Alternate versions

Several scenes were modified to tone down the movie for showing on Russian television. Aside from cutdowns similar to the Australian version to tone down the violence, of note is a modification to the video feed scene (where Rico 'walks' Carmen through his surroundings, camera in hand) - when his teammates take off their pants to moon the camera, static was added to cover the nudity up. Also, the shower room and the sex scene were slightly cut to remove frontal nudity.

USA version was cut to avoid a NC-17 version, four seconds were cut from the final battle at the military base.

The DVD release features deleted scenes. These scenes are mostly references to how Carmen Ibanez gets sexually involved with both Johnny Rico and Zander Barcalow. There is also a alternate ending where Johnny and Carmen kiss and are "back together."

The Australian Cable, VHS, DVD, and theatrical releases are uncut. The free-to-air TV version makes a few cuts in order to receive an 'M' rating so that the movie may be shown at an earlier 8:30pm time-slot. Nudity and language are intact, and the following scenes are cut for violence:

• The decapitation/trench run at the beginning is cut by a few seconds. In the middle of the movie where the scene is replayed, it is still cut. The death of the cameraman is not shown and cuts to Rico shooting the bug still.
• The 'knife' scene is cut. The knife is thrown, but it is not actually shown going into the hand, let alone Zim calling out Medic! when he pulls the knife out.
• Shujumi's death is cut, the Bug doesn't carry him around before chucking him away.
• One of the announcement breaks are cut, The one when the reports of Mormons settle on a military base, with the corpses being shown.
• When the Radio Technician is picked up by a Flying Bug, the initial stinging of him is cut.
• When Rasczak has his legs bitten off, the shot of Rico fully plays out over the gunshot wound to Rasczak, instead of cutting to the shot.
• The three victims of the Tanker Bug are cut.
• The showing of Farley with his brains gone is cut.
• Numerous cuts occur on the attack on the military base.
• Dizzy's death is cut, the initial 2 stabs are in, the next 2 stabs are cut and the pulling out of the claw is cut too, just Rico and Levy carry her back to the lifeboat.
• A shot of Carmen wincing in pain after she gets stabbed by a Bug is cut
• The scene where the brain bug sucks Zander's brains out is cut; it cuts away to a shot of Carmenafter the head is pierced.

A heavily cut version was shown on German TV in March 2001. This version was cut down to 89min. but still labeled as "not under 18" although almost every violent scene was cut out. For example the opening-battle at Klendathu was cut down to about 2 or 3 minutes. After the speech of the reporter you only saw the bug grapping the reporter and some soldiers firing some seconds before Rico is screaming into the camera.

During the classroom scene when Mr. Rasczak (Michael Ironside) talks about violence he says "I wonder what the city fathers of Hiroshima would say about that." and Carmen (Denise Richards) replies "They probably wouldn't say anything. Hiroshima was destroyed." This scene was removed from the Japanese version. In the German version Mr. Rasczak says "I wonder what the citizens of Washington would say about that." and Carmen replies "They probably wouldn't say anything. Washington was destroyed during the first Bug War."

Dialogue changes in German version: in school the teacher is talking about failure of democracy and how the veterans took control. Only citizens are allowed to vote. In the German version all this is changed about some talking about the war against the bugs; democracy is not mentioned. "Service garantees citizenship" is changed to "Fight for the future".