Squadron 42, the single-player spin-off of Star Citizen, now has a Steam store page, and you can wishlist it. PCGamesN reports that the game is still due in the second quarter of 2027.
The page gives the clearest sign yet that Cloud Imperium Games (CIG) is preparing a wider launch for a game it started developing in 2014. It also arrives about six weeks after CIG moved the release out of 2026.
What the Steam page promises
Squadron 42 casts you as a recruit in the UEE Navy in the year 2945. The United Empire of Earth is close to collapse, squeezed between human outlaws and hostile alien forces, and you serve on the crew of a large capital ship. CIG says you build relationships with that crew and face “the sacrifices and split-second decisions” that shape your legacy.
The studio lists dogfights in space, ground combat operations, and large-scale battles, alongside exploration and what it calls “interactive cinematic sequences”. It also says the cast appears in gameplay rather than only in cutscenes, so you feel like an “active participant in the unfolding drama”.
That cast is the game’s main marketing hook. The revealed names include Mark Hamill, Gillian Anderson, Jonathan Bailey, Gary Oldman, Henry Cavill, Ben Mendelsohn, Andy Serkis, John Rhys-Davies, and Mark Strong.
The delay behind the date
CIG founder and CEO Chris Roberts had earlier planned a Q4 2026 release around the studio’s Intergalactic Aerospace Expo. In a letter on the Roberts Space Industries site, he moved it to Q2 2027 instead. As PC Gamer reported, Roberts said he didn’t want to launch “into the attention buzz saw of GTA 6”, and that Q2 “provides a better time” for the game.
GamesIndustry.biz notes that Roberts also pointed to the shared workload. Engineers were repeatedly reassigned to Star Citizen patches, which slowed the single-player game. TweakTown adds that Roberts plans to move most of those developers back to the MMO once Squadron 42 ships.
Q2 means April to June 2027. CIG hasn’t announced an exact date, and the Steam page doesn’t give one.
Why the Steam listing matters
A Steam page doesn’t change the schedule, but it commits CIG to a public storefront and a wishlist count that players can watch. Kotaku was blunter about the delay, noting that the game has slipped repeatedly since its original target of 2016 and that no playable public build has been released. Until a date is locked, treat 2027 as a plan.
For the wider project, the timing is awkward. Star Citizen passed $1 billion in crowdfunding earlier this year, but a recent official livestream went badly enough that fans called it a “hostage video”. A polished, story-led game would be a very different pitch to people who haven’t touched the MMO’s economy and systems.
Is Squadron 42 out yet?
No. CIG targets the second quarter of 2027, with no exact date announced. You can wishlist it on Steam now.
Do I need Star Citizen to play it?
Squadron 42 is a single-player campaign set in the Star Citizen universe. PCGamesN describes it as an approachable entry point that doesn’t require the MMO’s depth or player economy, though CIG hasn’t detailed how the two are sold on Steam.
Which platforms is it coming to?
CIG’s announcements so far concern PC. We haven’t seen a console version confirmed.
