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Alien Board Games: Fate of the Nostromo, the Aliens Board Game and More

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The Alien board game shelf is small but varied, with 10 licensed games. Highlights include Fate of the Nostromo, the Aliens board game Another Glorious Day in the Corps, a deck-builder, an RPG and a few vintage finds.

  • 10 games
  • 1979 to 2021
  • 1 to 6+ players
  • 1 classic edition

Keep your motion tracker handy. The games are sorted by film and group size.

Most modern Alien tabletop games are cooperative, much like the films, where a small group tries to survive. That shared tension works well at the table, and many players group these games with other horror board games. The sci-fi setting and Colonial Marines also appeal to fans of military space games.

New to the games? Start with Fate of the Nostromo, designed for ages 10 and up.

Where to start with an Alien game

Bug Hunt and Another Glorious Day are separate games.

  • Horror night, newcomers welcome

    Alien: Fate of the Nostromo

    A cooperative game for 1-5 players, ages 10 and up. Play as Nostromo crew members while an Alien miniature hunts them down.

    Difficulty
    Time to explainabout 15 min
    Player experience
    Geek Level6 / 10Has a favorite side character
    How we rate

  • A full campaign with miniatures

    Aliens: Another Glorious Day in the Corps

    A cooperative campaign featuring Colonial Marines and miniatures. The core box includes 23 miniatures, and the campaign opens with the rescue of Newt.

    Difficulty
    Time to explainabout 40 min
    Player experience
    Geek Level8 / 10Argues about the extended cut
    How we rate

  • Deck-building fans

    Legendary Encounters: An Alien Deck Building Game

    A cooperative deck-builder for 1-5 players, drawing on all four of the original Alien films.

    Difficulty
    Time to explainabout 20 min
    Player experience
    Geek Level7 / 10Can explain the timeline
    How we rate

Check the age rating first: Fate of the Nostromo is designed for ages 10 and up, while the hobby games target older players. The two Colonial Marine games share a name, but they’re different products. Aliens: Another Glorious Day in the Corps is the one with 23 miniatures.

Alien and Aliens board games, card games and RPGs

The Alien RPG needs one person to take the Game Mother role.

Showing all 10

Main games

Alien: Fate of the Nostromo

  • 2021
  • 1-5 players
  • Ages 10+

This Alien board game takes place aboard the Nostromo and is based on the 1979 film. It’s designed for ages 10 and up, despite the film’s mature horror story.

How it plays

Each turn has two phases. In Crew Action, you move around the ship, collect scrap, craft items and trade. In Encounter, you draw and resolve a card. The crew must complete its starting objectives, then one of five final missions, before morale hits zero.

The film or show connection

Play Nostromo crew members Ripley, Dallas, Lambert, Brett or Parker. A sculpted Alien miniature stalks the ship. Add Science Officer Ash for a tougher game.

Difficulty
Time to explainabout 15 min
Player experience
Geek Level6 / 10Has a favorite side character
How we rate

Type cooperative game

  • co-op
  • survival
  • 1979 film
Publisher
Ravensburger
Designers
Scott Rogers
Show detailsHide details

Source 1 (slashfilm.com) Source 2 (ign.com) Source 3 (gizmodo.com) Source 4 (ravensburger.us) Source 5 (en.wikipedia.org)

Aliens: Another Glorious Day in the Corps

  • 2020

This big miniatures game for fans of the 1986 film Aliens is a cooperative fight for survival. It combines a central campaign with standalone Bug Hunt missions.

How it plays

Work together as Colonial Marines exploring Hadley's Hope, fighting Xenomorph ambushes and managing weapons and equipment. Mission cards show the setup and objectives. Play each mission as part of the campaign or on its own.

The film or show connection

Play characters such as Vasquez, Hicks or Ripley as the campaign recreates scenes from the film, starting with the discovery and rescue of Newt. The core box includes 23 miniatures: five Marines, Ripley, Newt and 16 Xenomorphs.

Difficulty
Time to explainabout 40 min
Player experience
Geek Level8 / 10Argues about the extended cut
How we rate

Type cooperative game

  • co-op
  • miniatures
  • campaign
Publisher
Gale Force Nine
Designers
Andrew Haught
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Editions and expansions

  • Ultimate Badasses expansion
  • Get Away From Her You B***H expansion
  • We're In the Pipe, Five By Five expansion
  • Sulaco Survivors miniatures set

Source 1 (en.wikipedia.org) Source 2 (web.archive.org) Source 3 (web.archive.org)

Legendary Encounters: An Alien Deck Building Game

  • 2014
  • 1-5 players

Legendary Encounters: An Alien Deck Building Game is a cooperative card game based on the four original Alien films. The base box includes 600 cards.

How it plays

Each turn, place a Hive deck card face down to show aliens creeping through the Complex. Then play cards to gain Attack and Recruit Points. Attack kills aliens or scans the Complex, while Recruit Points buy new Characters. Aliens in the Combat Zone strike at the end of your turn. The team wins by completing three Objectives.

The film or show connection

Replay the first film, then Aliens, Alien 3 and Alien Resurrection, or mix Objectives, Characters and Locations from different films. Each film has its own characters.

Difficulty
Time to explainabout 20 min
Player experience
Geek Level7 / 10Can explain the timeline
How we rate

Type deck-building game

  • co-op
  • deck-building
  • all four films
Publisher
Upper Deck Entertainment
Designers
Ben Cichoski, Danny Mandel
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Editions and expansions

  • Alien expansion (2016), adds a Queen Mother game mode
  • Alien: Covenant expansion

Source 1 (theupperdeckco.wpenginepowered.com) Source 2 (upperdeck.com) Source 3 (slashfilm.com) Source 4 (en.wikipedia.org)

Aliens: Bug Hunt

  • 2020

In this tile-based cooperative game from Upper Deck, squads of Colonial Marines hunt Xenomorphs. It’s separate from Gale Force Nine's Another Glorious Day in the Corps, despite the shared Bug Hunt name.

How it plays

Each player controls a squad of three characters: two Grunts and one named character. Explore a grid of location tiles that starts at the APC tile, spending up to three movement points per turn. Mission cards set the objectives, while Xenomorph phase cards move the aliens between turns.

The film or show connection

Command Colonial Marines, including named characters from Aliens such as Hudson.

Difficulty
Time to explainabout 20 min
Player experience
Geek Level5 / 10Quotes the best lines
How we rate

Type cooperative game

  • co-op
  • tile exploration
  • squad
Publisher
Upper Deck Entertainment
Designers
Ryan Miller
Show detailsHide details

Source 1 (theupperdeckco.wpenginepowered.com)

Aliens: The Board Game

  • 1989

This cooperative wargame from 1989 is based on the 1986 film Aliens and was reprinted in 2001. Leading Edge Games no longer exists, so finding a copy means searching the secondhand market.

How it plays

Play as the Marines from the film and fight through five encounters with the aliens. The outcome of each scenario shapes the next one.

The film or show connection

The five scenarios are The Reactor, The Dropship, Operations, Rescue Newt and Ripley vs. the Alien Queen.

Difficulty
Time to explainabout 20 min
Player experience
Geek Level6 / 10Has a favorite side character
How we rate

Type wargame Out of print

  • vintage
  • scenarios
  • out of print
Publisher
Leading Edge Games
Designers
David McKenzie, Barry Nakazono
Show detailsHide details

Editions and expansions

  • Aliens Boardgame Expansion (adds three more battles)
  • Reprint (2001)

Source 1 (en.wikipedia.org) Source 2 (en.wikipedia.org) Source 3 (en.wikipedia.org)

Alien (1979 board game)

  • 1979

Kenner’s tie-in to the first film, released in 1979 and marketed as a family-friendly game. Players race astronauts to the shuttle as an Alien picks off their rivals.

How it plays

Get one of your astronauts to the shuttle Narcissus first, and use your Alien to take out the other players’ astronauts.

The film or show connection

Escape aboard the Narcissus, the shuttle from the first film.

Difficulty
Time to explainabout 10 min
Player experience
Geek Level3 / 10Knows the main characters
How we rate

Type family board game Out of print

  • vintage
  • race
  • out of print
Publisher
Kenner
Show detailsHide details

Editions and expansions

  • Editrice Giochi edition (1979)

Source 1 (en.wikipedia.org) Source 2 (en.wikipedia.org) Source 3 (popularmechanics.com) Source 4 (dreadcentral.com)

Alien: The Roleplaying Game

  • 2019
  • 2-6 players
  • Ages 14+

The Alien RPG is a tabletop role-playing game, so it needs a Game Mother, not a board. It’s set in the Alien universe, including the 2180s of the Aliens era.

How it plays

Build characters with a point-buy system and roll dice pools for risky actions. In Campaign mode, the Game Mother creates a world and plot. Cinematic mode tells a story with pregenerated characters.

The film or show connection

Cinematic scenarios are short adventures with pregenerated characters. The 2019 box included the Cinematic adventure Chariots of the Gods, while Destroyer of Worlds puts players in the roles of Colonial Marines.

Difficulty
Time to explainabout 45 min
Player experience
Geek Level7 / 10Can explain the timeline
How we rate

Type role-playing game In print

  • RPG
  • Game Mother
  • Year Zero Engine
Publisher
Free League Publishing
Designers
Tomas Härenstam, Nils Karlén, Kosta Kostulas and others
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Editions and expansions

  • Evolved Edition core rulebook
  • Evolved Edition Starter Set
  • Destroyer of Worlds (Cinematic scenario)
  • Colonial Marines Operations Manual (pre-order)

Source 1 (freeleaguepublishing.com) Source 2 (freeleaguepublishing.com) Source 3 (en.wikipedia.org)

Aliens Predator Customizable Card Game

  • 1997
  • 2+ players

A collectible card game from the late 1990s, made by Precedence Entertainment and Harper Prism and based on the Alien vs. Predator franchise.

How it plays

Play as the Alien, the Predator or a Colonial Marine, moving from one location card to another. Decoy tokens conceal your real movements, and a six-sided die decides combat when two players meet.

The film or show connection

This card game brings the Alien and Predator film lines together, with card art drawn from photographic stills of the films.

Difficulty
Time to explainabout 30 min
Player experience
Geek Level6 / 10Has a favorite side character
How we rate

Type trading card game

  • vintage
  • crossover
  • collectible
Publisher
Harper Prism and Precedence Entertainment
Designers
Ran Ackels, David Hewitt, Paul Brown, John Myler
Show detailsHide details

Source 1 (en.wikipedia.org) Source 2 (en.wikipedia.org)

Aliens vs. Predator: The Hunt Begins

  • 2015
  • 1+ players

A crossover game from Prodos Games, which won the license in 2013 and funded the game on Kickstarter. It mixes a mission-driven board game with a tabletop war game.

How it plays

Corridor and room tiles form the map, while mission cards move the story along. Each faction has its own models, stat cards and strategy cards, and the game uses D20 dice. Play a campaign across several games, or try a free-for-all such as last human, Alien or Predator standing.

The film or show connection

Choose from three factions: Aliens, Predators or Colonial Marines.

Difficulty
Time to explainabout 30 min
Player experience
Geek Level8 / 10Argues about the extended cut
How we rate

Type miniatures game

  • crossover
  • miniatures
  • three factions
Publisher
Prodos Games
Designers
Jarek Ewertowski, Grzegorz Oleksy
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Editions and expansions

  • Alien Warriors expansion (2015)
  • Unleashed expansion (2017)
  • Hot Landing Zone expansion (2019)

Source 1 (web.archive.org) Source 2 (en.wikipedia.org) Source 3 (en.wikipedia.org)

Licensed classic editions

Clue: Alien vs. Predator

  • 2016

This is a crossover edition of Clue, not an Alien-only game.

How it plays

As a Clue edition, it centers on deduction.

The film or show connection

This edition draws its theme from the Alien vs. Predator crossover.

Difficulty
Time to explainabout 5 min
Player experience
Geek Level3 / 10Knows the main characters
How we rate

Type licensed classic edition

  • crossover
  • deduction
Publisher
USAopoly
Show detailsHide details

Source 1 (en.wikipedia.org) Source 2 (en.wikipedia.org)

Alien board games: players, time and age compared

Alien games compared by year, players and type
GameYearPlayersType
Alien: Fate of the Nostromo20211-5cooperative game
Aliens: Another Glorious Day in the Corps2020Not listedcooperative game
Legendary Encounters: An Alien Deck Building Game20141-5deck-building game
Aliens: Bug Hunt2020Not listedcooperative game
Aliens: The Board Game1989Not listedwargame
Alien (1979 board game)1979Not listedfamily board game
Alien: The Roleplaying Game20192-6role-playing game
Aliens Predator Customizable Card Game19972+trading card game
Aliens vs. Predator: The Hunt Begins20151+miniatures game
Clue: Alien vs. Predator2016Not listedlicensed classic edition

Alien tabletop game timeline

A timeline of Alien tabletop releases, from the first film to today.

New to the games? Start with Fate of the Nostromo, designed for ages 10 and up.

Quite a few searches for Alien board games are actually about another film. The 2012 movie Battleship features an alien invasion but has no link to the Alien series, so the callout below can save you a click. If you came here after watching the film, our movies based on board games hub covers Battleship and its relatives.

Looking for battleship aliens? That’s a different film.

Searches for Battleship aliens point to the 2012 movie Battleship, not Alien.

Check the box for the age rating before buying Legendary Encounters or Bug Hunt.

About the 2012 film. Battleship opened in the US on May 18, 2012. Universal describes an international naval force fighting a hostile alien invasion.

Any connection to Alien?. None. Battleship is based on the Hasbro game and has no connection to the Alien franchise. The Wikipedia list of licensed Alien board games doesn’t include a Battleship game.

Alien and Aliens take different approaches, and their games do too. One is a hunt aboard a single ship; the other is a squad fight against many creatures. The comparison below sorts games by film, and Legendary Encounters Alien lets you mix all four.

Check the box for the age rating before buying Legendary Encounters or Bug Hunt.

Alien board game or Aliens board game: which film does each one cover?

The first two films have games with different focuses, though a few titles bring them together.

  • Alien (1979): claustrophobic horror

    Fate of the Nostromo and Kenner’s 1979 game both take inspiration from the first film and its single deadly creature.

  • Aliens (1986): squads and Xenomorph swarms

    Another Glorious Day in the Corps, Bug Hunt and the 1989 Leading Edge game all pit Colonial Marines against many Xenomorphs.

  • All four films

    Legendary Encounters lets you choose one film’s scenario or mix content from all four.

  • Predator crossovers

    Clue: Alien vs. Predator, The Hunt Begins, and the 1997 card game are all on the Alien vs. Predator side.

If you’re more interested in the films’ stories than board games, try a role-playing game. Free League’s version uses a Game Mother and dice pools to run tense survival scenarios. The Alien roleplaying game page explains Campaign and Cinematic modes.

Alien the roleplaying game and the Aliens RPG: what to know

People looking for the Aliens RPG usually mean Free League's Alien: The Roleplaying Game.

  • No board, one Game Mother

    The Game Mother sets the scene, and players describe their reactions. Pools of six-sided dice resolve risky actions.

  • Two ways to play

    Campaign mode is an ongoing game. Cinematic mode is a short, pre-made scenario that follows the arc of an Alien film.

  • Where to begin

    The original 2019 box included the Cinematic adventure Chariots of the Gods. Today, the Evolved Edition core rulebook and Starter Set are the main entry points.

Alien board game facts

Bug Hunt and Another Glorious Day are separate games.

  • Before the first film opened, 20th Century Fox signed a deal with Kenner for a board game called Alien Game. It was marketed as family-friendly.

    Source 1 (en.wikipedia.org)

  • Alien: Fate of the Nostromo is designed for ages 10 and up, despite the franchise’s reputation as mature horror.

    Source 1 (slashfilm.com)

  • The 1989 Aliens Board Game from Leading Edge Games has five scenarios, from The Reactor to Ripley vs. the Alien Queen. The outcome of each scenario affects the next.

    Source 1 (en.wikipedia.org)

  • The 2016 expansion for Legendary Encounters: An Alien Deck Building Game lets one player become the Queen Mother, ruler of the Xenomorphs.

    Source 1 (upperdeck.com)

  • The Another Glorious Day in the Corps core box has 23 miniatures: five Marines, Ripley, Newt and 16 Xenomorphs.

    Source 1 (web.archive.org)

  • Another Glorious Day in the Corps has standalone Bug Hunt missions. Upper Deck’s Aliens: Bug Hunt is a separate game from a different publisher.

    Source 1 (web.archive.org)

  • Free League’s Alien RPG offers a Cinematic mode with pregenerated characters and a Campaign mode where the Game Mother builds the story.

    Source 1 (en.wikipedia.org)

Alien board game questions

Which Alien board game is a good fit for beginners?

Alien: Fate of the Nostromo is the easiest place to start: it’s a cooperative game for 1-5 players, designed for ages 10 and up. The action takes place aboard the Nostromo from the 1979 film.

Is there an Aliens board game with miniatures?

Yes. Gale Force Nine’s Aliens: Another Glorious Day in the Corps has 23 miniatures in the core box: five Marines, Ripley, Newt and 16 Xenomorphs.

What is Legendary Encounters Alien?

It’s a cooperative Alien deck-building game from Upper Deck (2014) for 1-5 players. The game follows the four original Alien films, and a 2016 expansion adds a Queen Mother mode where one player controls the aliens.

Is Aliens: Bug Hunt the same game as Another Glorious Day in the Corps?

No. Aliens: Bug Hunt is a separate Upper Deck game designed by Ryan Miller. Gale Force Nine’s Another Glorious Day in the Corps is a separate game with standalone Bug Hunt style missions.

Is there an Alien card game?

Yes. Legendary Encounters is a deck-building card game, while a 1997 Aliens Predator Customizable Card Game is a collectible card game from the Alien vs. Predator side.

What is Alien: The Roleplaying Game?

Alien: The Roleplaying Game from Free League Publishing (2019) is a tabletop RPG for a Game Mother and players. Free League offers an Evolved Edition core rulebook and Starter Set.

Is there an Aliens RPG?

Free League’s Alien RPG also covers the Aliens era, set in the 2180s and including Hadley’s Hope. A Colonial Marines Operations Manual campaign module is listed for pre-order, with release planned for the fourth quarter of 2026.

Is Battleship aliens a game about Alien?

No. Searches for battleship aliens point to the 2012 film Battleship, which features an alien invasion but has no link to the Alien franchise.

Are there Alien miniatures games?

Another Glorious Day in the Corps comes with miniatures. Prodos Games’ Aliens vs. Predator: The Hunt Begins is a crossover game with Aliens, Predators and Colonial Marines models.

The Alien RPG needs one person to take the Game Mother role.

New to the games? Start with Fate of the Nostromo, designed for ages 10 and up.

Sources

  1. Wikipedia: Alien, Predator and Alien vs. Predator games en.wikipedia.org
  2. Wikipedia: Alien franchise en.wikipedia.org
  3. Wikipedia: Aliens the Board Game en.wikipedia.org
  4. Wikipedia: Aliens Predator Customizable Card Game en.wikipedia.org
  5. Wikipedia: Alien: The Roleplaying Game en.wikipedia.org
  6. Gale Force Nine: Aliens (archived official page) web.archive.org
  7. Upper Deck: Legendary Encounters Alien rulebook theupperdeckco.wpenginepowered.com
  8. Upper Deck: Aliens Bug Hunt rulebook theupperdeckco.wpenginepowered.com
  9. Upper Deck: Alien expansion preview upperdeck.com
  10. Free League: Alien RPG freeleaguepublishing.com
  11. Free League: Colonial Marines Operations Manual freeleaguepublishing.com
  12. SlashFilm: Alien: Fate of the Nostromo announcement slashfilm.com
  13. IGN: Alien: Fate of the Nostromo review ign.com
  14. Prodos Games: AvP The Hunt Begins (archived official page) web.archive.org
  15. Wikipedia: Battleship (film) en.wikipedia.org
  16. Universal Pictures: Battleship universalpicturesathome.com