Star Citizen developer Cloud Imperium Games has told fans that the Mark Hamill-fronted single-player space adventure Squadron 42 is still on track for a 2026 release date — and not to expect “a long, drawn-out marketing campaign” beforehand.
Founder and CEO Chris Roberts wrote in a blog post that CIG is focusing on quality and polish as it moves toward an internal beta milestone and, eventually, a full release for Squadron 42 at some point next year.
“We’re confident in the direction the game is headed and are fully focused on delivering,” Roberts said. “We know many of you are eager to play, and we’re looking forward to putting it in your hands. We don’t plan on a long, drawn-out marketing campaign as we’ve already done our share of trailers and gameplay previews. When it’s time, you (and the rest of the gaming world) will hear a lot more from us.”
All chapters are said to be fully playable from beginning to end, and “we’ve been playing through the game ourselves regularly,” Roberts added. “Squadron 42 is a large game, over 40 hours in length, and it’s becoming increasingly clear how special it will be once the remaining polish, optimization, and bug fixing is complete.”
He continued: “a big part of what makes this possible is the technology we’ve built at CIG over many years. The ability to move seamlessly from on foot, into a vehicle you can fly and move around inside, down to a planet or across star systems, all without loading screens, creates a level of immersion that’s very difficult to replicate. That combination of close-up interaction and galactic scale is at the core of what will make Squadron 42 so unique.
“Equally important is the quality of the content itself. From writing and performance capture to characters, environments, ships, lighting, sound, cinematics, and design, the level of care across the entire game is something I’m incredibly proud of. Combined with deeply interactive systems, it creates an experience that pulls you into the world and keeps you there.”
Roberts, known for creating the Wing Commander series also starring Mark Hamill, showed off a Squadron 42 demo back in 2024. It was heavy on flashy cutscenes, with CGI representations of Hollywood stars such as Gillian Anderson, Henry Cavill, Gary Oldman, and Mark Strong mixed with on-rails turret action in a huge space battle. The demo ended with a first-person shooter segment as the alien enemy boarded the player’s ship.
As for Star Citizen itself, Roberts described 2025 as “the Year of Playability” for the space sim.
“It was a year when more people played than ever before and spent more time in the ’verse than at any point in our history,” he said. “That momentum did not happen by chance. It came from a focused effort to improve quality of life, performance, and reliability, and to make the gameplay experience more engaging and rewarding to return to.”
Star Citizen is reportedly set for a full release sometime in 2027 or 2028, or as Roberts has put it, one or two years after the release of Squadron 42. No firm release window was offered in his latest blog post, but he did say next year will see the developer “continue improving stability and depth in Star Citizen while expanding and connecting core systems that shape how you play, from Engineering to Inventory, Crafting, Social Tools, and other foundational features, alongside expanding the playable universe itself.”
Star Citizen is considered one of the most controversial projects in all video games. Over the 13 years since its crowdfunding drive began, Star Citizen has been called many things including a scam by those who wonder whether it will ever properly launch. Its virtual space ships, some of which cost hundreds of dollars, are often the focus of criticism. Roberts is said to have confirmed he’s raised just over $1 billion for Star Citizen from players so far.
Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
