Star Citizen developer Cloud Imperium Games released an extensive video showing off the upcoming single-player game Squadron 42.
We get to see gameplay footage recorded at a fan event held recently in the developer’s Manchester offices.
The footage focuses mostly on the beginning of the game, and certainly shows that the game looks rather spectacular in a mix of exploration, first-person narration, customization, cutscenes, and combat, both in space and on foot.
It’s worth mentioning that what we’re seeing is a montage of various moments recorded by different players, as Squadron 42 is completely seamless, exactly like Star Citizen.
The video also teases a new reveal happening on December 16.
You can watch it below.
If you’re unfamiliar with Squadron 42, it’ll release exclusively for PC in Q2 2027, available on both Cloud Imperium Games’ own site and Steam.
It’s set in the same universe as the massively multiplayer space simulator Star Citizen (specifically, it’s a prequel), and it’s basically a cinematic experience that mixes space combat, first-person shooter, and a playable movie.
It comes with an absolutely star-studded cast including Mark Hamill, Gary Oldman, Gillian Anderson, Ben Mendelsohn, Henry Cavill, Andy Serkis, John Rhys-Davies, Jonathan Bailey, Mark Strong, Alix Wilton Reagan, Ben Mendelsohn, Damson Idris, Liam Cunningham, Jane Perry, and many more well-known names.
It places you in the boots of a rookie pilot in the UEE Navy as the Empire faces its worst threat yet: the bloodthirsty Vanduul.
Veteran gamers like yours truly hope that it’ll revive the spirit of the Wing Commander series, one of the best space combat franchises ever, created by Chris Roberts.
Since it has been in development for over a decade, you can see how Squadron 42 has evolved since its first reveal.
If you’re unfamiliar with Star Citizen itself, it’s a PC exclusive, crowdfunded project directed by Chris Roberts. It’s a multiplayer sandbox space simulator that has been in development for over a decade and in alpha for several years.
The crowdfunding total for the game recently passed one billion dollars, and it’s currently sitting at $
1,061,740,909. The game currently has 6,755,920 registered accounts, but we know that not all are paying customers.
Some are alt accounts, while others are simply created to enjoy the “Free Fly” periods like the one happening later this week.
It’s notable that Star Citizen’s funding tally for 2025 has beaten all records from previous years by a large margin, while 2026 is well on its way to doing it again.
Full disclosure: the author of this article has backed Star Citizen’s crowdfunding campaign.
