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Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →The Alters turns survival into a question of identity: stranded on a hostile planet, Jan Dolski creates alternate versions of himself to keep his mobile base running. Its central appeal is the way resource and crew management meet a story about the choices that made each Jan different.
What kind of game is The Alters?
The Alters is a single-player sci-fi survival and base-management game developed and published by 11 bit studios. You play Jan Dolski, stranded on a dangerous planet and trying to keep a mobile base—and its crew—alive.
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Edens Zero Day One Edition PS5 | $40.02 | Buy on Amazon |
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Perp The Persistence Enhanced Amélioré(e) Anglais PlayStation 5 | $18.18 | Buy on Amazon |
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Merge Games Let's Build a Zoo PS5 | $19.77 | Buy on Amazon |
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Horizon Forbidden West Complete Edition - PS5™ | $50.80 | Buy on Amazon |
The survival loop joins several jobs: explore the planet for materials, avoid environmental hazards, craft supplies, develop base modules, and make sure the crew can keep working. The unusual twist is the crew itself. Jan creates Alters: alternate versions of himself shaped by different decisions in his past. Each has a distinct skill set, personality, memories and needs, so choosing whom to create is both a practical staffing decision and a story choice.
How the survival and management loop works
- Explore: Search the surface for resources such as metals and organics, while planning around anomalies, solar radiation and the in-game day/night cycle.
- Craft and expand: Use gathered materials to make equipment, develop base modules and support the mission. The game’s examples include Anomaly Detectors and Radiation Filters.
- Build a crew: Create Alters with expertise that can help meet the demands of the base and expedition.
- Manage people as well as supplies: Alters have individual needs and relationships, and their differing perspectives can create tension.
- Make consequential choices: The publisher says decisions affect relationships and can lead to multiple outcomes and endings.
These are the systems 11 bit studios describes for the game; they indicate its intended mix of survival pressure and character drama, not a guarantee that every system will suit every player.
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- Day One bonus content: Pino's Attire 'Hunter Attire", Accessory "Elsie's Pirate Flag" (PS5)
- Control 8 playable characters, including Shiki, Rebecca, Weisz, and Homura, and use their special Ether Gear abilities to win fierce battles
- Tons of original game content means there are hours upon hours of gameplay
- Countless character customization options; over 700 pieces of equipment to customize your characters
- Expand the facilities on the EDENS ZERO (which serves as the game's hub) as well as your crew through scouting, and much more
What makes the Alters distinctive?
An Alter is not simply a worker assigned a useful job. Each is a possible Jan whose life took a different path after a consequential decision. That premise gives the crew-management problem a personal dimension: the people you depend on are versions of the same person, but they are not interchangeable in skills, memories or outlook.
It also gives the story a natural set of questions about regret, responsibility and identity. Creating an Alter to fill a role can be necessary for survival, yet that version of Jan has their own needs and perspective. The core concept is strongest for players interested in seeing logistics and interpersonal conflict affect one another, rather than managing a crew as a set of anonymous statistics.
Rank #2
- PS5 Features include raytracing modes and immersive haptic feedback for DualSense
- Use darkness and cover to avoid being overwhelmed by the ship's deadly new inhabitants
- Seek out the weapon fabricators to increase your firepower as you journey deeper, into the dark and terrifying depths, but beware ammo is limited
- Gather materials & schematics for weapon upgrades and suit customizations with buffs
- Harvest DNA material to improve health, toughness and defensive capabilities.Survive an ever changing labyrinth. Each and every expedition into The Persistence will be disorienting and different.Death is just the beginning. Fatal encounters will result in Zimri's consciousness being uploaded into a new cloned body, ready to try again, with any upgraded stats, suits & weapon schematics kept to aid the next attempt to save the ship
Is The Alters worth playing?
It is a strong match if you want a survival game where base planning and resource gathering sit alongside a character-centered science-fiction story. The alternate-Jan premise gives its crew system a clear narrative purpose, while the hostile setting supplies pressure to keep exploring, crafting and expanding.
It may be a less natural fit if you mainly want action combat, a purely open-ended building sandbox or management stripped of story and relationships. The available evidence establishes the game’s premise and published mechanics, but not a hands-on basis for judging pacing, difficulty, performance or how satisfying its systems feel over a full playthrough.
Rank #3
- Build your own zoo with over 500 different animals at your disposal, then splice together over 300,000 different animal combinations
- Keep your animals and your itors happy, with hundreds of buildings, foliage, path and enclosure decorations
- Hire the perfect employees to deal with a variety of life events
- Control everything that happens in your park, from what your animals eat to what eats your animals…
- Decide whether you want to run your Zoo above board... or break the law and pocket the extra cash
What reception figures say—and don’t say
Reception snapshots provide context, not a substitute for deciding whether the genre fits. When checked in 2026, Steam displayed 88% positive English-language reviews from 6,126 reviews and 85% positive recent reviews from 357 reviews. These are changing Steam user-review figures.
Epic’s listing, also checked in 2026, displayed an OpenCritic top-critic average of 86/100 and a 95% critics-recommend figure. These aggregator measures are distinct from Steam user ratings, and the Epic display is a storefront snapshot rather than a newly verified OpenCritic record.
Rank #4
- Experience the epic Horizon Forbidden West in its entirety, including bonus content and the Burning Shores expansion:
- Brave an expansive open world – discover distant lands, new enemies, rich cultures and striking characters.
- A majestic frontier – explore the lush forests, sunken cities and towering mountains of a far-future America.
- Confront new dangers – engage in strategic battles against enormous machines and mounted human enemies by using weapons, gear and traps crafted from salvaged parts.
- Unravel startling mysteries – uncover the secret behind Earth’s imminent collapse and unlock a hidden chapter in the ancient past… one that will change Aloy forever.
What platforms is The Alters on?
The game launched on June 13, 2025. Official listings establish a Windows PC version on Steam and Epic Games Store, as well as a PS5 version. PlayStation labels it PS5 Pro Enhanced. Xbox and Game Pass availability appeared in publisher and search results, but current regional status is not established here; check the Xbox store in your region before buying or relying on subscription access.
Standard and Deluxe editions
PlayStation lists Standard and Deluxe editions. Its Deluxe edition includes the game, the Last Variable add-on, an exclusive in-game outfit and the original soundtrack. Steam and Epic also list The Alters: Last Variable and The Alters: Original Soundtrack as digital add-ons. Edition contents, availability and prices can differ by store and region, so confirm the local listing before purchase.
Can my PC run The Alters?
The official Steam and Epic listings specify Windows 10 64-bit or later, 16 GB of RAM, DirectX 12, an SSD and 50 GB of available storage. Their minimum and recommended graphics specifications are:
| Requirement | Minimum | Recommended |
|---|---|---|
| Operating system | Windows 10 64-bit or later | Windows 10 64-bit or later |
| Memory | 16 GB RAM | 16 GB RAM |
| Graphics | Radeon RX 570, GeForce GTX 1060 or Intel Arc A570; 6+ GB video memory | Radeon RX 6600 XT, GeForce RTX 2070 or Intel Arc A770; 8+ GB video memory |
| DirectX | Version 12 | Version 12 |
| Storage | 50 GB available on an SSD | 50 GB available on an SSD |
These are the publisher’s listed PC requirements, not independent performance tests. Meeting a specification does not by itself establish a particular frame rate or visual setting. Compare your system’s graphics card and available SSD space with the listing for the store version you plan to use.
Quick Recap
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
