AREA 51
A downloadable game for Windows
In 2005, Midway Studios Austin (comprised of members from Inevitable Entertainment) had concluded development on a first person shooter that, little did they know, would become a cult classic. Midway Games (the same company that published classics such as Mortal Kombat, NFL Blitz, Rampage, and more) released said FPS, Area 51, to the public on both PC and consoles. The game is considered a loose remake of the 1995, arcade, rail shooter of the same name. Area 51 offers both a creative, story-driven campaign along with intense, action-packed multiplayer.
In campaign mode, the player controls protagonist Ethan Cole (voiced by David Duchovny of X-Files), joined with HAZMAT Team Bravo as they are sent in to seek out HAZMAT Team Delta after the team was attacked by an alien mutant. Early into the game, Ethan becomes "separated" from the rest of HAZMAT Team Bravo and the player is forced to navigate and survive on their own as they uncover the secrets of Area 51... the real Area 51 hidden 3 miles below the surface of the Earth. Along the way, Ethan encounters mutants, alien lifeforms (one of which is voiced by Marilyn Manson), and alien weapons, as well as classified intel regarding conspiracy theories, the origin of the mutants, and a pact between secret societies that puts all life on Earth in danger.
In multiplayer mode, players can host/join games using OpenSpy servers (emulated GameSpy servers) and choose from 19 maps to engage in game modes such as deathmatch, team deathmatch, infection, capture the flag, and hold (territories) with up to 16 players.
DISCLAIMER: This account is not affiliated with Midway Games or Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. Please note that the purpose of this account is to utilize itch.io as a medium for distributing Area 51, a game which was officially designated as freeware in 2008.
Original E3 Trailer, courtesy of Vekin03
PCGamingWiki for Info and Game Fixes
Patches Guide, courtesy of Lucas C
© Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.
Download
Install instructions
Install: An installation is not required. Simply download area-51-win.zip, extract the contents to a folder, and run A51.exe to launch the game. Once launched, I highly advise navigating to Video Settings and enabling High Detailed Textures.
Multiplayer: The game is already patched to connect to OpenSpy servers. In order to play multiplayer, you can create an account through the "Online" section within the game. Once created, you can log in to host or join a lobby.
Configuration
Resolution & Fullscreen/Windowed Settings: After launching Area 51 for the first time, a file named UserVConfig.ini will be created in the game folder (this is not to be confused with VConfig.ini which seems to be unused). While the game is closed, open UserVConfig.ini in notepad, or a similar text editor, and make the appropriate changes. If "Window" is set to "TRUE", the game will launch in windowed mode.
FOV Settings: The original game does not offer FOV settings, however, they can be modified using this patch.
Language/Localization Settings: This version supports the following languages: English, Spanish, French, Italian, and German. To change the language, open LangConfig.ini in a text editor, change "English" to one of the mentioned languages, save the file, and run the game. This will update the text as well as the audio in both cutscenes and the game itself.
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Comments
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If you beat this game on medium, and probably with a mouse and keyboard, then you’re in the Air Force.
I swear this game was different on ps2, but I think it crashed. Like the shooting was different, maybe it had too high of system requirements.
Without the app, you just enable 600 by 400 and enable compatibility for windows xp. If you get slowed down movement wise just restart the computer.
It’s a great game. It kind of looks like modern warfare 2 in certain parts like the end in the dark where you repel down the building. And have to crawl around.
I can't jump
just change screen ur window 144hz to 60hz i promise it work
Ayúdame, ¿dónde puedo encontrar las versiones?
Ok. I've solved the problem of the white window at the start on Windows 11. I've downloaded the latest release of DxWrapper (here: https://github.com/elishacloud/dxwrapper/releases), then I've replaced the old file "dxwrapper.dll" with the new one.
After this, the game started with any problem. I hope can be helpful for other players the had the same problem. Cheers!
Works great as of 5.1.24. No patches, no weirdness, no complications. Just install using the itch app and you don't even have to unzip anything.
Ayúdame, ¿dónde puedo encontrar las versiones?
When installing the game with the installer on this page. I put the designated patches (From the Preservation version) I copy and paste the files in the base game folder as Lucas's page says but after everything and put to start it in administrator mode I get these errors: A51.exe – System Error Code execution cannot continue because vulkan-1.dll was not found. This problem can be solved by reinstalling the program.
And after searching for the .dll on the internet and putting it in the folder it tells me this: A51.exe- Application error The application could not be started correctly (0xc000007b) Click OK to close it.
Anyone with this particular error?
broooooo, i used to play this game on the ps2 back in the day
best game ever
Hello, the textures do not load at the beginning of the campaign, does anyone know how to solve it?
you ever get this fix??
Got this same issue. I was pretty pumped with that intro and then...this.
Click the link to the "Patches Guide" above, scroll down to the "Killing stutter, reviving textures" section, and try the fixes Lucas C mentions in his article.
Thank you for uploading. I remember renting this game, when someone told me not to play it. He said that there's aliens in shields that you can't kill. Jokes on him, i finished the game
The game does not start.
Solution: Open vconfig y write this:
Window = FALSE;
ScreenWidth = 1920;
ScreenHeight = 1080;
UseHiResTextures = TRUE;
Gamma = 1.0;
Contrast = 1.0;
Brightness = 0.0;
To everyone downloading this: be aware that the default FOV is set to 60 degrees and cannot be changed in-game. Here's a fix I found to let you change it out-of-game: https://community.pcgamingwiki.com/files/file/1483-area-51-hor-fov-fix/
Thank you - but I already included that link next to "FOV Settings" in the "Install Instructions" section.
Thank you for uploading this game on here! I remember playing this game a long time ago, and I've never thought I'd get another chance to play it again.
Sure thing! Thank you for playing it.
Undoubtedly, it's an interesting proposal. There are a lot of games that really deserve to be re-released for modern platforms. As for the game itself, an excellent FPS that maintains the spirit of the frenetic action games of the time. Congratulations guys.
We can only hope Warner Bros. makes the decision to remaster it themselves or find a dev team willing to do it for them. Also, thanks for capturing some gameplay and uploading the video!