Aliens vs Predator is an unusual crossover series that started with a comic series first published by Dark Horse Comics in 1990 and was followed by several novels, although it’s the movies and the games that really put the franchise in the spotlight.
Aliens vs Predator made its first foray into the mainstream in 2004 with the entertaining but ultimately shallow movie that was simply titled “Alien vs Predator.” It then received a sequel in 2007—Aliens vs Predator: Requiem—that most of the series’ fans prefer to pretend doesn’t exist.
Now, while the two movies aren’t exactly held in high regard, Aliens vs Predator games definitely got their fair share of positive attention, and the series spawned some excellent, highly influential games over the years.
And in this game list, we’ll be going over all the Aliens vs Predator games released to date.
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Alien vs Predator (SNES)
Release date: September 1993
Developer: Jorudan
Platforms: SNES
When you hear people talk about the “first” Aliens vs Predator game, chances are they’re referring to Rebellion’s 1999 game, Alien versus Predator. However, this gory series had a much humbler inception in 1993 as a beat ‘em up title released exclusively for the SNES.
As was the case with most beat ‘em up games from that era, the game had the player fight waves of enemies across different stages. In the case of this particular title, the enemy ranks were comprised of Aliens of different types that hatched from a variety of creatures, with the Predator as the main protagonist.
Sadly, the game was met with mixed reception and was largely overshadowed by the classic arcade title that came out soon after.
Alien vs Predator: The Last of His Clan
Release date: November 1993
Developer: ASK Kodansha
Platforms: GameBoy
Released soon after the SNES game, Alien vs Predator: The Last of His Clan came out for the original GameBoy in 1993.
It was a largely unremarkable side-scrolling platformer that had the player taking control of a Predator and taking on Aliens in their most familiar forms: the Facehugger, the Chestburster, and the iconic Drone.
Alien vs. Predator (Arcade)
Release date: May 20, 1994
Developer: Capcom
Platforms: Arcade
The second, more successful Alien vs Predator beat ‘em up came out a few months after the original SNES title, and it was a superior game in virtually every respect, from graphics to gameplay.
The game featured a total of four playable characters: an all-around balanced Predator Warrior, a more agile Predator Hunter, the slow but heavy-hitting Major Dutch Schaeffer (based on Arnold Schwarzenegger’s character from the first Predator movie), and Lieutenant Linn Kurosawa, a katana-armed cyborg who puts speed over raw power. The game supported one to three players at a time.
Overall, Aliens vs Predator is hailed as a classic and was one of the most popular arcade games at the time of its release, which wasn’t much of a surprise, seeing as how it was developed by the creators of other arcade hits such as Street Fighter II and The Punisher.
Alien vs. Predator (Atari Jaguar)
Release date: October 21, 1994
Developer: Rebellion Developments
Platforms: Atari Jaguar
The next Aliens vs Predator game came a few months after the arcade title, and it was the Alien vs Predator for the Atari Jaguar. Arcade beat ‘em ups weren’t the only thing that the gaming scene had going for it in the 90s, and with the immense popularity of Wolfenstein 3D and Doom, seeing a first-person shooter based on Aliens vs Predator was by no means strange.
While it wasn’t as impressive as Doom was from a technical standpoint, Aliens vs Predator was unique in that it allowed the player to experience the game as three different characters: the Alien, the Predator, and the Colonial Marine, each with different mechanics and playstyles tied to them.
The Alien is a melee-only character that cannot heal wounds but can instead “cocoon” enemies and thus essentially turn them into checkpoints that the player could continue playing from if they died.
The Predator is a character balanced between combat and stealth. It can avoid enemies using its signature cloaking technology, all the while having access to powerful melee and ranged weapons, as well as healing kits, making it a formidable and versatile fighter.
Finally, the Marine plays more or less like your usual FPS from the 90s, although unlike in Wolfenstein 3D or Doom, the player had to conserve their ammunition. On top of that, since Marines were also unable to carry medkits, it made the Marine campaign feel less like an action-packed, Doom-esque power fantasy and more like a survival horror scenario.
Ultimately, the game was met with critical acclaim and was a commercial success, although it is largely overshadowed by Rebellion’s next game that it helped lay the groundwork for.
Aliens versus Predator
Release date: April 30, 1999
Developer: Rebellion Developments
Platforms: Microsoft Windows, OS X
Next, we have the iconic Aliens versus Predator from 1999, and as mentioned before, it is often seen as the “first” game in the modern Alien vs Predator video game franchise. A 3D first-person shooter with CGI/live-action cinematics that looked quite amazing for the time, Aliens versus Predator won players over both when it came to the visuals and the actual gameplay.
Like its predecessor, it featured three separate campaigns, one for each character, although the formula was changed and adapted to advancing technology.
The Alien became an agile, stealth-oriented character. It couldn’t take much punishment but could dish out an unrivaled amount of damage in melee, it could replenish health with well-placed headbites, but most importantly, it had unmatched mobility, as it could move extremely fast and crawl on all surfaces.
The core Predator formula was largely unchanged, though. They could cloak to avoid enemies and take them out one at a time, be it at range or in melee, but they could also take more punishment than either Aliens or Marines, and different vision modes made navigation in dark areas a breeze.
Finally, the Marine was fairly slow compared to Aliens and Predators and couldn’t take a lot of damage, but made up for it with unmatched firepower at range. Moreover, the Marine campaign leaned heavily into the horror aspect of the series, and the player had to rely on finicky night vision and flares to light their way.
Ultimately, Aliens versus Predator felt like three games in one with its varied playstyles, and this played no small part in the game’s ensuing critical acclaim.
Aliens versus Predator 2
Release date: October 22, 2001
Developer: Monolith Productions
Platforms: Microsoft Windows, OS X
After the success of the 1999 game, a sequel was developed by Monolith two years later, titled simply Aliens versus Predator 2.
The core single-player experience was largely unchanged from a mechanical standpoint, although it was more narrative-heavy than the previous game. While its predecessor provided little more than a base premise for the three campaigns, the sequel features a cast of actual characters and efficiently ties all three storylines into one.
Aliens versus Predator 2 also expanded the multiplayer, adding additional game modes and even distinct “classes” for the three sides, each with its distinct strengths and weaknesses.
Moreover, Aliens versus Predator 2 received an expansion titled Aliens versus Predator 2: Primal Hunt, but unlike the base game that was met with great critical reception, Primal Hunt felt like a rushed, poorly-paced and poorly-executed prequel that offered little in terms of single-player or multiplayer improvements.
At the end of the day, Aliens versus Predator 2 was a clear step up from its predecessor in virtually every respect, though it may not have been as dark. Sadly, despite its popularity, the game hasn’t been re-released on Steam yet.
Aliens versus Predator: Extinction
Release date: July 30, 2003
Developer: Zono
Platforms: PlayStation 2, Xbox
The next Aliens vs Predator game was Aliens versus Predator: Extinction, and it was an unusual one, to say the least. Why? Simply because it was a console-exclusive real-time strategy game, and that’s not something that you see every day.
As you might expect, it was based largely on other RTS games that were coming out in the early 2000s and followed the usual RTS formula: amass resources, build, upgrade, destroy, and accomplish set objectives. Like the FPS games, it had three factions, and each faction did a good job at translating each species’ strengths and weaknesses into the RTS format.
Ultimately, the game was met with average reviews but was still surprisingly good, what with it being an RTS released solely for the PlayStation 2 and the Xbox.
Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem
Release date: November 13, 2007
Developer: Rebellion Developments
Platforms: PSP
The next Aliens vs Predator game came out in 2007. It was loosely based on the second Aliens vs Predator movie and bore the same title – Aliens vs Predator: Requiem.
Much like Extinction, Requiem wasn’t a game that presented what Aliens vs Predator fans had come to expect of the game series, as it was a third-person action game featuring a Predator as the sole protagonist, complete with its usual arsenal, and with Aliens as the sole antagonists.
The game did a decent overall job at bringing the Aliens vs Predator experience to life, although it ultimately didn’t fare much better than the movie it accompanied. It was regarded as mediocre rather than outright bad and remains little more than a footnote in the series’ history.
Aliens vs Predator (2010)
Release date: February 16, 2010
Developer: Rebellion Developments
Platforms: PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Microsoft Windows
The latest high-profile Aliens vs Predator game came in the now-distant 2010. It was a much-anticipated but ultimately underwhelming game titled simply – you guessed it – Aliens vs Predator. As far as the fans of the series were concerned, the game was long overdue, though it sadly didn’t shape up to be what most were expecting from Rebellion.
Needless to say, the game sticks with the tried-and-true approach that worked for the 1999 and 2001 Aliens vs Predators games, featuring three campaigns, with three characters with distinct strengths and weaknesses. As before, Aliens were stealthy and deadly in melee, Marines were vulnerable but packed a lot of firepower, all the while Predators combined the best of both worlds.
However, the execution ultimately felt rather sloppy. While the game certainly did a great job at making the player feel like they were playing as an Alien or a Predator, it was held back by the somewhat clunky melee combat, the lax level design, and the overabundance of finisher animations that, while well-made and as gory as any Aliens vs Predator fan could want, ultimately got very repetitive, very quickly.
That said, Aliens vs Predator fans would likely enjoy playing through the game at least once, but where the earlier games felt fluid and visceral, the 2010 release feels very cumbersome, artificial, and video game-y without offering a lot of replay value.
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Other Games
In addition to all of the more notable entries in the video game franchise, Aliens vs Predator has also spawned a number of other, minor titles that we’ll briefly go over below.
Title | Release Date | Developer | Platform | Description |
Alien vs. Predator | 2004 | Superscape | Mobile Phones | A side-scrolling mobile game based on the 2004 Aliens vs Predator movie |
Alien vs. Predator | 2004 | Wicked Witch Software | Mobile Phones | Another side-scrolling mobile game released around the same time |
Alien vs. Predator 3D | 2006 | Superscape | Mobile Phones | The third AvP mobile game based on the 2004 movie, although this one was a rail shooter rather than a side-scroller |
AVP: PredAlien Builder and Game | 2007 | 20th Century Fox | Online | One of the three browser-based games released to market the 2007 Aliens vs Predator: Requiem movie |
AvP: VU | 2007 | 20th Century Fox | Online | One of the three browser-based games released to market the 2007 Aliens vs Predator: Requiem movie |
AVPR: Combat Evolved | 2007 | Gameloft | Online | One of the three browser-based games released to market the 2007 Aliens vs Predator: Requiem movie |
Alien vs. Predator 2 2D: Requiem | 2007 | Superscape | Mobile Phone | A top-down mobile game that, despite the name, wasn’t based on the 2007 movie |
CR: Alien vs. Predator | 2007 | Cross Media International | Arcade | An Aliens vs Predator-themed pachinko game released only in Japan |
AVP: Evolution | 2013 | Angry Mob Games | Android, iOS | A 3D action game that featured several missions where the player controller either an Alien or a Predator |
Aliens vs. Pinball | 2016 | Zen Studios | PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, Nintendo Wii U, Nintendo Switch, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Microsoft Windows, Android, iOS | An expansion pack for Zen Studios’ pinball games that contains three tables based on the Aliens (1986) and Aliens vs Predator (2004) movies, as well as the survival horror game Alien: Isolation (2014) |
Conclusion
And there you have it, all the Aliens vs Predator games released so far! It’s been a while since we’ve seen a full-fledged addition to the franchise, but only time will tell whether we’ll get another proper Aliens vs Predator game and how good it will be.
For the time being, Aliens and Predators have been separated into their two respective franchises and there has been little talk about “reviving” the Aliens vs Predator video game series since the 2010 game came out.
In any case, we hope to see a new game worthy of the series’ legacy, and we’ll be updating this list in the future as new games are released.