Alien: Rogue Incursion Evolved Edition is a welcome return to the Alien universe on consoles
The Alien franchise has always been a playground for fear, tension, and survival, and Alien: Rogue Incursion Evolved Edition on PS5 is another entry that tries to deliver all of those in one neat package. What makes this release so curious is its origin. This is essentially the first ever VR-to-flatscreen port, a rare reversal in an industry that usually goes the other way around. At first glance, it feels strange. Why take something that was built from the ground up to thrive in VR and flatten it? The answer is pretty simple, though. VR, as much as I love it, is still kinda niche, while the Alien brand has millions of fans who only play flatscreen games. Alien Earth just finished and although it was kinda dumb, I and a lot of other people liked it. Plus the last truly great Alien experience on consoles was Isolation, which came out like forever ago, so in a way this port is here to fill a long drought.
The game gives you a brand-new original story set in the Alien universe, and while it might feel like a greatest-hits tour of the franchise's themes, it still delivers enough to keep you engaged. You step into the boots of Zula Hendricks, an ex-Colonial Marine who, along with her trusty synthetic companion Davis, crash lands on a planet housing a sprawling Weyland-Yutani research facility. Predictably, the company has been tampering with things that should not be tampered with, namely xenomorphs.
What unfolds is a tightly paced narrative where you explore the base, piece together what went wrong, and eventually face the consequences. You will deal with skittering facehuggers, hordes of xenos in cramped corridors, and yes, even an alien queen. Zula herself becomes a host at one point, which raises the stakes dramatically as you scramble to find a way to survive before the inevitable chestburster scene. It all feels very Alien in tone, which is to say claustrophobic, grim, and desperate, and the writing does a solid job of giving Zula and Davis enough chemistry to carry the quieter moments.
Stripped of its VR foundation, the game plays like a conventional first-person shooter, and surprisingly, it works really well. The arsenal is small but faithful. You get a revolver, a shotgun, and of course, the iconic pulse rifle. These are your bread and butter as you carve your way through xenomorph swarms. Enemies behave aggressively, lunging at you in numbers, forcing you to manage your ammo carefully and stay alert.
The VR mechanics from the original version have been translated into button-based actions think quick time events. So instead of physically grabbing and inserting a power cell, you will hold a button to make Zula complete the task. Instead of pulling yourself up hand over hand, you press a sequence to climb. While this obviously removes the immersive factor that made VR so engaging, it does not feel awkward. The animations sell the interactions well enough that it seems natural, like these were designed for flatscreen from the start. That is the biggest win for this port.
Progression is straightforward. The facility has some light metroidvania elements, where you will need specific tools and keycards to open up new areas and shortcuts while constantly engaging in firefights with escalating intensity against xenos. There is little downtime, which helps keep the tension consistent, but it also means the game is short. Expect six to seven hours if you move at a steady pace. Replay value is limited beyond difficulty settings, but given how much the Alien universe thrives on atmosphere, one solid run might be enough for most.
Visually, Rogue Incursion Evolved Edition looks very sharp on PS5. The environments are rich with the industrial horror aesthetic fans know so well: flickering lights, dripping pipes, tight corridors that echo every step. The xenomorph designs are excellent, sleek and terrifying, and the queen is an intimidating boss encounter. Compared to the Quest 3 version I played months ago, this one naturally looks much better, which is expected since PS5 has more horsepower plus all of the assets were kinda ready for them to use as this game initially launched on both PSVR2 and PCVR. The cinematic presentation helps make it feel less like a port and more like a native console release.
Unfortunately, the sound design is a mixed bag. The guns lack punch, which is disappointing. The revolver should have weight, the shotgun should kick, and the pulse rifle should rattle your bones with its distinct rattle. Instead, they sound flat and somewhat muted, like they are being piped through a wall. On Quest 3, the same weapons roared with life, and here they feel dampened. Maybe it is a 3D audio issue, maybe it is my setup, but it is noticeable. The xeno screeches and ambient noises are fine, but without powerful gun feedback, the combat feels a bit less satisfying.
On the other hand, the character voice acting carries the narrative well. Zula's voice actress gives her grit and humanity, and Davis has that perfect synthetic calm that makes their bond believable. The writing does not reinvent the wheel, but it sells the drama of the situation, and when the big set-piece moments arrive, they land.
If you've already experienced this game in VR, the differences between VR and flatscreen come into sharp focus. In VR, Rogue Incursion was terrifying. Having a facehugger lunge directly at your head in virtual reality is panic-inducing. On a TV, it is just another minor jump scare. In VR, reloading a gun under pressure while a xeno rushes you is sweaty-palmed chaos. On PS5, it is a quick button press. That is not to say this version is bad. Far from it. It is competent, polished, and absolutely playable, but the fear factor is toned down.
As a flatscreen FPS, the game is fun and tense, but not groundbreaking. It feels like a very solid Alien spinoff, one that scratches the itch fans have had for years. It lets you wield the pulse rifle, it puts you against an alien queen, it lets you walk through blood-soaked hallways with bodies cocooned in resin, and for most fans, that is enough. But if you have played the VR version, you know what you are missing, and that makes this edition feel like a weaker echo of the superior experience.
Alien: Rogue Incursion Evolved Edition on PS5 is a curious release. As the first VR-to-flatscreen port, it proves that such a transition can be done smoothly. It does not feel like a stripped-down version of something bigger. It feels like a well-made FPS in its own right. The story is engaging, the visuals are strong, and the gameplay is tight enough to carry you through.
But at the same time, if you have access to VR and the stomach for it, the original Rogue Incursion remains the definitive way to experience this game. VR makes every encounter more terrifying, more immersive, and more memorable. This flatscreen edition cannot compete with that, though it is not really trying to. Its goal is to bring the experience to a wider audience, and in that, it succeeds.
If you are a fan of the Alien franchise and have been waiting for something new since Isolation, this is absolutely worth playing. It will not blow your mind, but it will keep you entertained for several hours with a faithful blend of action and horror. If you already played the VR version, however, there is little reason to return here. The scares, the tension, the immersion, they all hit harder in VR.
For everyone else, Alien: Rogue Incursion Evolved Edition is a welcome return to the Alien universe on consoles. It is a reminder of why this franchise remains such fertile ground for games: the creeping dread of the unknown, the industrial aesthetic of Weyland-Yutani's facilities, and the ever-present terror of the xenomorph lurking just out of sight. Thanks for reading!
The game was reviewed on a PS5 via a promo copy provided by the publisher. Alien: Rogue Incursion Evolved Edition is available on PS5, PC and Xbox Series.
