Fit check
Is When They Arrived worth it for you?
We tell you who should skip it, too.
Play it if you…
Good fit- Survival-game players who want resource gathering and construction alongside combat
- Explorers who prefer open-ended movement and a large world over a tightly directed route
- Players interested in alien-invasion stories who want to investigate clues while surviving
Skip it if you…
Saves you a refund- Players seeking a finished, fully available campaign may find the planned Mars destination missing from the current game.
- Players who prefer a narrowly focused action game may find the mix of hunting, crafting, building, exploration, and skill development diffuse.
- Players looking for a cooperative survival experience may not find a stated team-play focus here.
Our take on When They Arrived
The survival loop covers exploration, hunting, crafting, building, and combat, but the Mars expedition remains outside the current game. That leaves the stated plan to confront the invasion’s alien stronghold unavailable for now.
What is When They Arrived?
After an alien invasion destroys cities, Alan must survive at his grandfather’s country house and find ways to oppose the aliens.
The game combines exploration, combat, resource gathering, crafting, and construction. Players can mine ore to make useful items, hunt boars and deer for food, and build structures such as traps. Bears, wolves, and alien enemies pose threats. An ATV provides a way to travel through areas occupied by enemies, while a card panel is used to develop combat and other skills. The story also involves investigating the “Witnesses of the second coming” and collecting parts and blueprints for a mini-mole hole. The planned Mars location is not yet in the game.
How When They Arrived plays
- 01Resource crafting
- Ore can be gathered and turned into useful objects.
- 02Hunting and food
- Boars and deer can be hunted for provisions, while bears and wolves are hazards.
- 03Skill development
- A card panel is used to raise combat skills and other abilities.
- 04Enemy transport
- An old ATV can be driven through areas crowded with enemies.
- 05Invasion storyline
- Players investigate a group called the Witnesses of the second coming while seeking a way to affect the alien invasion.
When They Arrived compared to similar games
Mr. Prepper focuses on preparing an underground shelter amid the threat of nuclear war and an authoritarian government; When They Arrived centers on surviving an alien invasion through exploration, hunting, crafting, and combat. Unplagued is a team-based effort to clear plague-infected medieval villages, while When They Arrived is framed around one protagonist’s survival and resistance to aliens.
When They Arrived: platforms & release
Is When They Arrived worth it?
It is worth it if: survival-game players who want resource gathering and construction alongside combat. Skip it if: players seeking a finished, fully available campaign may find the planned Mars destination missing from the current game.
Where can I download When They Arrived?
Use the Download Now button on this page: it opens When They Arrived's store page, where you can choose how to get it.
What platforms is When They Arrived on?
Windows only.
