Play Alien 3 (Beta) Online

Ripley’s still torching aliens in tight corridors, but this beta’s janky level layouts and twitchy xenomorphs make every vent crawl feel like a fresh nightmare. The glitchy graphics somehow make it creepier—you’ll second-guess every flickering shadow.

Developer: Probe Software

Genre: Action

Released: 1993

File size: 572 bytes

Game Overview

Ever played the final version of Alien 3 on SNES? This beta’s like stumbling onto a weird, alternate universe version of it—same Ripley, same Xenomorphs, but everything feels slightly off in the best way. The levels twist differently, some enemies move like they’ve had too much coffee, and the whole thing’s got this janky, unfinished charm that makes it way more interesting than it should be.

You’ll still be sweating through those claustrophobic prison corridors, flamethrower in hand, but here the shadows feel darker, the aliens more unpredictable. I swear, one of them lunged at me from a vent I didn’t even know existed. The graphics are rougher around the edges too—like someone smeared Vaseline on the screen—but it weirdly adds to the horror. Found myself jumping at pixelated blobs more than I’d like to admit.

If you’ve burned through the official release a dozen times, this beta’s like finding a secret level hidden in your childhood cartridge. Just don’t blame me when you get jumpscared by a glitchy facehugger the devs forgot to polish.