Best Games That Feature UFOs

Summary

• Some sci-fi games incorporate UFOs as alien adversaries, adding unique gameplay experiences.
• Games like Destroy All Humans! & X-COM highlight UFOs’ pivotal roles in alien-themed narratives.
• UFOs are central gameplay elements in games like Earth Defense Force 5 & XCOM 2, offering exciting encounters.

Aliens and UFOs have been the backbone of sci-fi literature, movies, TV shows, and of course, there are a great many sci-fi video games, for decades. UFOs are generally portrayed as the traditional flying saucer type, which has been part of the global psyche since the 1940s.

Some games incorporate UFOs as transport for alien incursions. Others expand on them, turning them into mechanical adversaries in their own right. Either way, these alien spaceships are always a threat. The best games that feature UFOs use them in unique ways, such as turning a crashed UFO into a scenario for a mission, as a boss encounter, or by using them to force players into certain strategic decisions.

8 Destroy All Humans!

Often Amusing Yet Dark

As aliens in video games go, few have been as sinister as Crypto, the main villain in Destroy All Humans! Crypto has been sent to Earth in the 1950s, and lands his UFO in America. His task is to harvest Human DNA. His UFO is equipped with plenty of alien technology, such as tractor beams to abduct humans and a death ray.

The game is intentionally humorous, despite its dark theme. Gameplay takes place on an open-world map, and exploration is key to progressing in the game. The game is literally dripping with cheesy UFO tropes, which makes it really fun to play.

Also Released As UFO: Enemy Unknown

Depending on the region where this game was released, it is either known as X-COM: UFO Defense, or UFO: Enemy Unknown. Despite two different names, it is the same game. This is the classic, first installment in the X-COM, later changed to XCOM, franchise.

In this strategy game, players are tasked with managing a team known as the Global Defence Initiative. Their mission; intercepting and neutralizing alien UFO incursions. The game features a combination of strategy gameplay on the world map, and also tactical gameplay, with turn-based combat at UFO sites.

6 Earth Defense Force 5

Third-Person Combat During An Alien Invasion

Players of Earth Defense Force 5 are expected to fight off an alien invasion. All of the action takes place in third-person in this game, and the battles can be pure chaos at times. The UFOs that the player is expected to tackle are simply huge.

The player has access to a range of weapons and also vehicles to choose from, and picking the right tool for the job is often pivotal in some scenarios. Earth Defense Force 5 isn’t a particularly complex game, but it does what it does very well, and is a fun take on UFO and alien-inspired games.

5 Mass Effect 2

Encounters With The Collectors

The second installment of the renowned Mass Effect franchise, Mass Effect 2 continues Shepard’s journey, and this includes some encounters with the mysterious aliens known as the Collectors. The Collector UFOs are huge, dangerous ships, which at times in the game, become terrible enemies.

The Collector ships are not just enemies in Mass Effect 2 though. They also help to move the story forward, and are a key component of the narrative-driven plot. Overall, even though UFOs and alien themes are not the sum total of Mass Effect 2, these new encounters with the Collectors do spice up the game.

4 The Front

Multiplayer Tactical Shooter

The Front is an intriguing game in many respects. Part survival game, part base building game, part tower defense game, but a team-based, multiplayer tactical shooter at heart. Players compete for control of the map, on foot, in vehicles, and in aircraft.

UFOs provide one of the core gameplay mechanics in The Front. The game’s lore hints at multidimensional and temporal travel, and it is UFOs exploiting this lore that deliver loot crates. At any time, players will be able to see multiple UFOs on the map, with a beam of light pointing downwards to a loot crate.

3 Elite Dangerous

Massive Space Sim With Alien Incursions

Elite Dangerous has had its ups and downs since its launch. However, in recent years, the game has seen something of a resurgence, boosting player numbers, which had been dropping. Much of the cause of rising player numbers has been the excellent in-game events that have been emerging.

One such event has been the invasion of huge alien UFOs, which began with a Thargoid incursion, and resulted in the Thargoid Titans locking down certain systems. Players have needed to work together to build new technology capable of taking these behemoths down. The ongoing battles, taking down each Titan in turn, have been exciting and rewarding.

2 Phoenix Point

A Modern Take On Turn-Based Combat

Phoenix Point is a tactical, turn-based combat game, with a deep and complex strategy layer on top. It is considered by many as the pinnacle of the genre, with every mechanic being sensibly integrated to create a game that is greater than the sum of its parts.

In Phoenix Point, humanity is fighting against an alien incursion, and UFOs play a central part of the plot, indeed, strategizing how to deal with the increasing number of incursions is the primary goal of the game. Players must use espionage, diplomacy, and good old-fashioned brute force to defend the Earth from this alien threat.

The Final Real XCOM Game

XCOM 2 marks the end of the classic XCOM franchise, aside from the poorly received title Chimera Squad, which moves away from the tried and tested strategy format. Combat is turn-based, and quite frustrating at times due to the harsh RNG. Strategic gameplay takes place on the global map, as XCOM attempts to defeat alien forces.

UFOs are a huge part of XCOM 2, with many mission scenarios requiring the player to guide their team into a crashed UFO, defeat the aliens, and successfully withdraw with pockets full of alien technology for research or trade.