The Alters is altered again: 11 Bit Studios’ survival game about creating alt-universe versions of yourself on a hostile alien world is delayed

The Alters, 11 Bit Studios’ weird-looking game about recruiting alt-universe versions of yourself to survive on a hostile alien world, has been altered again. Following a delay in 2024 that pushed it into the first quarter of 2025, it’s now been delayed again to an unspecified 2025 release.

The premise of The Alters sounds to me more like a sitcom than a survival game: Trapped and alone, you come up with the brilliant idea of basically cloning yourself in order to create a crew more capable of surviving and escaping your unfortunate situation. It makes me think of the great Calvin and Hobbes “Replicator” arc, where Calvin creates duplicates of himself to help with chores and homework—but they instead immediately start raising hell.

The catch is that each “new you” is actually an alternate-universe version of yourself, shaped by different choices made in your past: Did you stand up to your abusive father, did you sacrifice your career for love, that sort of thing. Each different choice alters the person you ultimately became, leading to questions of choice and identity, with “moral dilemmas and branching paths” and a challenge to “reflect on one of life’s fundamental questions—do we shape our destiny or does it shape us?”

11 Bit’s previous work, This War of Mine and Frostpunk, aren’t exactly known for being lighthearted experiences either, so while The Alters clearly has potential for comedic moments, I really don’t expect it to be a full-tilt laugh-along. The most recent trailer is a bit on the grim side, too.

PC Gamer’s Joshua Wolens got a taste of that in a 2024 preview, discovering that his newly-created Alters were none to happy about being yanked into existence solely to face possible death on a hostile planet. Managing relationships is central to keeping the wheels turning, but with so many potential variations, and everyone involved being “you,” ugly outcomes are almost inevitable.

It sounds interesting at the very least—Josh didn’t get to see much of it, but it left him eager for more—and so the delay is disappointing. The good news is you can get a taste of The Alters for yourself by way of the demo available on Steam.

Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.