*We have had confirmation that the pre-load was a mistake and that it should be removed shortly.
The original story:
The Alters, which was delayed to “later in the year” a few weeks ago, has had a pre-load go live on Xbox Series consoles.
The Alters, which was delayed from both a release in 2024 and then in Q1 2025 to “later in the year”, has a pre-load of 43 GB available on the Xbox Series platforms. If you use the Xbox mobile app you can pre-load any game that has a store listing. I had done so previously with The Alters, as it was coming to Game Pass, and was surprised to see the game say it had an update. Without owning the game you cannot launch it, but I found it odd that a version would make it through Xbox’s notorious certification process when it was just delayed out of the first quarter of the year.
What is The Alters
The game’s Xbox.com Store Page describes it as:
URVIVAL HAS NEVER BEEN SO PERSONAL
The Alters is an ambitious sci-fi survival game with a unique twist. You play as Jan Dolski, the lone survivor of a crash-landed expedition on a hostile planet. To survive, you must form a new crew for your mobile base. Using a substance called Rapidium, you create alternative versions of Jan—THE ALTERS—each one shaped by a different crucial decision from the protagonist’s past.
Create Your Alters
Use the quantum computer onboard your base to simulate alternate outcomes of your past choices and uncoverJan’s different life paths. Each Alter brought to life thanks to the remarkable properties of Rapidium comes with unique skills and emotional depths. These variantions offer both opportunities and challenges as you navigate personal struggles and manage the fragile dynamics of your crew.
Survival Mechanics
To operate the mobile base, you’ll need to explore the planet’s surface in search of precious resources, like metals and organics. Yet venturing outside the safe haven comes with the risk of exposing you and your Alters to various deadly anomalies as well as the ever-present radiation of the sun. That’s why you must pay attention to the in-game day and night cycle and plan your daily activities wisely!
Branching Storylines
Navigate a narrative rich with moral dilemmas and branching paths. Your choices will shape Jan’s relations with his Alters which then will impact their journey and lead you to multiple outcomes and endings.
Expand your base
Gathered resources can be used in different ways – create necessary items or develop your base with additional modules like Research Lab or Social Room. Sometimes you will have to choose between creating items specially for your Alters and ones that could push the mission forward, like Anomaly Detectors or Radiation Filters. The burden of every decision lies solely on your shoulders as you will never be able to satisfy everyone’s needs.
The emotional sci-fi story
Jan Dolski is about to face the answers to the essential “what if?” question in the form of alternative versions of himself. This makes the predicament he is in even more daunting as you slowly discover the impact every choice has on Jan’s survival.
I have reached out to The Alter’s PR team to ask about this and will update the article if they respond.
