Aliens: Colonial Marines

Aliens: Colonial Marines is a PC first-person science-fiction shooter built around squad combat, cinematic firefights, and close-quarters Xenomorph encounters. The current Steam storefront listing is titled Aliens: Colonial Marines Collection, a bundled edition that includes the main game and its available add-on content rather than a separate modern remake or remaster.

Developed by Gearbox Software and published by SEGA, the game follows a United States Colonial Marine unit investigating the Sulaco and other locations connected to the Aliens film universe. It is designed for solo play, drop-in co-op, and competitive multiplayer, with a stronger emphasis on military action than the slower survival-horror approach found in some other Alien games.

Marine combat and the campaign loop

The campaign is a linear first-person shooter in which players move through derelict spacecraft, industrial facilities, colony environments, and Xenomorph-infested corridors. The core loop combines objective-based progression, scripted encounters, weapon handling, and repeated defensive firefights against both Xenomorphs and human enemies.

Its arsenal draws heavily from the Aliens film vocabulary. The pulse rifle, shotgun, smart gun, flamethrower, motion tracker, and other military tools give the campaign a recognizable Colonial Marine identity. Weapons are used for different ranges and threats rather than being simple cosmetic variations, with close-range firepower becoming especially important when enemies breach the squad’s perimeter.

The motion tracker is more than a visual reference. It provides situational information during tense corridor pushes and helps communicate that threats may be approaching from outside the player’s immediate view. Encounters often work best when players watch flanks, manage ammunition, and avoid allowing fast-moving aliens to collapse the team’s formation.

The full campaign supports up to four-player online co-op through drop-in and drop-out play. Solo players can progress through the same mission structure, while a coordinated squad can divide attention between objectives, cover approaches, and incoming Xenomorph attacks.

Progression, loadouts, and enemy pressure

Aliens: Colonial Marines includes a character progression system based on experience, perks, weapon upgrades, and appearance options. This gives repeated missions a longer-term structure beyond simply reaching the next checkpoint. Players can shape their Marine around preferred weapons and combat habits while continuing to unlock additional customization.

The campaign is not an open-ended simulation. Mission spaces are arranged around directed objectives, scripted set pieces, and combat arenas, so the main appeal comes from replaying missions with different loadouts or bringing additional players into the squad. That structure makes the game closer to a traditional co-op military shooter than a systemic survival sandbox.

Enemy encounters include different Xenomorph behaviors and human opposition. Aliens attack through corridors, vents, ceilings, and side routes, while armed human enemies create more conventional firefights. The contrast between swarming melee threats and ranged opponents is central to the game’s pacing.

Players looking for deeper squad management should note the distinction between this game and tactical entries in the franchise. The Marine is controlled directly from a first-person viewpoint, with no real-time command layer or permanent squad roster to manage between missions.

Multiplayer modes and co-op content

Co-op is available across the campaign, making it the most direct way to experience the game with friends. The four-player structure supports a familiar military rhythm: move as a group, clear rooms, revive teammates, and hold positions when Xenomorphs begin arriving from multiple directions.

The separate Bug Hunt mode focuses on surviving waves of aliens in dedicated arenas. It is a more concentrated combat format than the story missions, with barricades, defensive positioning, and escalating pressure providing the main challenge.

Competitive multiplayer expands the premise by placing Marines and Xenomorphs on opposing sides. Named modes include Escape, Extermination, Survivor, and Team Deathmatch. These modes differ from the campaign because players must use asymmetric strengths: Marines rely on firearms and team coordination, while Xenomorph players use mobility, ambushes, melee attacks, and environmental routes.

The competitive design is the game’s clearest attempt to let players experience both sides of the conflict. It is not a full Alien life-cycle simulator, but it does give Xenomorph players a different movement and attack role from the heavily armed Marine perspective.

Collection contents and DLC structure

The current Steam product is sold as the Aliens: Colonial Marines Collection. The package includes the base game alongside a group of add-ons, making it the relevant storefront edition for players searching for the original Aliens: Colonial Marines experience on PC.

Included content covers the Bug Hunt DLC, Movie Map Pack, Reconnaissance Pack, Stasis Interrupted, and several smaller equipment or customization packs. The collection therefore combines extra multiplayer maps, additional playable content, and bonus weapons or cosmetic items rather than presenting DLC as one single expansion campaign.

Stasis Interrupted is the most notable story-oriented addition because it adds campaign material connected to the wider Colonial Marines narrative. The other packs are more focused on multiplayer maps, alternate equipment, or character customization.

Players should not confuse the Collection naming with a definitive remaster. The storefront uses Collection to identify the bundled product, while the underlying game remains the original Gearbox-developed first-person shooter with its original campaign and multiplayer structure.

Who should play it on PC?

Aliens: Colonial Marines is aimed at players who want direct first-person combat, military science-fiction weapons, and a campaign that can be played cooperatively. It is a reasonable fit for fans of the action-focused side of Aliens, especially those who enjoy recognizable film locations, motion trackers, pulse rifles, and four-player squad encounters.

It is less suitable for players expecting the stealth tension of Alien: Isolation, a fully systemic horror sandbox, or a sophisticated tactical command game. The missions are structured, the progression is conventional, and the campaign’s strongest identity comes from its co-op and competitive formats.

For a more asymmetric Alien shooter with separate Marine, Alien, and Predator campaigns, classic three-species science-fiction FPS action in Aliens vs Predator Classic 2000 offers a useful comparison, although its design is much older and more campaign-focused.

The game also has appeal as a franchise curiosity. It occupies a specific space between licensed film adaptation, squad shooter, and multiplayer experiment, which makes its combination of campaign co-op and Marine-versus-Xenomorph play more distinctive than its basic mission structure suggests.

PC platform features and storefront details

On PC, the game is distributed through Steam and uses Steam authentication for installation. The current listing provides full controller support, Steam Achievements, Family Sharing, and Remote Play on TV, alongside keyboard-and-mouse play.

The listed interface languages are English, French, German, Italian, Polish, Russian, and Spanish. The storefront identifies the game as single-player, co-op, and multiplayer, but the exact experience differs significantly between the campaign, Bug Hunt, and competitive modes.

There is no modern live-service progression model or rotating seasonal structure. The long-term loop comes from replaying missions, experimenting with upgrades, surviving Bug Hunt waves, and learning the asymmetric rules of the versus modes.

Players seeking another film-inspired squad horror experience can also compare it with squad-based survival horror inspired by The Thing Remastered. That game is single-player and third-person, so the comparison is about hostile-environment tension and team survival rather than matching the shooting perspective.

Aliens: Colonial Marines FAQ

What is the current PC store name for Aliens: Colonial Marines?

The current Steam product is listed as Aliens: Colonial Marines Collection. It contains the original game and a selection of associated DLC and bonus packs.

Does Aliens: Colonial Marines have campaign co-op?

Yes. The campaign supports up to four players online, with drop-in and drop-out cooperative play. It can also be played solo.

Can you play as a Xenomorph?

Yes, but Xenomorph gameplay is part of the competitive multiplayer side rather than the main Marine campaign. Versus modes place Marine and Xenomorph teams against each other using different movement, attack, and tactical strengths.

What multiplayer modes are included?

The named competitive modes include Escape, Extermination, Survivor, and Team Deathmatch. The separate Bug Hunt mode is a cooperative wave-survival mode.

Does the Collection include the DLC?

Yes. The Collection includes the base game together with Bug Hunt, Movie Map Pack, Reconnaissance Pack, Stasis Interrupted, and additional equipment or customization packs listed in the Steam package.

Does the PC version support controllers?

Yes. The Steam listing identifies full controller support, as well as Steam Achievements, Family Sharing, and Remote Play on TV.