by The Alters will receive more than 20 hours of additional content when its first expansion, Last Variable, drops onto PS5 next month.
The DLC follows an elderly Jan Scientist who stayed behind to pursue a "life-defining research opportunity". The fresh content explores this through "new mechanics, an underground base to build, and a refined gameplay loop centred on terraforming parts of the planet into lush, oasis-like biomes".
How Long to Beat has The Alters tagged as a 20-hour experience for the main story alone, so for 11 Bit Studios to push the expansion as offering a similar amount of content, it sounds like a substantial addition. A developer estimate can sometimes be off, but it seems like Last Variable has a lot to offer.
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It's out for PS5 on 13th July 2026.
A price hasn't been confirmed yet, but it is part of the Deluxe Edition of the game. Without any discounts, the Deluxe Edition is £11 / $15 more than the base game on the PS Store, so we should expect the expansion to be within that price range. If you already own The Alters, then the Deluxe Edition upgrade option is actually on sale now for £6.59 / $8.24 with PS Plus.
Last Variable will only add to an experience we considered "great" back at the base game's release last year. Having awarded it an 8/10, we said the following of The Alters: "A tense, thrilling, thoughtful game that makes you question what kind of person you want to be."
Have you been eager for a DLC for The Alters? Let us know in the comments below.