Squadron 42

Squadron 42 is the single-player campaign being developed by Cloud Imperium Games for the Star Citizen universe. It is set in the 30th century, chiefly during the year 2945, when humanity's United Empire of Earth is fighting the Vanduul. Rather than beginning as an established hero, the player enters the UEE Navy as a recruit and serves aboard the Bengal-class carrier UEES Stanton.

The campaign follows a military career, with missions intended to show both space combat and life among the carrier's crew. Its story is not simply a sequence of dogfights: briefings, conversations, boarding operations, first-person firefights, and ship-to-ship battles connect the player's choices and reputation to progression through the Navy. The stated conflict places the recruit alongside characters such as Captain Thomas Wade, played by Mark Hamill, and other crew members portrayed by Gary Oldman, Gillian Anderson, Mark Strong, John Rhys Davies, and Liam Cunningham.

Cloud Imperium Games announced Squadron 42 in 2012 as the narrative counterpart to Star Citizen, after the project was introduced through a successful crowdfunding campaign. Chris Roberts, known for Wing Commander, returned to direct the project, and the campaign's presentation emphasized cinematic performances and interactive scenes rather than an anonymous avatar's silent adventure. It has been delayed repeatedly during development, with changing technology, scope, and production milestones shaping its public history.

In December 2023, Roberts announced that Squadron 42 had reached feature complete, meaning the planned features were implemented and the project had entered a polishing phase; this was not a released product or a confirmed public launch date. The development is tied to the same underlying technology and universe as Star Citizen, but it is designed as a paid standalone story experience, rather than an always-online shared universe.

Unlike Star Citizen's persistent multiplayer setting, Squadron 42 is structured around a directed campaign whose missions can include flying fighters, operating capital ships, exploring locations on foot, and fighting with firearms. The player character can pursue citizenship in the UEE through service, a choice that reflects the campaign's focus on military identity and loyalty. Public demonstrations have shown scripted set pieces, zero-gravity sequences, stealth sections, and coordinated battles involving friendly pilots. These demonstrations are development footage, not evidence that every shown scene will appear unchanged in the final release. For that reason, the clearest verified description is a long-running cinematic space combat campaign still awaiting its public release. No retail release date has been announced.