The 11 Best Alien Games That You Should Try Right Now

Alien Isolation

As far as the best alien games are concerned, Alien Isolation is right at the top of the list.

It's undeniably the best entry in the Alien franchise of games and one of the best survival horror games of all time.

It was such a good survival horror game that I had to keep a tab open in the background that had cute kittens on it. They say that smoking a cigar takes 5 minutes away from you. I'm pretty sure playing Alien Isolation had a similar effect on me...

Space Marine

In my honest opinion, Space Marine is one of the best games of all time.

Why do I consider it one of the best games of all time? It's because no other game has ever made me feel like an unstoppable calamity quite like Space Marine did.

If you're a fan of Warhammer 40k, then this is probably the best action adventure game that's ever come out of that IP. It's incredibly fun to mow down hoards of Orks, be it with projectiles or melee weapons. Space Marine 2 is right around the corner, and it's looking to be an even better experience than the 1st game.

Mass Effect I

BioWare really nailed it on the head when they released Mass Effect 1 back in 2007.

The Legendary Edition is arguably one of the best games that EA has published. Compared to the previous entries on this list, Mass Effect prefers a more "realistic" approach to encountering alien species. Instead of treating every alien species as space invaders, you get to interact and explore their cultures intrinsically. 

When landing on a new alien world, instead of going in guns blazing, you're rewarded for exploring and cultivating friendships. That is why Mass Effect is one of the best alien games of all time because it highlights our similarities, rather than our differences.

StarCraft 2

You can't have a list of the best alien games without mentioning the best real time strategy game of all time.

For many, StarCraft 2 is the best Blizzard game ever made... Back when Blizzard used to make games, that is, now they just make money. StarCraft 2 isn't the first game in the series, that's StarCraft 1. When StarCraft 1 came out, it was arguably one of the most revolutionary PC games of its time, so StarCraft 2 had some big shoes to fill. 

And fill those shoes it did. Not only did it meet expectations, but it exceeded them in every way possible. No wonder thousands of people still play it to this day.

XCOM 2

Speaking of strategy games, XCOM 2 absolutely deserves to be mentioned on this list.

When it was released, the game was instantly met with tons of positive reviews. Millions of players jumped on the bandwagon, including myself. A hostile alien species had conquered Earth, and it was my job to deal with them. 

So, I gathered my team, all with their unique character classes and unique load-outs. And I set out for the nearest alien hotspot. The turn based combat felt like nothing I had ever experienced before, an overall improvement to the first game. It was amazing!

Destroy All Humans!: 2 - Reprobed

A few years ago I "downloaded" and played the first Destroy All Humans, not expecting much, as it wasn't what I'd usually play.

But, after playing through the entire game, I was pleasantly surprised. What's more, it was the best alien game I had played up until that point.

So, when I heard that a second game was coming out, you could say that I got giddy. The first DaH was one of the funniest games I'd ever played, the second game stepped that up even further. What's more, the game features a slew of new toys to destroy all humans with. What's not to love?

Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic

You didn't think I'd miss KOTOR, did ya?

The KOTOR games walked so that the Mass Effect games could run. For many people, KOTOR 1 is the best video game of all time, even if it was rushed. But hey, this was the early 2000s, what was considered "rushed" then is considered "finished" in 2023.

Just imagine it. In the early 2000s, no other video game allowed you to explore such a rich galaxy full of captivating characters. What's more, the story is a masterclass in immersion. It's a real shame then that the Remastered version is stuck in development hell.

Star Wars: Empire at War

Empire at Was is my personal favorite Star Wars game of all time.

No other game gives you the scale and freedom that you have in Empire at War. Even if the game is old by today's standards, the modding community is doing an incredible job of keeping it alive.

If you ever catch it on a sale, make sure to pick up Empire at War. You'll quickly realize why it's considered one of the best strategy games of all time. It was Stellaris before Stellaris existed. Speaking about Stellaris...

Stellaris

If Grand Strategy had a name, that name would be Stellaris.

No other game has a sandbox experience quite like Stellaris. The game features some of the longest campaigns in video game history, with dozens of events and late-game crises.

In the beginning, you're just a fledgling alien race set out to explore the stars. But by the end, you're an intergalactic hegemony comprised of hundreds of solar systems and trillions upon trillions of inhabitants. If that doesn't sound exciting to you, I don't know what is.

Earth Defense Force V

Earth Defense Force 5 introduces you to a myriad of alien life forms... and then promptly teaches you to treat each and every one of them with extreme contempt.

If you want a bug hunt experience like no other, play EDF V. The first time around that I played EDF I thought it was an action adventure game. But after playing through it a couple of times I realized that it's actually a comedy game disguised as an action game. 

I mean, come on! What other game gives you the opportunity to kill god in the final fight? Exactly.

Spore

Wait... what's Spore doing on this list? I'll tell you.

Spore is arguably one of the most unique games of all time. No other game comes close to being so educational, yet so entertaining at the same time. The game takes you from a simple organism to an advanced intergalactic civilization in the span of a few hours.

Hence why it is one of the best alien games of all time. Most of the other games follow the old cliches of "aliens bad" or "aliens want to kill us". Spore is much simpler. In Spore, you ARE the alien. You can either freely explore the galaxy or subdue it under your mighty claw. The choice is yours.