As I sat down to play Alien Deathstorm at gamescom 2026, I wasn’t sure what to expect, but what I got was a solid slice of gaming goodness that left me wanting more. Developed by Rebellion, the demo was a masterclass in building tension and delivering on the promise of a solid shooter. And the best part? It’s not even part of the Alien franchise, but it feels like the love child of a Xenomorph and a Predator, and I am kind of okay with that.
A New Hope for Sci-Fi Horror Fans
Rebellion knows how to make a solid shooter, and it’s on full display in Alien Deathstorm. The combat, controls, and overall feel of the game are all top-notch, and I found myself quickly pulled into the world of the game. The demo starts by dropping you into the action on a colony planet with an objective and the immediate sense that you are not alone. It’s a great way to introduce the player to the world and the mechanics of the game, and it sets the tone for the rest of the experience.
The weapons in Alien Deathstorm feel solid, with each gun offering satisfying weight and impact. Even the pistol delivers enough kickback to make it feel like you are doing real damage, although how effective it is depends on what you are unloading on. Ammo is scattered throughout the colony, along with a range of other resources you will need to collect if you want to avoid serious shortages. And let me tell you, once things start hitting the fan, the bullets start flying.
Tension and Terror
The demo I played takes its time slowly introducing all the ways you can die on this planet, but as I mentioned, you also get your fair share of weapons to unload on the ruthless creatures that want your blood. Shotguns, automatic rifles, handguns, and grenades are just some of the options available to expand your loadout, and the fact that they all feel fantastic only adds to the overall experience. The alien creatures feel like a mix between a Xenomorph and a Predator, and I am kind of okay with that. They look intimidating, have the sense of agility I wanted to see, and can make an already tense moment even more exciting when they start to swarm you.
You feel very powerful in this game until that confidence is quickly stripped away when four or five of these creatures come after you at once, all while your ammo starts to run low. It’s intense, exciting, and honestly, I loved it. The level design feels very intentional, with each new area I entered feeling like a natural extension of the settlement. Every empty corridor feels like part of a place someone would actually build, with no random monster closets or strange areas that look cool but make little sense within the world of the game.
A Promising Future
Launching in 2027 on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and Windows PC, Alien Deathstorm is shaping up to be something very interesting. It blends the right amount of horror, action, and visceral tension, and it has me eager to get my hands on more of the game. It was a tense 30 minutes, and I only scratched the surface. There have been plenty of attempts to deliver a game like this, and few manage to get everything right. If Rebellion can nail the core of what Alien Deathstorm is trying to deliver, it could be a must-play for science-fiction horror fans. I know I will be there on day one to see if it can keep me engaged for its full runtime.
And so, I’ll be keeping a close eye on Alien Deathstorm as it approaches its launch date, hoping that Rebellion can deliver on the promise of this impressive demo. With a bit of luck, we might just have a new classic on our hands, one that will make us forget all about the messy world of live-service games, battle passes, and DLCs. But until then, I’ll remain cautiously optimistic, knowing that the gaming industry is full of surprises, and not all of them are pleasant. Still, a gamer can dream, right?
Pixel P. Snarkbyte, widely regarded as the “Shakespeare of Sh*tposts,” is a video game expert with a unique knack for turning pixels into punchlines.
Born in the small town of Respawn, Pennsylvania, Pixel grew up mashing buttons on an ancient NES controller, firmly believing that “blowing into the cartridge” was a sacred ritual passed down through generations.
Pixel P. Snarkbyte: proving that life, much like a buggy open-world game, is better with a little lag-induced chaos.
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