Play Order (Release = Chronological)Recommended
0 / 6 playedThe games in release order, and the recommended play order for a first run.
- 1 X-COM: The 1990s Originals Groups UFO Defense (1994), Terror from the Deep (1995), Apocalypse (1997) and Interceptor (1998). Optional history; skip on a first run.
- 2 XCOM: Enemy Unknown 2012 reboot; the recommended entry point.
- 3 XCOM: Enemy Within Expansion that folds into the Enemy Unknown campaign; play the two together.
- 4 XCOM 2 Sequel set 20 years later, after XCOM lost the war and humanity fell under ADVENT rule.
- 5 XCOM 2: War of the Chosen Major XCOM 2 expansion adding the Chosen, the Lost and three new factions; play as part of XCOM 2.
- 6 XCOM: Chimera Squad Standalone spinoff set five years after XCOM 2, with fixed agents and shorter breach-led missions.
About XCOM
XCOM is the turn-based tactics series about a covert multinational unit defending Earth from alien invasion, spanning the 1990s originals and the Firaxis reboot that began in 2012. This play order follows release order. Newcomers should start with XCOM: Enemy Unknown (2012), the reboot that anchors the modern story.
The four 1990s originals are grouped as one entry below and work as history, not homework. Enemy Within folds into the 2012 campaign, War of the Chosen expands XCOM 2, and Chimera Squad is a shorter standalone set five years after XCOM 2.
Good to know
This list skips The Bureau: XCOM Declassified (2013), X-COM: Enforcer (2001) and the mobile XCOM: Legends (2021) to keep a single clean list. No XCOM 3 video game has been announced as of September 2026; the April 2026 anniversary announcement was a tabletop miniatures game from Modiphius, so no date is listed here.
