Arma 3's alien expansion will add new factions, terrain and more to the sandbox

Arma 3, Bohemia Interactive's serious military sim, is going a bit X-Files. Arma 3: Contact, announced last month, is a spin-off expansion set during first contact with alien life, and while it could have been a tongue-in-cheek novelty, so far it appears to as straight-faced as its predecessor.

Along with the sci-fi campaign, the DLC will also introduce a lot of new assets that can be used in the rest of Arma 3, and Contact's new trailer gives us a look at what we'll be able to play with outside of the missions, including the 164 square kilometer map with new terrain.

Livonia is a temperate summer map with lots of forests and fields, the perfect place for a peaceful wander, and peppered with towns and railroads. Landmarks include lots of old World War 2 bunkers, an old munitions factory and a radar station. It looks nice! Very bucolic. Hopefully the aliens don't mess it up.

While Contact lets you get up to a lot of non-combat stuff, it still introduces plenty of new military toys that can also be used elsewhere. Five new weapons have been thrown into the mix, along with reskinned Arma 3 vehicles and gear unique to the new factions, the Livonian Defense Force and the Russian Spetsnaz.

You'll also be able to drive a tractor.

Everyone that owns Arma 3 will also get free stuff, including new camouflage options and more than 100 new terrain assets and decorative objects that can be used in your own mods.

Arma 3: Contact is due out on July 25.

Fraser is the UK online editor and has actually met The Internet in person. With over a decade of experience, he's been around the block a few times, serving as a freelancer, news editor and prolific reviewer. Strategy games have been a 30-year-long obsession, from tiny RTSs to sprawling political sims, and he never turns down the chance to rave about Total War or Crusader Kings. He's also been known to set up shop in the latest MMO and likes to wind down with an endlessly deep, systemic RPG. These days, when he's not editing, he can usually be found writing features that are 1,000 words too long or talking about his dog.