Alien vs Predator: The Hunt Begins’ second edition has better rules, models and art – plus, it’s much cheaper!

A new version of ultimate sci-fi monster showdown Aliens vs Predator: The Hunt Begins is coming out next month.

The wargame mashup, which pits xenomorphs, their alien-hunting foes and poor squishy human marines against each other, was originally released a couple of years ago after a controversial Kickstarter campaign by publisher Prodos.

This second edition features a considerable number of changes to the game’s components and rules, all crammed into a new square box that is roughly half the size of the original.

All of the miniatures have been resculpted, and will now come with integrated terrain bases. They also won’t need to be put together, unlike the previous incarnations. Plus, there’s a new foam insert to protect the models – the more broken alien tails.

Similarly, there’s the art on the cards and tiles has been refreshed and redesigned. They’re not double-sided anymore, but can be used with the original box.

As you might expect, the rulebook takes into account the errata and patches released since 2015, but also adds in a new co-operative mode known as The Last Stand where players work together to fend off spawning xenos, controlled by the game.

The second edition box will be compatible with the first version of the game via a separate £15 upgrade pack comprising an A5 manual, updated cards and tokens.

Best of all, the new version will apparently be exactly half the price of the original game in the US, falling from $120 to $60. We don’t get as good a deal here in the UK, but the second edition will still be a fair chunk cheaper when it releases in May – dropping from an RRP of £75 to £49.