Area 51 (2005) - Installation and Patching for Windows 10/11

Описание: PCGamingWiki;
https://www.pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Are...)

Area 51 ModDB Download;
https://www.moddb.com/games/area-511/...

Area 51 Preservation Project;
https://lucasc.me/post/area-51-2005-w...

This guide is mainly to assist those who struggled reading through or watching seperate guides, only to have the game still not work at all. I apologize that this guide is very rough, but I wanted it to be a simple and easy to follow representation of how to install and patch this game to run on Windows 10/11 machines. I will also write a list of steps below in the description. Thank you for watching, and God bless.


1.) Install Area 51 through either link in the PCGamingWiki or Project Preservation guide.

2.) Once installed, download the zipped file from the Preservation Project containing the proper patch for your region, in this case in the US that would be Patch 1.2. Drag all files from the correct patch folder into your installation folder of Area 51.

3.) Download the zipped file containing the DirectX 9 Wrappers. Once downloaded, transfer the files from the Wrapper folder to your Area 51 installation folder as you did for step 2.

4.) Additionally, download and install both Controller Support and Widescreen Cutscene files and install them following the same directions as step 2 and 3.

5.) Right click the Area 51 launcher (marked A51 in the file) and select properties. Once in properties, go under compatibility and select Windows XP Service Pack 2, then click Apply and Okay.

6.) Go to your Windows search bar and search for "Control Panel". Once your Control Panel is open, select "Programs". Under "Programs and Features", select "Turn Windows features on or off". When the box comes up for features, scroll down until you see "Legacy Components". Expand your selection and check the box next to "Direct Play".

Once you're done with these steps, you should be able to launch the game and choose your video options, including widescreen support. I hope this helps, and if you face any issues or concerns please leave a comment and let me know!

Edit 02/04/2025; A commenter also used the assistance of the following guide to get A51 running on their PC.    • Area 51 Installation Guide 2015 Windows 10