The Alters

Isolationist, existential, and compelling, The Alters molds the struggle of one's self into an often bleak, obtusely hopeful exercise of survival. By bending the genre to its whims, 11 bit studios have crafted a futuristic study on purpose and time.

88%Game Brain Score

story, gameplay

grinding, stability

89% User Score Based on 6,503 reviews

Critic Score 88%Based on 11 reviews

Platforms

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About

The Alters is a single player survival management game with a science fiction theme. It was developed by 11 bit studios and was released on June 13, 2025. It received positive reviews from both critics and players.

SURVIVAL HAS NEVER BEEN SO PERSONAL

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89%

Audience ScoreBased on 6,503 reviews

story1.7k positive mentions

grinding161 negative mentions

Exceptionally well-written and emotionally engaging story with deep philosophical themes about identity and choices.
Unique gameplay blend of base building, resource management, exploration, and managing multiple versions of oneself, with meaningful, impactful decisions.
Outstanding voice acting, great visuals, immersive atmosphere, and solid replayability due to different alters and story paths.

Occasional bugs and crashes that can cause frustration, including instances of softlocks requiring reloads of earlier saves.
The time pressure and resource management can become stressful and tedious, especially in later acts with some grind and waiting periods.
Some players find the alters' emotional management system punishing or inconsistent, and certain story choices and pacing feel forced or unbalanced.

story
3,747 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
45%
54%
1%
The story in "The Alters" is widely praised for its originality, emotional depth, and thought-provoking sci-fi premise involving cloning and alternate life paths. It offers compelling character development, moral dilemmas, and meaningful choices that significantly impact the narrative, creating a deeply personal and immersive experience. While some players found the story slightly linear with pacing issues or felt constrained by time pressures, the rich storytelling, strong voice acting, and unique intertwining of gameplay and narrative make it the standout aspect of the game.
- “The alters is an incredible game with very enjoyable base building, resource and people management as well as a story that manages to keep you engaged throughout.”
- “The story is absolutely superb introduces you to such in depth characters with all of their own unique story lines from one another!”
- “The story is fantastic—a profound sci-fi journey of self-discovery that explores how simple decisions in your life can be incredibly impactful.”
- “The story is both the jewel of this game and my biggest source of disappointment. Without getting into spoilers, however, i will say that there are a lot of hints that there's more going on here and yet the story plays out in a pretty mundane way.”
- “Just got increasingly more and more annoying to juggle all the mechanics, resources, moods of the alters, and traversing the map until it just got enough; the main concept is initially interesting but quickly falls apart when more alters get introduced, becoming more and more half-baked caricatures and less like jan's alternate life paths which doesn't really matter because they all just serve the same purpose to mope and whine about every single thing and ultimately just become the cynical tools part of your/ally corp's mission.”
- “The crew goes from perfectly happy to mutinous just because the story demands conflict at that point and the characters' story beats play out the same whether i keep them happy or not, why is there even a game here when the devs just wanted to make a movie?”
gameplay
1,906 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
37%
58%
5%
The gameplay of "The Alters" combines simple yet engaging survival, base-building, and resource management mechanics with exploration and character-driven narrative elements. While some find the gameplay repetitive or shallow, many praise its clever integration with the story, meaningful decision-making, and the innovative "alter" mechanic that impacts both gameplay and plot. The experience is often described as a tight, rewarding loop that complements an emotionally compelling sci-fi narrative, though occasional bugs, pacing issues, and the time-pressure mechanics may detract from long-term engagement for some players.
- “Creating different alters will impact both gameplay and story moments.”
- “The gameplay feels genuinely unique, a clever mix of mechanics that constantly keeps you engaged without ever feeling repetitive.”
- “The gameplay loop is phenomenal; base building, management, survival crafting, a bit of combat, and then getting to know your crewmates, helping them solve their problems, and making tough decisions, with walking around and interacting that feels like playing Mass Effect 2.”
- “The gameplay is super repetitive and honestly a slog to get through. There's no deeper mechanic introduced later in the game to keep you more engaged. If you take out the narrative and plot, the gameplay could not stand on its own.”
- “The sacrifices they made to the gameplay in order to tell their story and get their message across ultimately make the gameplay feel tacked on, repetitive, shallow and unsatisfying.”
- “It was a dumb/bad decision to have this mechanic where the alters murder you and the game just ends because unless you load a save from literally weeks in the past, you're in a spiral that is unsalvageable by the time you realize there's an issue.”
graphics
605 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
63%
36%
1%
The game features stunning, high-quality graphics and a strong artistic direction that richly enhance its immersive sci-fi atmosphere and narrative. Visuals are frequently praised for their beauty, detailed environments, and impressive effects, though some users note occasional graphical glitches and high system requirements for optimal performance. Overall, the graphics significantly contribute to the game's emotional impact and world-building, making it a standout aspect despite minor technical issues.
- “The visuals on the planet are absolutely breathtaking, the level design, the shader work, all contribute to build a truly alien world unlike any other encountered in other games, it was done by artists who care to evoke a true sense of what an exoplanet could be like, familiarity with earth will not help you here, which helps make the creature comforts in the base after going outdoors feel much more like a sanctuary.”
- “The graphics are top-tier: high-quality visual effects, an expressive art style, and animations create an atmosphere of isolation and inner tension.”
- “The graphics, the sound design, the overall aesthetic, and the atmosphere are beautiful and immersive, with visuals stunning enough to enhance exploration and captivate from start to finish.”
- “Graphics are mediocre, and frankly the specs seem higher than they should be for the results we get.”
- “On one instance it would straight up lag and pause game after upgrading base (changing graphic setting to lower seemingly fixed it though).”
- “The only negative I would say is the max frame limit is 60 and even with this some parts of the game are graphically unpolished.”
emotional
456 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players overwhelmingly praise the game’s deeply emotional storytelling, unique concept of managing "alters" as alternate versions of oneself, and the powerful exploration of identity, regret, and survival. The narrative, voice acting, and soundtrack effectively evoke a wide range of feelings—joy, sorrow, frustration, and empathy—making it a rare, thoughtful emotional experience in a survival/sci-fi setting. However, some find the emotional management mechanics demanding or overwhelming, with alters sometimes feeling emotionally immature, leading to a mix of touching moments and potential frustration. Overall, it is lauded as a compelling, emotionally resonant journey that stands out for its originality and heartfelt impact.
- “I went in knowing almost nothing, and came out having experienced one of the most thoughtful, original, and emotionally affecting games I've played in years.”
- “The writing is impeccable, the plot genuinely gripping, and the character development earns every emotional beat it goes for.”
- “Every alter is more than just a mechanic — they’re people, and the way their stories unfold is clever, heartfelt, and at times, a little too real.”
- “Boring story, tedious mechanics, unlikeable characters”
music
339 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
53%
46%
1%
The game's music, composed by Piotr Musiał, is widely praised for its atmospheric, emotional, and immersive qualities, masterfully enhancing the narrative and sci-fi setting without overwhelming the gameplay. Memorable moments like the in-game musical number and standout songs add unique charm, with many players keeping the soundtrack in their personal playlists. Overall, the soundtrack perfectly complements the game's tone, mood, and story, contributing significantly to its deep emotional impact and lasting appeal.
- “The soundtrack composed by Piotr Musiał (who also did music for Frostpunk and This War of Mine) is absolutely phenomenal and my favourite part of this game.”
- “The soundtrack is quietly excellent, atmospheric and emotionally intelligent, never overplaying its hand.”
- “The music never overwhelms; instead, it amplifies the emotional impact of every situation, underlining the planet’s cold hopelessness and the protagonist’s inner turmoil.”
- “The game's sound department is probably its weakest side, as I felt the soundtrack was too sparse, but I never found either the SFX nor the OST to be boring or annoying.”
- “The song was a little cringy... if you know, you know.”
- “And they made me sit through a terrible music video where several middle-aged men sit around a table and go "hey guys, let's sing a song!!!" and some poor niche voice actor has to sing as several different characters in several different takes because the developers thought it'd be a smash hit.”
atmosphere
214 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
64%
35%
1%
The atmosphere of this game is widely praised as immersive, tense, and emotionally resonant, brilliantly capturing the feeling of survival on a hostile, alien planet. Strong art direction, moody visuals, and an exceptional soundtrack work together to create a compelling sci-fi ambiance that supports the story’s depth and the player’s connection to characters. While some note moments of pacing and gameplay tension, overall the atmospheric design consistently draws players into a gripping, thoughtful, and memorable experience.
- “And everything in this game is crafted to perfectly support the atmosphere of survival under pressure and the plot.”
- “The soundtrack is quietly excellent, atmospheric and emotionally intelligent, never overplaying its hand.”
- “The graphics and atmosphere look beautiful and are great at conveying the barren, alien world, while the basebuilding aspect is generally simple but makes it immensely satisfying to walk around the base and use the facilities.”
- “In addition so far the biomes, although on a planet with no atmosphere, feel very dead and you really can only find collectibles and mine stuff so far.”
- “The atmosphere is well done, and while there are a lot of dialogues, they’re neither good nor bad—just... there.”
- “- atmosphere and objectives constantly have you in near state of emergency and worry about failing.”
replayability
207 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
29%
68%
3%
The game offers considerable replayability through multiple branching storylines, diverse character (alter) choices, and impactful decisions that influence outcomes and endings. While maps and core gameplay remain mostly fixed, the variation in narrative paths and character development encourages multiple playthroughs, though some find replay value limited after experiencing major story arcs. Overall, replayability is a strong aspect, especially for players interested in exploring all story permutations and character possibilities.
- “The replayability is outstanding, it keeps you hooked for hours.”
- “Your choices ripple through the story, shaping how situations unfold and which paths become available, giving the game a high replay value.”
- “The game took me about 30 hours to complete, which is probably the longest of all the 11-bit studios games I've played, but also offers replayability if you're into exploring different paths as there are quite a number of different endings with a major game branching into 2 different storylines mid-game.”
- “The biggest downside is very limited replayability — the game is extremely linear, the maps are the same, and so on.”
- “- replayability: meeting the alters is the only reason to replay the game - no new game plus, additional challenge runs, or anything compelling outside of dialogue trees and side quests to toy around with.”
- “Everything is preset and the replayability of the alters is a thumb down.”
optimization
201 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
39%
50%
11%
The game shows generally solid optimization for a UE5 title, running smoothly on a wide range of systems with stable frame rates and short load times, though occasional stuttering and performance dips occur in graphically intense areas or after extended play. Some users report bugs, crashes, memory leaks, and issues on Linux, while others praise the seamless experience and effective resource management mechanics. Ongoing patches and mods are expected to further improve performance, making it a mostly enjoyable and well-optimized experience despite a few technical hiccups.
- “The developers clearly put effort into optimization, making the experience seamless and enjoyable without requiring top-tier specs.”
- “Performance-wise, the game is flawless.”
- “Great visuals, incredible performance, addictive gameplay loop, dialog choices and branching narratives, base building, survival and resource management.”
- “Additionally, there are major performance issues and a memory leak that requires frequent restarts.”
- “Game has constant stuttering, you're not allowed to move as fast as your brain because you're going to just drop frames and your character will now be facing the opposite direction. The game's stuttering gets worse the longer you play too.”
- “Getting sub 60fps on a 3070ti in a game that looks like this is a sorry excuse for performance.”
grinding
176 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
2%
7%
91%
Grinding in the game is a divisive aspect, with many finding resource gathering, base management, and micromanagement tedious, repetitive, and sometimes frustrating, especially in later acts. However, some players appreciate the grinding as a satisfying and balanced challenge that supports meaningful progression and enhances the narrative. Overall, the grind can either feel like a chore that detracts from enjoyment or a rewarding part of the gameplay loop, depending on player preference and tolerance for resource management.
- “Great surprise game, not repetitive, not grinding, just fun gameplay and interesting story.”
- “I've not been bored a single second, it was not grindy, it was not rushed and having played a bit of survival / crafting games I know, that it's not common.”
- “Not too grindy to gather resources.”
- “The gameplay starts off strong but quickly becomes extremely tedious and frustrating, and the speed at which days elapse is overly restrictive.”
- “I've spent the majority of my 6 hours grinding for resources and managing them, while the little space I had to explore the alters and the other game's concepts felt like an excuse to take the grind once more.”
- “Repetitious micromanagement of resources and management becomes a test of endurance, as the grinding nature turns arduous within the opening act.”
stability
104 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
14%
1%
85%
The game is notably buggy and unstable, with frequent crashes, freezes, and various glitches such as characters getting stuck or UI issues reported by many users. While some players experience only minor, non-game-breaking glitches and smooth performance, others encounter serious problems requiring reloads or system restarts, leading to a mixed stability experience overall. Developer patches appear to be addressing some issues, but a significant overhaul is recommended for a more consistent and smooth gameplay.
- “With over 70 hours of gameplay, I've witnessed no crashes. It's a rare gem in that the developers have released a game that is 100% complete at release, with smooth controls and bug-free performance in my opinion.”
- “Otherwise the game looks great, runs great, and it's a surprisingly stable and clean experience from the get-go -- practically a miracle in this day and age where most games launch in a horribly broken state.”
- “All in all, it's a pretty good game, not to mention being almost bug free (there are a few kinks) and stable upon release.”
- “While I might be able to recommend this game in the long-term, I cannot recommend it in the short term; it is a buggy and unstable mess and you should wait for a major bug-fixing overhaul patch before considering picking this up, or accept an extremely frustrating gameplay experience in the interim.”
- “The game is so buggy, it's impossible to play.”
- “Constant glitches, crashes every 20-30 minutes.”
humor
87 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
98%
2%
The game's humor is widely praised for its blend of sharp, dark, and absurd comedy that complements its sci-fi storytelling, often delivered through hilarious in-game short films and witty dialogue. The comedic elements balance emotional weight and philosophical themes, with many citing the live-action sketches and character interactions as standout funny moments. While occasionally quirky or awkward, the humor adds charm and relatability, making the experience feel lively, thoughtful, and genuinely entertaining.
- “The voice acting is well-done, emotionally on point and occasionally hilarious.”
- “Beer pong is quick and fun and functional, and the Chris & Jack sketch comedy movies are hilarious - I'll have to look them up (I think they're UCB comedy guys?).”
- “Traversing the elevators to meet with your alters in the social room you just built to catch a flick after hours (movies that are actually funny to watch) feels like a reward.”
- “Emotions and mental states seem to play too much of a role in this game; you have to talk and "entertain" your alters every other day with some unfunny movie watching or beer pong.”
- “Some of the time I can't tell if the game is making a joke (in which case it is not funny), or wants me to take it seriously (which can be difficult).”
character development
33 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
39%
52%
9%
The game is widely praised for its strong, thoughtful character development, blending deep moral dilemmas and emotional storytelling with well-crafted writing and voice acting. While many find the integration of character growth into gameplay and narrative compelling and immersive, some critics note occasional abrupt or unearned development moments and a few underdeveloped side characters. Overall, character development is a key highlight that enriches the sci-fi story and player choices, though a few narrative flaws slightly undercut its impact.
- “Heavily rooted in some of the greatest hits of quantum-obsessed modern sci-fi storytelling, it takes great premise and infuses it with so much humanity, morality and overall thoughtfulness through really well-crafted character development and design, supported by strong voice acting and great writing, offering actual choices and dilemmas while letting the player deal with the consequences.”
- “The writing is impeccable, the plot genuinely gripping, and the character development earns every emotional beat it goes for.”
- “It seamlessly blends strategic management, exploration, and narrative character development in a deeply felt emotional roller coaster that should resonate with anyone who has spent time wondering about the road less traveled.”
- “Many of the critical character development scenes feel unearned or happen out of nowhere.”
- “It's similar to Persona 5's bad ending, where the main character makes an extremely out of character last-second choice that ignores whatever character development he had throughout the game.”
- “So by the end of the game your alters and other people seem to talk about your (new perspective) mindset as if it is just the correct outlook on life. For a game that dives into philosophical and moral themes, it feels like a disservice to the character development of Jan Dolski (prime) to have almost everyone pushing a specific philosophical idea as fact instead of philosophy.”
monetization
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
17%
16%
67%
The game is praised for its thoughtful and original approach to monetization, avoiding common pitfalls like microtransactions and pay-to-win mechanics. Players appreciate that it offers a fresh, single-player experience without unnecessary in-game purchases, making it well worth the upfront price.
- “No bloat, no microtransactions, and well worth the asking price.”
- “Microtransactions and pay-to-win elements dominate the game's monetization.”
- “Is it a thoughtful, original, enjoyable, single-player game, or just another multiplayer, microtransaction-plagued cash grab?”
- “Finally something fresh, not just another cash grab from Ubisoft.”