Polygon's early impressions of Aliens: Fireteam Elite 2 largely echo the mixed reception the co-op shooter received from Steam players following its recent launch. Despite some improvements over the original 2021 game, the reviewer found Cold Iron Studios' sequel held back by weak writing, repetitive mission design and technical hiccups, even on PS5 where the port fared better than on PC.

The campaign spans 15 story missions of roughly 20 to 30 minutes each, with squads now expanded from three to four players and meta-progression systems plus a Horde mode to encourage replaying levels. The reviewer praised the satisfying gunplay, new elemental ammo types and the flexible multiclass Specialist build, but criticised the narrative's attempts at humour and formulaic point-A-to-B objectives. Connectivity problems, including dropped matches over a wired connection, further marred the launch weekend, though the developer has reportedly pledged to address these issues.