Squadron 42 opens for Steam wishlisting ahead of a planned Q2 2027 release

Wish upon a Star Citizen.

Squadron 42, the single-player spin-off of Star Citizen, can now be wishlisted on Steam ahead of its planned Q2 2027 release.

Developer Cloud Imperium Games announced the news on 10th October alongside a new trailer, which you can see below.

The game is set in the year 2945, with the United Empire of Earth on the brink of collapse. You enlist as a rookie in the UEE Navy, stationed aboard a capital ship, where you'll live and work alongside a crew as you work your way up the ranks of a galactic war.

Cloud Imperium says it mixes space combat with ground operations, stealth sections, and "quieter moments" with the people around you, with decisions to make alongside your crewmates.

The cast is kind of staggering. It includes Mark Hamill, Gary Oldman, Gillian Anderson, Ben Mendelsohn, Henry Cavill, Andy Serkis, John Rhys-Davies, Jonathan Bailey, Mark Strong, Alix Wilton Regan, Damson Idris, Liam Cunningham, and Jane Perry, among others, all captured through full performance capture.

It's set in the same universe as Star Citizen, but tells a standalone story, and runs on StarEngine, Cloud Imperium's in-house technology.

Squadron 42 has been in development for over a decade, nearly as long as Star Citizen itself, and has slipped its release date repeatedly, most recently to Q2 2027, with studio boss Chris Roberts arguing the game would be drowned out by GTA 6.

Cloud Imperium Games' multiplayer sci-fi sim Star Citizen topped $1 billion in crowdfunding in May.

The milestone came as the game launched a new $5000 (£3700) spaceship, the Anvil Odin capital ship, which was not even available when it went on sale as a "limited vehicle concept pledge" with no firm release date. Owners were loaned an Idris P in the meantime.