Chicken Invaders Collection is now available to preview through the Xbox Insider program on Xbox consoles and Windows PC. Microsoft says the collection brings the long-running arcade shooter series together in one package for the first time since Chicken Invaders debuted in 1999. Xbox Insiders can join the preview immediately through the Xbox Insider Hub and install the Chicken Invaders Collection Demo from the Store.
The package is being developed by InterAction studios and is intended to combine Chicken Invaders Episodes 1 through 5 into a single collection. The developer had already been testing the collection on Steam earlier this year as preparation for the Xbox release, describing that version as a stepping stone toward the console launch. Progression systems such as keys and certain unlockables are shared across the episodes while each game remains separately selectable within the collection.
Microsoft describes Chicken Invaders Collection as retaining the series’ familiar arcade-shooter structure, with players fighting waves of intergalactic chickens, taking on oversized bosses and progressing through increasingly difficult stages. The collection also includes the series’ orchestral soundtrack and can be played solo or with multiplayer support. Xbox Wire says players can team up with up to eight friends, substantially expanding the social side of a franchise that has historically supported local and online cooperative play in different forms.
The Xbox Insider build is not being presented as the final release. Microsoft is explicitly asking participants to test the collection and send feedback to InterAction studios while development continues. Players can access dedicated surveys inside the Xbox Insider Hub, while technical problems on Xbox can be submitted through Microsoft’s Report a Problem system under the Chicken Invaders Collection Demo category.
Joining the test is relatively straightforward. Xbox Insiders need to launch the Xbox Insider Hub on either an Xbox console or Windows PC, open the Previews section and select Chicken Invaders Collection. After registration completes, the app redirects users to the Store, where the demo can be installed.
The collection represents a notable new platform push for a series that has spent most of its history associated with PC. InterAction studios said during its earlier beta testing that the Steam collection was being used to prepare for Xbox, while PlayStation and Nintendo Switch versions were planned for consideration after the Xbox work was completed. Microsoft has not announced a final Xbox release date in today’s preview notice.
Chicken Invaders began in 1999 and developed into a long-running series of arcade shooters built around parodying classic space-invader games with increasingly elaborate chicken-themed enemies, weapons and boss encounters. Later entries expanded the formula with more weapons, progression systems, multiplayer and holiday variants. Bringing the first five main episodes together removes the need for new players to approach the games as separate releases.
The preview also gives InterAction studios a chance to test how the older series behaves within a modern Xbox environment. Earlier PC beta builds focused on controller handling, multiplayer invitations, interface changes and other systems required for console deployment, suggesting that the collection is more than a simple launcher containing untouched versions of the original games.
For now, Chicken Invaders Collection remains in preview rather than full release. Xbox Insiders on supported Xbox consoles and Windows PCs can join immediately, while InterAction studios continues collecting feedback ahead of the eventual launch. Microsoft has not yet confirmed pricing, a final release date or whether the finished collection will arrive simultaneously on Xbox and PC.
