of Left 4 Dead.
That’s why this sequel announcement is so exciting for me, and why I’m more than willing to play it quite a bit before Alien: Isolation’s sequel inevitably launches. The main new draw of Aliens: Fireteam Elite 2 is that you can now have a fourth squad member, bringing it even closer to many of the co-op games it’s riffing on. In terms of other improvements over the original, IGN stated that Aliens: Fireteam Elite 2 will also feature cross-play, a horde mode with dedicated maps, and a new character class called the Specialist.
If you want to try out Aliens: Fireteam Elite ahead of its sequel’s launch this summer, it’s available as part of the Xbox Game Pass Premium and Ultimate catalog on PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X, as well as PS4 and PS5.