Cloud Imperium Games Opens Squadron 42 Steam Wishlists Ahead of 2027 Launch

Cloud Imperium Games has opened Steam wishlisting for Squadron 42, its single-player science fiction adventure set in the Star Citizen universe, ahead of a planned Q2 2027 release. The announcement arrived with a new trailer showing cinematic scenes, gameplay footage, and a large cast of actors involved in the project. According to Polygon and GamesBeat, Squadron 42 has been in development for nearly 14 years after being announced in 2012.

The game was originally planned for an earlier release and was later separated from Star Citizen as its own single-player experience. The new trailer highlights a campaign set in the year 2945, where players take the role of a rookie in the United Empire of Earth Navy. According to Cloud Imperium Games, the story follows a journey from military recruitment into a wider conflict involving hostile alien forces and outlaw threats.

Cloud Imperium Games describes Squadron 42 as a narrative-focused title combining space combat, ground operations, exploration, and interactive cinematic sequences. Players will operate aboard a capital ship, interact with crew members, and make decisions that influence their character’s progression.

The project features performances from actors including Mark Hamill, Gary Oldman, Gillian Anderson, Henry Cavill, Ben Mendelsohn, Andy Serkis, John Rhys-Davies, Mark Strong, Liam Cunningham, and others. GamesBeat reported that the cast performances were created through full performance capture and are integrated into gameplay rather than appearing only in cinematic scenes. According to OpenCritic, Squadron 42’s Steam availability gives PC players another way to access the upcoming title beyond the Star Citizen ecosystem. The game had previously been connected to Cloud Imperium Games’ crowdfunding history and development platform.

Star Citizen, the multiplayer space simulation project from Cloud Imperium Games, passed $1 billion in crowdfunding by May 2026, with about 6.5 million registered backers or supporters, according to GamesBeat. The wider project has faced long development timelines and ongoing criticism from some players over unfinished features and technical issues. Squadron 42 is being developed with Cloud Imperium Games’ StarEngine technology, which the studio says supports detailed environments, large-scale locations, and transitions between cinematic storytelling and interactive gameplay. The planned release window remains Q2 2027.