The first video game connected to the Alien franchise was released in 1982, based on the 1979 film Alien.  Subsequent games were based on that film and its sequels Aliens (1986), Alien 3 (1992), and Alien: Resurrection (1997).  The first video game in the Predator franchise was released in 1987, the same year as the Predator film on which it was based.  Subsequent Predator games were based on that film and its sequels Predator 2 (1990) and Predators (2010).  The first game to cross the two franchises was Alien vs Predator, released in September 1993 and based on an earlier comic book series.  Since then the characters and storylines of the two franchises have been officially crossed over in comic books, video games, and the feature films Alien vs. Predator (2004) and Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem (2007).  To date, there have been seventeen officially licensed video games released based on the Alien franchise, six based on the Predator franchise, and fourteen based on the Alien vs. Predator crossover imprint.  These have been created by various developers and released for a variety of platforms including video game consoles, handheld game consoles, personal computers, and mobile phones.  The Aliens vs. Predator Collectible Card Game published in 1997 and the Alien vs. Predator themed sets for HorrorClix released in 2006 are the only non-video games in the franchises. 

The stories of the games are set in a fictional universe in which alien races and species have dangerous conflicts with humans and with each other.  The games pit human, Alien, and Predator characters against one other in various fights for survival.  The settings of the games vary, with most of the stories taking place far in the future. 

Computer Gaming World stated "the game doesn't suffer from lack of action".  The magazine praised the Amiga version's graphics but called the Commodore version "extremely disappointing", and criticized the lack of a save game option as "extremely frustrating"[38]

Versions of the game were planned for the Nintendo DS in 2009,[153] and the Wii U in 2011.[155] The former version was never confirmed to be in development, and the latter version was being developed, but was then further delayed and eventually confirmed as cancelled in April 2013,[156] likely due to the notorious negativity surrounding the game at that point in time.