Every once in a while a VR exclusive catches the attention of virtual reality critics. Half-Life Alyx was one such game for me personally. I was never in the market for a VR machine and yet Half-Life was one of my all-time franchises. I’d wished for years that it’d get a port for flat screens and controllers, but no dice yet. Luckily for Alien fans, Rogue Incursion escapes that kind of VR prison with its new Evolved Edition for PC and PS5. The game will finally be available to non-VR users when it launches September 30th. Here’s 15 things to know before you purchase it.
From VR to Flatscreens
Alien: Rogue Incursion made splashes in the VR space for its atmospheric first-person gameplay back in December 2024. Now in 2025, Survios is translating that tense VR experience onto more traditional screens. Rogue Incursion marks one of the rare occurrences where a VR exclusive gets the standardized treatment for PC and consoles.
Evolved Edition Enhancements
Of course, this non-VR release of the game has some specific enhancements and quirks that familiar and new players may be surprised and delighted to learn about … or not. The list of new additions and enhancements is pretty slim. Evolved Edition will hit a consistent 60 FPS for PC and PS5, providing flatscreen compatible framerates that the VR space couldn’t allow. Controller functionality is another big difference. Besides the obvious translation from motion inputs to buttons and sticks, the game supports full haptic feedback and rumble tech, which should substitute at least a bit of tactile immersion of virtual reality. It may not be much in the way of extras and non-VR bells and whistles, but these enhancements are still preferred to the bare minimum of a straight up port.
Graphics
VR games still carry a stigma when it comes to graphics—especially when translating those visuals from a headset to a flat screen. Dimensional depth tends to get lost in transition. So, how does Alien: Rogue Incursion tackle this common VR issue? Well, we’re not entirely sure, but the advanced tools within Unreal Engine 5 certainly help the transition some. Just look at the Evolved Edition trailers: objects and enemies don’t look out of proportion like other VR conversions. It won’t be the most visually impressive game this year, but it isn’t severely lacking in that department either.
Setting and Characters
Originally appearing in the Alien: Defiance comic, colonial marine Zula Hendricks sets out to investigate a distress signal on a remote planet, which sets up the premise of Rogue Incursion. The game is situated closer to the events of Aliens, taking place after Alien: Isolation.
Variety of Xenomorphs
You know how Alien Isolation was a respectful nod to Alien? Well, Rogue Incursion is something of an ode to its follow-up, Aliens. This is demonstrated by the variety of Xenomorphs that stalk the overrun settlement – a contrast to Alien: Isolation’s single xenomorph type. Players will encounter the typical warrior xenomorphs in addition to the smaller facehuggers and terrifying pratoreans. This enemy variety resulted in more strategic fights in the original VR game, which are said to be enhanced further with Evolved Edition.
Atmospheric Survival Tone Inspired by Alien: Isolation
But Rogue Incursion’s biggest draw by far is that it feels like a close cousin of Alien: Isolation. The tense slow-paced atmosphere is here, along with careful ammo conservation and stealth. Though, it should be noted that Rogue Incursion ramps things up a notch with a higher degree of action. Xenomorphs get gunned down without too much of a sweat compared to Isolation, leading to a feeling of control rather than fragility. But one thing is clear, the devs certainly took Alien: Isolation as a strong inspiration behind the game and its planned sequel. If you want an Alien: Isolation successor, this is the closest we’ve gotten.
Zula and Her Android Companion
If Isolation’s silence and solitude were too much, Rogue Incursion offsets it with an android companion named Davis. While the banter and communication isn’t constant, Davis provides periodic dialogue that makes the story more character-driven. Still, this isn’t the kind of quippy banter you might come to expect out of recent media. Rogue Incursion keeps things grounded and gritty.
Sound Management and Stealth
Contributing to that grounded feeling is the role sound takes in stealth. Like other survival horror titles, running around with boots stomping all over the place will draw out enemies faster. Cleverly placed objects cling and clang when stepped on or pushed, further alerting the xenomorphs to your location. Engaging in stealth requires the use of a xenomorph motion tracker and well-timed sneak attacks.
Weapons and Tools
But as mentioned before, this isn’t as strictly stealth-based as Alien: Isolation, thanks largely to the more generous weapon selection and ammo. Zula has a pulse rifle (which still doesn’t behave like it does in the films), a revolver, and a trusty shotgun for those close encounter kills.
Straightforward Combat
It doesn’t take many rounds to drop Xenomorphs—warriors, for instance, go down in two or three shotgun blasts. While the atmosphere still shines, this has less survival horror focus than Isolation. Zula’s defensive options are pretty limited though, with just a dodge and grenade throw at her disposal to distance enemies away a bit.
Deadly Xenomorph AI Behavior
The studio hyped up the unpredictable AI scripting of enemy xenomorphs quite a fair bit leading up to the VR game’s initial launch. However, when reality hit, it became clear that these were enemies like any other shooter. Yes, they route to different paths and don’t directly B-line it to the player all the time, but the ease with which they get gunned down prevents their routing from being meaningful. Thankfully, this has been addressed in vague terms for the non-VR release. Promotional material promises “deadlier Xenomorphs” this time around, showing some footage of Xenomorphs performing some aggressive leaping attacks.
Save System
If Xenomorphs are indeed tougher this time around, saving will be paramount. Saving is accomplished by reaching one of many panic rooms within the desolate facility. The game rarely autosaves, making the player rely on reaching panic rooms, which heightens the stakes that much more.
Brief Runtime
But you shouldn’t have to wait for too long before saving the game, as panic rooms are numerous and well-placed within the game. A game, which by the way, isn’t all that lengthy to begin with. Alien: Rogue Incursion takes roughly 7 hours on a casual playthrough, and with little to no additional content, that time stands with Evolved Edition.
Part 1 of 2
For those looking for more tense Alien gameplay after rolling the credits, not to worry. Rogue Incursion is only part 1 of a 2-part overarching narrative that the Survios studio has planned.
September 30th Release Date
Alien: Rogue Incursion Evolved Edition releases on September 30th with a $29.99 price tag for the standard edition. The non-VR gamers finally get to experience another Alien: Isolation type experience with this game, but you’ll need an adequate PC or a PS5 to do so. There’s currently no word on an Xbox release, but let’s hope that’s in the works as well.
