Aliens: Fireteam Elite 2 is the four-player co-op shooter from Cold Iron Studios and Daybreak Game Company, made with 20th Century Games. The sequel builds on Aliens: Fireteam Elite with remade Colonial Marine classes, day-one crossplay, and denser fights against Xenomorphs, pathogen creatures, and synthetics. It shipped on August 25, 2026 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Steam, and the Epic Games Store.
Release Date
Cold Iron locked the worldwide date in July 2026, ahead of a San Diego Comic-Con panel. The game had been announced that May after earlier leaks used the codename Project Macondo. The August 25, 2026 launch listing also set Standard and Premium prices and a separate Romulus cosmetic pack.
Four-Player Co-Op
The biggest change from the first game is the move from three-player squads to four-player co-op. Cold Iron's August 2026 co-op showcase is the clearest look at that four-marine loop: class abilities in the same room, and packs that turn a hold into a last stand. Solo play fills the empty slots with three combat bots, so a fireteam is still four marines. Day-one crossplay is meant to keep those squads together across PC and consoles.
Platforms, Editions, And DLC
The August 25 launch is digital on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Steam, and the Epic Games Store, with a Nintendo Switch 2 version due in fall 2026. Two digital editions ship on day one: the Digital Standard Edition at $49.99, and the 40th Anniversary Premium Edition at $69.99. Premium adds two cosmetic packs. Standard owners can buy the same content later as the 40th Anniversary Premium Edition Upgrade for $19.99. Ripley's Hive Exterminator Pack puts Ellen Ripley's climax outfit from Aliens on any created marine, plus a modified rifle and exclusive decals. Herk Mondo's Pest Pack adds the Dark Horse comic look and another oversized rifle. Rain's Jackson's Star Pack is separate DLC at $9.99, with Rain Carradine's Alien: Romulus outfit and a cryo-underbarrel rifle tied to Jackson's Star.
Classes And Buildcrafting
Fireteam Elite 2 rebuilds the USCM roster around five remade classes - Marauder, Duelist, Machinist, Hunter, and Medic - plus the customizable Specialist. Specialist is not a sixth fixed job. Level the other classes first, then mix unlocked abilities, perks, and signature weapons into one marine during the campaign. That mix-and-match seat is the end of the line for the remade Fireteam Elite 2 classes.
Weapons And Customization
Classes now run a primary weapon plus a signature weapon, not the old primary-and-secondary pair. Sidearms are customizable, fully upgraded guns gain augments for ammo modifiers, and weapons take three decal slots. Showcases have already put named Fireteam Elite 2 weapons on those slots, including the L56A3 Smartgun, the M41A2 Pulse Rifle, the Type 111 Directed Particle Emitter, and the X1 Fireball. The L56A3 sits in the same family as the M56 Smartgun, and both join the wider Colonial Marine weapons pool once missions open up.
New Xenomorphs And Enemies
Cold Iron has shown new and returning enemy types for the sequel. The roster brings back the Drone, Crusher, and Striker, and adds battlefield roles like the Exploder, Siren, Warden, Harbinger, and Bulwark among the Fireteam 2 Xenomorph types. The Warden is a heavy frontline Xenomorph built to break formations. The Exploder detonates, the Siren calls reinforcements, the Harbinger is a pathogen creature, and the Bulwark is an armored synthetic crawler among the game's synthetic threats. The release-date trailer also puts a Queen back in the fight.
Horde Mode
Fireteam Elite 2 ships with a dedicated Horde Mode for four-player wave defense, including Horde maps built for that loop. The larger squad, remade classes, and wider enemy list are meant to stretch a fireteam across longer sessions after the campaign. Previews have already shown Horde loadouts that include the F44AA Pulse Rifle from Rain's pack.
Campaign And Setting
Cold Iron has framed the campaign as a four-player fight for survival, not a rescue mission. The drop sat at the Storr's Boon mining colony on LV-558, after the distress call from Dr. Pearce, sick from Acidium, reached General Olivia Shipp on the Endeavor. Fireteam Banshee went in first with Captain Feiyan Ko, Lieutenant Piper, and the Endeavor synthetic Esther 1089-12/A7, then dropped out of contact after the crash. Packs of Working Joes later attacked the Marines in force while the Joes guarded Pearce. The release-date trailer returns players to Engineer locations and shows a Queen in the field. Fireteam Chimaera also fought Pearce's Engineer hybrids inside the buried hull at Storr's Boon. The sequel stays on the action-heavy side of the Alien timeline, a follow-up to the LV-895 campaign and Pathogen expansion from the first Fireteam Elite.
Xbox Achievements
TrueAchievements posted the Xbox list on 18 August 2026. There are 30 achievements and 1,000 Gamerscore, and none of them are hidden. The first Fireteam Elite asked players to finish every campaign on Insane. This list asks for the campaigns on Casual or higher, plus one mission on Insane. That is an easier completion.
The list names six campaigns: Prologue, Rescue and Recovery, Boarding Party, Rock Bottom, Ancient Anomaly, and Final Endeavor. Kill totals still assume a lot of repeat drops: 10,000 Xenomorphs, plus 1,000 each of Pathogen creatures, Synthetics, and Combat Automatons. Custom Made Marine needs five missions on the Specialist kit. Wave Goodbye needs five waves in Horde Mode.
Conclusion
Aliens: Fireteam Elite 2 is out as of August 25, 2026 with four-player squads, remade classes plus Specialist, Horde mode, and a wider enemy list. Standard is $49.99, Premium is $69.99, and Rain's Jackson's Star Pack lands separately for $9.99.
External Sources
- Aliens: Fireteam Elite 2 Official Page
- Aliens: Fireteam Elite 2 on Steam
- AvP Galaxy: Release Date, Edition & DLC Details Confirmed
- Official Co-Op Showcase
- Official Release Date Trailer
- Official Specialist Showcase
- TrueAchievements: Xbox Achievements Revealed
Tag Categories: Aliens Fireteam 2 Lore | Alien Games | Upcoming Alien Games | News
