The Alters is a big tonal swerve for 11 bit. This War of Mine is about as grave as survival games get, following the arduous day-in, day-out of civilians trying to stay alive during the siege of Sarajevo. Frostpunk and its sequel are that much more fantastical, but still grounded in a kind of gruelling minutiae – Frostpunk 2 especially is all about grinding out small victories with little resources. But now The Alters launch date has been confirmed, and the super-stylized, could-be rival to hits like Sons of the Forest and Rust is inbound, it’s time to see what 11 bit can do with the realism gloves fully off.
The Alters release date is coming soon, and 11 bit’s next work ostensibly challenges the conventions of the survival game by pitting main character Jan against the greatest enemy of all: himself. You’re not battling mutants or scrapping to protect your base from raiders and bandits. Trapped on an alien planet that’s periodically destroyed by extreme weather, in order to efficiently scavenge supplies, build defenses, and maintain his space station’s systems, Jan is forced to clone himself.
But there’s another catch. The Alters, as these duplicates are known, are in fact different permutations of Jan from parallel realities. One is a scientist, from a timeline where Jan fixated religiously on his studies. Another is an engineer, and seems traumatized by something that the Base Jan never experienced.
You explore the alien world on foot, doing everything you can to avoid bizarre, time-warping anomalies and pockets of escaping extraterrestrial energy. When you get back to base, The Alters starts to look a lot like XCOM, as you fill the empty gaps in your station by installing new amenities and staffing them with your pseudo clones. Alongside all the crafting and maintenance, however, you need to maintain cordial relationships with your semi selves, and, potentially, help them navigate whatever emotional disturbances or personality quirks might otherwise compromise the mission.
The Alters release date is now confirmed for Friday June 13, 2025. Available on PC Game Pass on day one, you can also find it on Steam, right here.
Otherwise, take a look at some of the other best new PC games, or maybe the best upcoming PC games landing in 2025 and beyond.
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