(Image credit: Cold Iron Studios)
The Alien franchise is doing pretty well right now, and its future looks even stronger for gamers. With Alien Isolation 2 serving the horror-oriented side of the fanbase right now, Aliens: Fireteam Elite 2 is bringing the action. Its predecessor set the foundation for some good old multiplayer fun as you and your buddies shoot down Xenomorphs. Now, the sequel is in a good position to take things even higher with meaningful changes.At Summer Game Fest 2026, I played about an hour of Aliens: Fireteam Elite 2 and spoke with Cold Iron Studios director Chris Cross about all of the new additions in this sequel, including four-player co-op, new Xeno beasties, and the new Specialist class.In Aliens: Fireteam Elite 2, you play as a team of Colonial Marines to check out Storr Boon's Mining Facility on the planet LV-558, which has — big shock — been overrun by Xenomorphs. The level I played was called Rust in Peace, which Cross noted plays heavily into the discovery of what's really going on in LV-558. Each level will help clue players into the mystery."I think clarity of narrative and mission was one of the things that we wanted to try and get into with this one," he explained. "It's more than just go here, get to point B, and then shoot the thing. Playing this game, there's an actual throughline with the story."One change that was immediately noticeable was the inclusion of a fourth teammate. In the first game, squads were made up of three, but a fourth trooper really changes up the dynamic. Not only do you have more offensive and defensive options, but now the levels are wider and more enemies swarm in.
