Developer: Cold Iron Studios
Publisher: Daybreak Game Company
Release Date: August 25, 2026
Reviewed On: PlayStation 5, PC
Steam →
Aliens: Fireteam Elite 2 is another installment in the Alien IP. After the modest success of the first game, I had well-tempered excitement for this entry. Don’t get me wrong, this game has some fair criticisms; however, I think the problem for a lot of gamers is unrealistic expectations. As someone who enjoyed the first, I knew what I wanted to be different, and I knew what to expect. In this game, you play as colonial marines who are on a bug hunt. You can choose from several classes, each with associated perks, weapons, and equipment locked to that class. After leveling up two different classes to a certain point, you unlock what’s called the “Specialist” class. This class lets you pick a specific loadout based on your play style, with no restrictions on what you choose. The game is fine, to make a long story short. This game is a way to pass the time before the next thing you want to play, and a good excuse to play with your favorite squad.
The Good
The game is exactly what you would expect. You get to shoot up a bunch of xenomorphs and synthetic androids to get to your next objective. The sound design is just as good as the first game. A big upgrade to me is that you can play with up to four squadmates instead of three in the previous game. I didn’t love some of the atmospheric design in the first installment, and they went in the right direction on the second attempt. The maps are dark and mechanical, with the occasional alien hive that blends right in.
The game is challenging, albeit with a caveat: it gets harder not only as you increase the difficulty, but also as you play with more human teammates. Some might see this as a scaling issue, but I like it. I enjoy a game that makes you lose, and as a competitive person, this makes me want to try again with a different strategy. It’s made to play with others, and that is the best way to experience it.
The Bad
There are two modes to choose from: story and horde mode. The story is nothing. Before each mission, you need to talk to characters on your ship that acts as the lobby within the game. The reason is to push the story, and I’m not exaggerating; I have zero idea about, or care for, what is going on in the narrative. This is also not a justified “sequel” to me. I don’t see how all that was added couldn’t have been an at-cost add-on to the first game. Yes, there are more guns and classes are reworked, but there is not enough new to be considered a “new” $40 game.
The next round of complaints doesn’t come from me; it comes from one of our fearless leaders, Tyler. Tyler, along with another friend, Dylan, who has been playing the game in our squad, is a PC player. Tyler’s rig uses a 3080 Ti, and Dylan has a top-of-the-line 9070 XT; obviously, there’s a big gap between those two GPUs. However, they both are experiencing dramatic frame drops when the game gets chaotic, and larger enemies are gliding across their screens at 20 fps. Tyler, in particular, hasn’t been able to play a single game without his character’s head being completely invisible. This is actually a bonus point of humor among friends, but it’s clearly not intentional and needs fixing. I play on a standard PS5, and I can maintain around 60 fps at 1440p with the occasional momentary drop.
The Meh
I’m specifically putting the voice acting in the “Meh” category because it’s so bad that it’s comically amazing. To put it as politically correct as I can, the voices of specific racial minorities are so on the nose that you can’t help but laugh anytime they speak. One character of Asian descent especially sounds like he belongs on an episode of South Park. I love South Park, but unless the developers have a good sense of humor, I don’t think they had that idea in their minds.
As I mentioned at the beginning of this article, this game is just and only fine. Real problems need fixing; however, the game is playable—at least on console and high-end PC. This game could be great if and when it goes on sale during the next gaming drought after the upcoming holiday season; otherwise, it’s just a boredom buster.
