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11 bit studios' sci-fi survival game, The Alters, crash-landed onto Xbox Game Pass back in June.
Since then, the unique title, which blends 3D action adventure and exploration with challenging strategic gameplay and resource management, has enjoyed critical and commercial success, despite a misstep with AI-generated placeholder text shipping with the final product.
In its first-ever developer showcase, 11 bit studios has revealed a massive brand-new content update for The Alters, and it is available to play today for free.
What's landing in the new update for The Alters
The Alters features base-building and resource management gameplay as part of a narrative where one man, Jan Dolski, has landed on a dying star on a mission with a corporation searching for a resource known as Rapidium. Unfortunately for Jan, his crew perished in the landing, and now he must survive and escape before the sun rises.
But Jan doesn't have to do it alone. Thanks to the Rapidium and special technology from home, Jan is able to make clones of himself to help around the space station. He doesn't just need more hands, though, he needs expertise. To create the types of clones he needs to survive, Jan must re-evaluate pivotal decisions in his life and explore what might have been if he had made different choices.
The end result is a crew of unique Jans who all have their own wants, needs, and motivations for surviving on this hellish planet. But all work and no play makes Jan a dull boy, so a relaxing environment for your crew is a must-have.
With The Alters' newest update, you can opt to install a Gamer's Den into your space station so that your crew of Jans can unwind. The Den comes with an all-new, fully playable card game, as well.
Relaxing isn't just for Jan, by the way. The new update introduces a new Relax Mode for players who want to experience the story of The Alters without the stress of unbearable existential dread. Relax Mode also pairs well with the new Photo Mode that lets you get in there and capture the best (and worst) moments of your crew of Jans' survival struggles.
Before you whip out the camera, though, you can spiffy your Jans up with new spacesuit skins and give the base a custom skin, as well — surviving for the gram! It's not all cosmetics and recreation, though. A new noir-styled storyline will have Jan solving a shadowy mystery aboard the space station. Or making it more complicated.
The choice is yours, really. If you mess up, though, you can take advantage of the new save system that will make it easier to take control of your branching decisions. Now you can finally get that Xbox completion on your gamertag by creating the Jans you missed on your last playthrough.
FAQ
What is The Alters?
The Alters is a 2025 game developed and published by 11 bit studios that blends 3D action-adventure gameplay with strategic base-building and resource management while telling an emotionally charged story about a man named Jan Dolski.
Jan has made a series of pivotal life decisions that have led him to be stranded alone on a dying star in search of a rare mineral. However, he will need to re-evaluate those life decisions to create replicas of himself that traveled different paths in life to become different people.
Each Jan has its own wants, needs, and motivations, and you'll need to get them all on board with Dolski's plans to survive and escape before the sun eviscerates them all.
Can I play The Alters on Xbox Game Pass?
The Alters is available on both Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass.
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