UFO: Extraterrestrials Gold is a turn-based strategy with technological progress and scientific research, which has become an unofficial sequel to the famous X-Com. The events take the user to the planet Esperanza, where a human colony lives, which receives data on the expansion of the Earth by aliens. The invaders quickly arrive here to destroy the remaining people. The game has received many improvements, including the ability to hire soldiers, additional items for research and production activities. Here they added the ability to hire fighters, contactless grenades, energy shields, jetpacks, a rocket launcher with an automatic mode, combat armor.Conditions of defeat:
- SPP base - in the event that the alien attack on the main center of the Alien Counterforce is not repelled or the base itself does not have enough equipment and fighters to repel enemy forces.
- Bankruptcy - at the start, the user receives a sum of 1 million dollars, which can quickly dry up if expenses are not calculated. There are sources of income, for example, the state monthly in case of complete security (if the aliens have not captured it) accrues money. You can also earn money by trading extraterrestrial artifacts, including equipment and gear.
- Attack on the Centaur - this is a unique ship on which you can save humanity. If the enemy attacks it, and the crew cannot fight back - the condition of loss is met.
- Arrival of the main enemy spacecraft to the planet - if the enemy's mother ship is near Esperanza, and the enemies themselves obtain the required amount of the resource avonium.
The Earth patrol, while exploring the territory, one day discovers a fleet of alien enemies. The player goes to the global planetary map, where he opens an encyclopedia - "Ufopedia", from which he learns all the details. An assault squad arrives at the crash site of the downed enemy starship. Soon it becomes known about the attack on the planet of the invader race, so the locals create the Alien Counterforce - CCF. The user controls a squad of soldiers who fight the enemy using their skills as a team, for example, one fighter opens a door and the rest cover him. A group of special forces will have to penetrate a downed starship, gradually exploring all its compartments. Inside, they split into pairs, wandering in different directions. The task is to find all the hidden enemies. In the process, characters earn experience and receive better weapons. Here, the study of extraterrestrial technologies is also provided through the tree of science in order to find a way to deal with the enemy, for example, when studying a corpse, you can find out its vulnerable spots. You can take prisoners, from whom the reasons and circumstances of the attack are found out.