Although based on the second film, the game’s story is a sequel to the Alien trilogy, set 23 years after the original films. The player assumes the role of a Colonial Marine on board the UAS Endeavor, a spaceship tasked with responding to a distress call from the outer colonies.[1][2] The game has six character classes: Gunner, Demolisher, Technician, Doc, Phalanx, and Recon. The game contains four-story campaigns with three missions each, and the player is accompanied by two allies who can be controlled by another player or by an AI.[5] There are five levels of difficulty and twenty types of enemies, and weapon customization and character progression are present within the game.[6] Local co-op is not available, though online matchmaking can be public or private.[7] There are plans for post-launch DLC, but there are no loot boxes or microtransactions.[7][8]

The gameplay seen in the reveal trailer and in a hands-off demo has been compared to the Left 4 Dead duology.[7][9][10]