UFO: Afterlight

2007 Altar Games Indie, Strategy

Windows 11With a fix

MacNot sold

LinuxGold

Steam DeckUnsupported

Gamicality score

Metacritic 714

OpenCritic Not rated

Steam players 631

How it’s combined

Playability today

2.5

Runs today3/5

Design today1.5/5

Steam user reviews

Mixed

65%

517 reviews1

Get it on Steam

Facts checked November 1, 2026

Does UFO: Afterlight run on Windows 11, Apple Silicon Macs, Linux and Steam Deck?

Windows 11With a fix

Runs with a fix. See the steps below.1

Mac (Apple Silicon)Not sold

No Mac version is sold.

LinuxGold

Through Proton. ProtonDB: Gold, runs perfectly after tweaks.3

Steam DeckUnsupported

Unsupported, as rated by Valve.1

Played UFO: Afterlight lately?

One click, no account, so the next player knows. How we check where it runs

How to get UFO: Afterlight running today

If the game will not start or runs poorly on newer hardware, launch UFOApp.exe from the game folder instead of UFO.exe, as PCGamingWiki and a Steam discussion recommend.
If the screen is cut off after a resolution change, open options.cfg in the Profiles folder and set fullscreen to FALSE, then pick a resolution from inside the game (Steam discussion).
If the game crashes when the strategic map loads, set Scenery background to Disabled in the options (Steam discussion).
For crashes late in missions, cap the frame rate at 60 FPS and let the game executable use more than 2 GB of memory, as players suggest in a Steam discussion.

Synopsis

A squad tactics and strategy game set on Mars, where a small colony of human survivors must grow, research alien technology and slowly terraform the planet. Players manage a base of named scientists, technicians and soldiers, then send squads into pausable real-time battles against several alien factions. Territory taken on the planet map brings in the resources needed to build gear and expand.

Developer: Altar Games
Released: 2007
Genre: Indie, Strategy
Where to get it: Steam

Reception

Critics gave it a middling PC Metascore of 71. Worthplaying gave it 9 out of 10 and expected players to return to it for years, while GamesRadar+ warned that newcomers would be bewildered and found the camera frustrating. Steam reviews are Mixed, with 65 percent of about 520 recommending it. Fans call it an ambitious and underrated alternative to XCOM, with rich research, named characters and a living terraforming map. Recent reviews report broken resolution scaling on modern displays, crashes during missions, opaque progress goals and an awkward camera.

Playability today

The average of two parts, each from 1 to 5. Tap a check to see why. How it works

Runs today

3/5

Sold or given away today by an official source
Needs fan patches to run well on Windows 11
?Not confirmed yetSingle-player works without an internet connection
No source covers the current version yet, so this check counts as open, not passed. Played it lately? Tell us
All of its content still works (servers, DLC, unlocks)
It is a single-player game with no online services, and nothing was removed (PCGamingWiki).
Supports modern resolutions and widescreen
Widescreen and ultrawide resolutions are supported, though 4K support is limited (PCGamingWiki).
No full controller support and no remappable controls
The game has no controller support (PCGamingWiki).
Not Steam Deck Verified or Playable
No intrusive DRM or required third-party launcher account
No pay-to-win or pushy microtransactions
Known game-breaking bugs in the current version
PCGamingWiki lists the game as incompatible with Intel HD Graphics outside UFOApp.exe, and players on Windows 11 report constant crashes during missions (PCGamingWiki, Steam).

Design today

1.5/5

Controls feel awkward on a modern controller or mouse and keyboard
There is no controller support or mouse sensitivity setting, menus work only with the mouse, and players find unit pathing in battle annoying, with occasional hangs while it is worked out. Source: pcgamingwiki.com, steamcommunity.com, steamcommunity.com.
Menus, text or interface are hard to read on today's screens
4K support is limited, and players on modern displays report the picture cut off or scaled wrong after a resolution change, with no visible way to undo it or exit the game. Source: pcgamingwiki.com, steamcommunity.com, steamcommunity.com.
Saving is fair: free saves or frequent checkpoints, little lost progress
Players save and reload during tactical battles, as they advise for working around freezes and crashes, and since new recruits never arrive, a lost soldier usually means reloading or restarting the mission. Source: steamcommunity.com, steamcommunity.com, steamcommunity.com.
Hard to make progress without a guide
Critics warned that newcomers will be bewildered, players call the tutorial a mess that covers only the basics, and progress goals are opaque enough that researching in the wrong order can cost essential technology without a wiki. Source: gamesradar.com, steamcommunity.com, steamcommunity.com.
Pacing drags: grind, filler or forced backtracking
The planet map generates many similar tactical missions and counterattacks, battles play out much the same once the right tactics are found, and with no new recruits players often replay fights after losing a soldier. Source: steamcommunity.com, worthplaying.com, steamcommunity.com.
Camera or movement fights the player
A critic called the camera frustrating, and players describe it as quirky and hard to adjust, with one reporting it swinging wildly in underground maps. Source: gamesradar.com, steamcommunity.com, steamcommunity.com.