Image: Cloud Imperium
Squadron 42’s new star-studded gameplay features Gary Oldman, Mark Strong and Gillian Anderson.
Star Citizen developer Cloud Imperium has released an hour-long gameplay reveal of Squadron 42, its singleplayer spin-off of Star Citizen. The gameplay video features Squadron 42’s bombastic opening sequence, which introduces players to its sci-fi universe before chucking them into an epic space battle. It’s packed with known acting talent too, such as Mark Strong, Gary Oldman and Gillian Anderson.
Squadron 42 reveals 2026 release date alongside gameplay reveal
Cloud Imperium’s long-awaited multiplayer space sim game Star Citizen still isn’t close to getting a release date, but its singleplayer spin-off Squadron 42 seems to be moving along nicely at least. The developer dropped a gameplay reveal during CitizenCon 2954, assuring fans that the game was now headed for a 2026 launch window.
Whether or not it hits that window remains to be seen, as Star Citizen itself was originally planned to launch in 2014, but has now been delayed for an entire decade.
Game director Chris Roberts showed off Squadron 42 in a live demo presentation on stage, even if the demo didn’t go quite as planned. The game crashed twice throughout the presentation, but it eventually ran well enough for Cloud Imperium to show off its entire first chapter. Once it was over, Roberts assured players that the game would contain roughly 30-40 hours of gameplay when it launches in 2026.
Squadron 42 raised a few eyebrows when its cast was announced in 2015, as it was absolutely stacked with big-name actors. Among them are Gary Oldman, Henry Cavill, Mark Hamill, Eleanor Tomlinson, Andy Serkis, Mark Strong and Ben Mendelsohn. Squadron 42 and Star Citizen have both raised a whopping $729 million from crowdfunders worldwide, but one wonders how sustainable their development is going to be in the long-term for Cloud Imperium.
Squadron 42 is now expected to launch sometime in 2026.
