Squadron 42, the single-player campaign set in the Star Citizen universe, can now be wishlisted on Steam, with the store page listing a Q2 2027 release. Developer Cloud Imperium Games announced the page on October 10 and released a new trailer alongside it. Gamebonk's release tracker currently lists the game for PC.
A rookie's war aboard a capital ship
The story takes place in 2945, as the United Empire of Earth teeters on the edge of collapse. Players sign up as a new recruit in the UEE Navy, serving on a capital ship and climbing the ranks during a galactic war. According to Eurogamer, Cloud Imperium describes a blend of space dogfighting, ground missions, stealth segments, and "quieter moments" spent with the crew, including choices made alongside fellow crewmates. The game tells a standalone story and runs on StarEngine, the studio's in-house technology.
The trailer leans heavily on its cast, which was recorded through full performance capture. Names include Mark Hamill, Gary Oldman, Gillian Anderson, Henry Cavill, Ben Mendelsohn, Andy Serkis, John Rhys-Davies, Jonathan Bailey, Mark Strong, Liam Cunningham, Damson Idris, Jane Perry, and Alix Wilton Regan. PC Gamer also spotted Rhona Mitra in the footage, and noted that the trailer shows plenty of the male version of the player character, while a female version is voiced by Wilton Regan. PC Gamer described the trailer's tone as heavy on military bravado.
Modest specs, big install
The Steam page includes system requirements, which PC Gamer points out make no mention of ray tracing hardware or DirectX 12. The listed install size is 150GB.
A long road to a store page
Squadron 42 has been in development for more than a decade, nearly as long as Star Citizen itself, and its release target has moved many times. The most recent shift came in August, when Chris Roberts said the game would leave 2026 behind to avoid launching against Grand Theft Auto 6. PC Gamer notes that the explanation was met with some skepticism, partly because a recent Star Citizen livestream had gone badly.
Meanwhile, the multiplayer Star Citizen passed $1 billion in crowdfunding in May, according to Eurogamer, a milestone that arrived alongside the sale of the Anvil Odin, a $5,000 capital ship offered as a concept pledge with no firm release date.
