After Years in the Hangar, Star Citizen’s Squadron 42 Finally Takes Flight in 2026

Squadron 42, the long-promised single-player game set in the Star Citizen universe, just inched out of myth and into reality. Cloud Imperium Games dropped a year-end update on December 23, and Chris Roberts says the whole campaign is playable front to back and still aiming at a 2026 launch. Yes, I know how that sounds. Let’s unpack it.

Where the project actually stands

"The game is now fully playable from beginning to end" and "on track for a 2026 release."

That’s the headline from Roberts’ update. The plan, according to him, is a shorter marketing run closer to launch instead of a year-long drip. He also labeled 2025 as the "Year of Playability" for Star Citizen overall, which ties directly into how Squadron 42 got here.

Quick refresher: what Squadron 42 is (and how we got here)

This is Star Citizen’s single-player campaign, but it’s technically a standalone game. It was announced back in October 2012 with a 2014 target, then spent the next decade as a punchline and a promise in equal measure. Now, after years of delays and mounting skepticism, CIG says the content is locked and the team is deep in bug fixing, performance tuning, and polish on the way to beta.

Scope and gameplay: 40+ hours, no loading screens

CIG pegs the campaign at over 40 hours. The pitch is seamless play: on-foot firefights, ship interiors, space dogfights, and planetary missions flowing into each other without traditional loading screens. That uninterrupted handoff between ground, ship, and space is their big differentiator.

Story setup

It’s set in the year 2945. You’re a rookie pilot joining the elite 42nd Squadron of the United Empire of Earth Navy, dropping right into a major conflict known as the Events of Vega II. Expect capital ships, large-scale space battles, pirate factions, and the alien Vanduul. It’s a full-on cinematic war story, just with more vacuum and fewer helmets that fit.

Yes, the cast is stacked

• Mark Hamill
• Gary Oldman
• Gillian Anderson
• Henry Cavill
• Andy Serkis
• Mark Strong
• Liam Cunningham
• Eleanor Tomlinson
• John Rhys-Davies
• Sophie Wu
• Jonathan Bailey

CIG went big on performance and facial capture to support all that talent, which is one reason this thing has felt more like a Hollywood production than a typical game for a while.

So… 2026. Really?

Here’s what changed recently: the feature set is locked, and the last two years have been about stabilization instead of expansion. Right now it’s bugs, optimization, polish, and marching toward beta. Roberts says the game is not delayed and that the marketing cycle will be short, with more concrete dates landing closer to release. In other words, don’t expect months of trailers; expect occasional teases (like that campaign map drop) and then a tighter push.

The Star Citizen spillover

Roberts called 2025 the "Year of Playability" for Star Citizen, citing server meshing progress, better stability, and record player engagement. A lot of that tech and momentum bleeds into Squadron 42, which helps explain why the single-player side finally seems to be closing in on the finish line.

My read

It’s fair to keep your guard up after a 2012 announcement and a 2014 promise that slipped into... well, now. But a fully playable campaign, content lock, and a short runway to launch is the most convincing status update this project has had. If CIG sticks to the plan, 2026 finally looks plausible. Manage expectations, but maybe start clearing a few dozen hours on the calendar.