As a franchise, Alien has managed to do a lot with very little. This is by no means a criticism, but the sheer amount of stuff that has come out of the series is unbelievable. And trying to keep everything straight can be quite difficult, especially when the main films span an almost 300-year period.
This sheer amount of stuff is very apparent in the video games that have come out of the Alien franchise. From the ZX Spectrum to mobile phones, from arcades to current-gen hardware, the Alien franchise has been with us for a very, very long time, and the games span the whole life of the series (almost).
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Prometheus (2012 film)
The only entry at the beginning of the Alien timeline, Prometheus was a long-awaited prequel to the original. Directed by Ridley Scott, the film is a dark and philosophical narrative that might not hold up in the eyes of some true Alien die-hards. But for the visual spectacle alone it is definitely worth seeing.
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Alien: Covenant (2017 film)
Following the events of Prometheus, we get a new era 11 years after in Alien: Covenant. Again, this is a great-looking film, but doesn't hit the high bar set by the franchise.
Alien: Covenant In Utero (2017)
Made to promote the film, Alien: Covenant in Utero is a virtual reality experience produced by the legendary Ridley Scott himself, getting the player up close and personal with the birth of a Neomorph.
Alien: Covenant - For The Arcade (2017)
A re-release of 2014's Aliens: Armageddon, this light-gun shooter doesn't really take place at the same time. But that name alone means it does!
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Alien (1979 film)
The film that started it all, Alien, is a stone-cold classic. While it opened initially to mixed reviews, it is now deservedly considered a high for the horror genre and an innovative masterpiece all around. Without it, we wouldn't have Metroid, or any of these many, many games that followed.
Alien - For Atari 2600 (1982)
A maze game akin to PacMan, Alien for the Atari 2600 doesn't look like it would be as good as the film...
Alien - For Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum, And Amstrad CPC (1984)
This entry however is a little better, with the player being put in charge of all the crew of the Nostromo and has to try and help them survive (and it got decent reviews!)
Alien Trilogy (1996)
This game is a first-person shooter that spans the first three Alien films, so starts in 2122 and goes all the way to 2179. It came to the PlayStation, Sega Saturn, and Windows, and received rather good reviews.
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Alien: Isolation (2014)
Alien: Isolation seemed to come out of nowhere, becoming known today as the best game to come from the franchise. While there were some daft reviews at the time, the game captured the suspense and fear of being in a dark, cramped spaceship with a giant, terrifying alien. An all-time classic of survival horror, now available almost everywhere.
Alien: Blackout (2019)
A follow up to Isolation, Alien: Blackout is a mobile game for IOS and Android that follows Amanda Ripley and a crew alone on a spaceship. Oh, except for the Xenomorph, of course.
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Aliens (1986 film)
The sequel to the original, Aliens is often thought of as equal if not better than the first film. Wherever you stand, however, the film directed by James Cameron is of a different sort to the original, bringing in more action to the formula — which probably helped it spawn this unbelievable number of games.
Aliens: The Computer Game - For Commodore 64, Apple II, And ZX Spectrum (1986)
For some reason, there are two games called Aliens: The Computer Game. The first is a set of minigames developed and published by Activision and presented as an adventure game.
Aliens: The Computer Game - For Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64 Znd ZX Spectrum, Commodore 16, And MSX (1987)
The second game with the same name is a first-person maze game, tasking the player with reaching the Queen Alien's nest, which received praise from critics upon release.
Aliens: Alien 2 (1987)
A Japan-only release, Aliens: Alien 2 is a fast-paced side-scroller that was meant to release for the Famicom, but only came out on the MSX. It was developed by SquareSoft.
Aliens - For The Arcade (1990)
A shoot-em-up arcade game, this Konami-developed title came out with good reviews and lots of success according to this Japanese magazine.
Alien 3 (1992 film)
The beginning of the end for the Alien films in many fans' eyes, Alien 3 is a good-looking film, but that couldn't save it. Directed by David Fincher, it came out to poor reviews. Still, to anyone interested, it makes a good rewatch this many years later.
Alien 3 - fFr The Amiga, Commodore 64, Sega Master System, Nintendo Entertainment System, Sega Mega Drive/Genesis, Sega Game Gear, Super Nintendo Entertainment System, And Game Boy (1992)
This run and gun game was ported to a whole heap of consoles by 1993, and received very good reviews. One of the more well-known entries on this list, it still manages to be fun today.
Alien 3: The Gun (1993)
This rail shooter put out by Sega gives the arcade-goer a light gun akin to those used in the films, and asks them to shoot all manner of aliens to reach and rescue some prisoners. It received very positive reviews at the time.
Aliens: A Comic Book Adventure (1995)
An adventure game where the player takes the role of Henry Hericksen, this game developed by Cryo Interactive Entertainment came out to mixed reviews.
Aliens Online (1998)
With the recently announced Aliens MMO, now would be a good time to look back at this title. Aliens Online, an MMO FPS, was seemingly ahead of its time, with large player groups all together online. Developed by Mythic Entertainment and Kesmai, the game received good reviews on release.
Aliens: Thanatos Encounter (2001)
This GameBoy shooter may be the first game younger readers actually recognize! Developed by Wicked Witch Software, it takes place aboard the ship Thanatos, which means "death" in Ancient Greek. Take from that what you will.
Aliens: Unleashed (2003)
An FPS developed and published by Sorrent, Aliens: Unleashed puts the player in the shoes of a United Systems Colonial Marine recruit training on synthetic Xenomorphs in a secret military training camp. Cool!
Aliens: Extermination (2006)
An arcade first-person shoot, Aliens: Extermination was developed by Global VR and takes place some years after Alien 3. The exact amount of time is unclear.
Aliens: Infestation (2011)
A 2D side-scroller for the Nintendo DS, this game had cover art and character designs from the comic book artist Chris Bachalo and had involvement from Gearbox Software. All this came together for a very well-received release!
Aliens: Colonial Marines (2013)
This Gearbox Software developed first-person shooter, however, received a very different response from critics. The game takes place 17 weeks after the events of Aliens, the game didn't seem to represent the franchise in anything but a shallow way.
Aliens: Armageddon (2014)
The aforementioned arcade game that got re-released under a different name in 2017, Aliens: Armageddon sees earth ravaged with Xenomorphs when a research ship, after its ill-fated encounter with the deadly alien rained debris all over the planet.
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Alien: Resurrection (1997 film)
The nail in the coffin for the original Alien run, Alien: Resurrection came out to poor reviews. Written by Joss Whedon and directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet, it received praise for the performances, but some considered the story a mess.
Alien: Resurrection - For PlayStation (2000)
Another first-person shooter to come from the franchise, this title was developed by Argonaut Games and pretty middling reviews. It follows the basic plot of the movie, a has some aspects of survival horror in the gameplay.