Xenonauts 2

Lore & Background

Xenonauts 2 takes place in an alternate history timeline during the Cold War, rather than being a chronological sequel to Xenonauts. Though like its predecessor, Xenonauts 2 is inspired by UFO: Enemy Unknown. Setting the game in an alternate timeline meant that humanity would not possess the advanced alien technology from Xenonauts. The developers believed that this decision gave them the freedom to alter the story, setting and enemies to craft a more interesting game.

In 2015, Goldhawk Interactive began prototyping and designing a potential sequel to their 2014 game Xenonauts. At the time, the possibility of Xenonauts 2 becoming their next project was still under evaluation. The game was developed using the Unity game engine. It makes use of 3D graphics rather than the 2D sprites of its predecessor. The development team's main concern with the transition to 3D graphics was whether they could create an art style that looked good and replicated the sprites from the original game. The use of 3D graphics enables features such as objects with physics behavior and rotating the camera angle.

Project lead Chris England remarked that he wanted the aliens to be both visually and mechanically more interesting than in Xenonauts. The developers set out to redesign the aliens for the sequel. In February 2016, Goldhawk officially announced Xenonauts 2, with the game scheduled to be released in 2017. In November 2016, Goldhawk began distributing free development builds of Xenonauts 2 with fortnightly updates. The demo was later released on distribution service GOG.com in February 2017. They wanted to get feedback from the player community before charging for an in-development version of the game through the Steam Early Access program. Goldhawk launched a Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign in July 2018, the funding goal was reached within 8.5 hours. A closed beta was released on November 28, 2018, for Kickstarter backers who pledged £25 or more. In the announcement of the closed beta, the developers stated that the game would enter Early Access in March 2019. In June 2023, Goldhawk announced that the game would be released in Early Access for PC via Steam, Epic Games Store and GOG on July 18, 2023. In March 2026 the official release of the 'v1.0' version was announced for April 2, 2026.

Reader's Guide

Xenonauts 2 received generally favorable reviews from critics, according to the review aggregation website Metacritic. Fellow review aggregator OpenCritic assessed that the game received 'mighty' approval, being recommended by 78% of critics. Mikrobitti praised the design of the enemy aliens and the improved variety of mission types compared to the first game, but criticized the long loading times. The game's significance lies in its continuation of the turn-based tactics genre inspired by UFO: Enemy Unknown, while introducing 3D graphics and physics-based objects. Its alternate history Cold War setting allowed the developers to craft a distinct narrative and redesign alien enemies. The extended early access period, beginning with free development builds in 2016 and culminating in a full release in 2026, reflects a community-driven development approach. The Kickstarter campaign's rapid funding—reaching its goal within 8.5 hours—indicates strong interest from the fanbase. The game's legacy is tied to its predecessor Xenonauts and its effort to modernize the classic formula with 3D visuals and mechanical variety.

Did You Know?

• The game's Kickstarter funding goal was reached within 8.5 hours of launch.
• The game is set in an alternate history timeline during the Cold War, not as a chronological sequel.
• Free development builds were distributed with fortnightly updates starting in November 2016.