Squadron 42 is a crowdfunded, cinematic single-player space adventure developed by Cloud Imperium Games (CIG). Set in the Star Citizen universe in the year 2945, it casts you as a rookie combat pilot in the United Empire of Earth (UEE) Navy, serving aboard a massive capital ship as humanity fights a war on its borders. The game is in development for Windows PC with a planned release window of Q2 2027 — announced by Chris Roberts on August 31, 2026, with no specific day named.

The short version

Squadron 42 is a cinematic single-player space adventure for Windows PC, currently planned for Q2 2027. No specific release date has been announced, and there are no confirmed console or macOS versions.

The campaign combines space combat, first-person action, and story-driven exploration, with Cloud Imperium Games estimating more than 40 hours of gameplay. Pricing has not yet been announced.

A story with a beginning and an end

Unlike its sibling project Star Citizen — an ongoing multiplayer universe — Squadron 42 is a story-driven campaign. You enlist as a rookie, get assigned to the celebrated 42nd Squadron, and serve aboard the UEES Stanton, an Aegis Idris-class frigate attached to the 5th Fleet's 87th Battle Group. The war against the Vanduul, a hostile alien race, forms the backdrop; official material describes branching storylines, critical decisions that shape your reputation, and a crew with personalities of their own.

The campaign mixes three layers of play, shown in official footage:

  • Space combat — dogfights and turret gunnery against enemy fighters and capital ships.
  • First-person action — boarding defense, exploration, and ground missions.
  • Ship-board life — conversations, relationships, and a dynamic reputation system aboard your ship.

How it relates to Star Citizen

This is the single most common point of confusion, so it is worth being precise: Squadron 42 and Star Citizen are two separate games sharing one universe and one engine. Star Citizen is the multiplayer persistent universe and has been playable in alpha for years. Squadron 42 is the authored, single-player story — it has never had a public playable build. Technology flows between them, and CIG develops both in parallel.

Where the project stands

Squadron 42 was announced on October 10, 2012 alongside Star Citizen's crowdfunding campaign. It was declared feature complete at CitizenCon on October 22, 2023, and Chris Roberts said in December 2025 that the game was fully playable start to finish. In May 2026 he described the project as being "in the closing stages." The current Q2 2027 window was set on August 31, 2026, when the team moved the game out of late 2026 to avoid launching into the attention of GTA VI's release window. The full story lives in our release date guide and delay history.

What you can do today

The only official pre-launch action is adding Squadron 42 to your Steam wishlist (App ID 4045720, opened September 10, 2026). There is no demo, no public beta, and no pre-order — see our buying guide for what that means. While you wait, check your machine against the official PC requirements, watch the officially revealed gameplay, and meet the all-star cast.

Squadron 42 Guide is an unofficial fan project and is not affiliated with Cloud Imperium Games or Roberts Space Industries. Facts on this page were verified against official sources on 2026-10-12.