Let me ask you something — have you ever tried looking at humanity from the outside, like really stepping into the shoes (or tentacles) of something not human?
That’s one of the coolest things games can do. They let us slip into the skin of an alien and see everything—our world, our values, our problems — from a completely different point of view.
Sometimes that means aiming for total world domination, getting caught up in alien politics, or just trying to break out of some high-tech lab. Whatever the goal, taking control of an alien character is a welcome change from the usual human stories we’re used to.
Alien: Isolation Collection
Release Date: October 06, 2014
Genres: Adventure
Destroy All Humans! 2 - Reprobed
Release Date: August 30, 2022
Genres: Shooter, Adventure, Puzzle
Mass Effect Legendary Edition
Release Date: May 14, 2021
Genres: Shooter, Role-playing (RPG), Strategy, Adventure
Carrion
Release Date: July 23, 2020
Genres: Platform, Adventure, Indie
XCOM 2
Release Date: February 04, 2016
Genres: Role-playing (RPG), Simulator, Strategy, Turn-based strategy (TBS), Tactical
Xenonauts
Release Date: June 16, 2014
Genres: Simulator, Strategy, Turn-based strategy (TBS), Tactical, Indie
Wild Bastards
Release Date: September 12, 2024
Genres: Shooter, Strategy, Indie
Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
Release Date: July 26, 2023
Genres: Shooter, Platform, Adventure
Oddworld: Soulstorm
Release Date: November 30, 2021
Genres: Platform, Puzzle, Adventure
Outer Wilds
Release Date: June 18, 2020
Genres: Puzzle, Simulator, Adventure, Indie
Mass Effect Andromeda
Release Date: March 23, 2017
Genres: Shooter, Role-playing (RPG), Adventure
Aliens vs. Predator Collection
Release Date: February 16, 2010
Genres: Adventure, Shooter
Prey (2017)
Release Date: May 04, 2017
Genres: Shooter, Puzzle, Role-playing (RPG), Adventure
What games where you can be an alien so fun? It’s the way it turns everything upside down. Games like Destroy All Humans! let you play the invader, not the victim—flying saucer and all, with ridiculous powers and a lot of cheeky humor poking fun at 1950s America.
Then there’s Mass Effect, where you can step into the lives of alien species with their own rich cultures, values, and powers. It’s thoughtful, layered, and really makes you think.
Conclusion
At first glance, it might just seem like fun roleplay. But there’s something deeper going on here. Playing as an alien gives us a fresh angle on human nature—our fears, our values, even our flaws. The best alien games don’t just give you a new look—they give you a new lens.
Whether you’re laughing your way through a parody of Cold War America, navigating prejudice in a space opera, feeling yourself transform into something unrecognizable, or just enjoying the chaotic thrill of being the monster—it stays with you. These games ask you, in their own way: What does it mean to be human, anyway?
Each alien game brings something different. Destroy All Humans! is all about satire and fun. Mass Effect gives us diplomacy and empathy. Prey leans into psychological horror. Carrion is visceral and vengeful. And somehow, through all this, they teach us something about ourselves.
With gaming tech getting better all the time, we’re only going to see more of these powerful, perspective-shifting stories. And maybe that’s a good thing—because sometimes, to really understand our world, we need to look at it through alien eyes.