Question 1

Is Alien Swarm free?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Valve released it free on Steam. PlayBound hands off to Steam for download and updates — there is no separate PlayBound-hosted package.

Question 2

How is this different from Alien Swarm: Reactive Drop?

Accepted Answer

Alien Swarm is Valve's original 2010 campaign. Reactive Drop is the free community continuation with more content, active multiplayer, and official full controller support. Both are listed separately on PlayBound.

Question 3

Does it support controllers?

Accepted Answer

Partially. Classic Swarm often needs Steam Input or console commands. Reactive Drop ships official full controller support.

Question 4

Can I play offline?

Accepted Answer

The campaign supports local play with bots. Online co-op needs Steam and a network connection.

Question 5

Does Alien Swarm have multiplayer?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Alien Swarm supports up to 4 players. You can host a game on your own PC. PlayBound Connect handles the setup: start a party with your friends, pick how you want to play, and everyone launches into the same game from the PlayBound launcher. It also supports co-op play. There is no subscription and no paid multiplayer tier.