Star Citizen developer Cloud Imperium Games shared plenty of interesting details and footage today about upcoming content and features, also including a tidbit on the single-player arm of the game, Squadron 42.
First of all, we hear about update Alpha 4.8, which will be released next week. The poster feature will be the Tactical Strike Groups missions, which will prompt players to team up in what’s basically a massive PvE raid against a Vanduul threat that will have to be fought in space and on the ground.
It’s basically a benchmark for Star Citizen’s fleet gameplay, which is one of the most attractive points of the game.
We’ll even have to fight (or run away from) a massive Vanduul Mauler capital ship.
On top of that, we also get the ability to repair, refuel, and rearm smaller ships for capital and sub-capital ships with a hangar, provided that they are carrying the required materials. Players with a Starfarer will also be able to enjoy refueling missions.
The command module for the Drake Caterpillar will finally become functional and able to detach from the ship. It’ll also be available for the two Ironclad variants.
New FPS gear will be implemented, including plasma grenades, new flight suits, and a crossbow. What’s not to love about a space crossbow?
DefenseCon will also happen next week with its free fly event that will let everyone try the new features without having to spend a dime. It’ll include the launch of several new ships, including the Drake Pitbull, the Origin M80, the MISC Starlite, the Aegis Tiburon, and the Drake Ironclad.
On top of the 4.8 content, we get a glimpse of what’s coming after, with additional defend locations in Alpha 4.8.1, Alien Week celebrations in 4.8.2, and the return of Xenothreat in 4.8.3.
We hear more about what else is coming in 2026, including the reworked and instanced Siege of Orison, the rest of the planets in the Nyx system, new Starwear and Starchitecture features, new instanced operations, many new ships and vehicles, gameplay features, and quality of life improvements, and more.
Last, but not least, the launch of the single-player Squadron 42 has been confirmed once again for this year, if you were wondering.
Since the team is fully focused on releasing all the content for Star Citizen, they won’t host a CitizenCon this year.
You can watch the full video below.
If you’re unfamiliar with Star Citizen, it’s a PC exclusive, crowdfunded project directed by Chris Roberts of Wing Commander fame. 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 is almost at $970 million, and it’s currently sitting at $969,576,398. The game currently has 6,489,224 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 that fairly often let non-backers enjoy the game at no cost, like the one coming at Defensecon.
It’s notable that Star Citizen’s funding tally for 2025 has beaten all records from previous years by a large margin.
A single-player campaign titled Squadron 42 is also in active development with a 2026 release window, starring an exceptional cast of famous actors, including Mark Hamill, Henry Cavill, Gary Oldman, Liam Cunningham, Gillian Anderson, and more.
Since the project has been in development for over a decade, you can see how Squadron 42 has evolved since its first reveal.
Full disclosure: the author of this article has backed Star Citizen’s crowdfunding campaign.
