The 2026 Summer Games Fest has brought a whole host of new details for the upcoming Star Wars: Zero Company, and seeing how it was one of my most anticipated games of 2026, I couldn’t be more excited. Let’s dive into all the details we know about this XCOM-like experience and how the Star Wars theme will make it special!

Star Wars Zero Company is a single-player, turn-based tactics game that effectively brings XCOM-style strategy to a galaxy far, far away. Developed by Bit Reactor, a studio stacked with veteran developers behind legendary strategy titles like XCOM and Civilization, in collaboration with Respawn Entertainment, and published by Electronic Arts, this upcoming title promises high production values, permanent consequences, and an original narrative.

From the official Steam page listings, developer insights, and the latest trailers, here is absolutely everything we know about Star Wars Zero Company.

Star Wars Zero Company Release Date and Platforms

Electronic Arts has officially confirmed that Star Wars Zero Company will release on August 27, 2026, and it will be available on the following plataforms:

• PC (Steam and EA App)
• PlayStation 5
• Xbox Series X and Series S

Pre-orders are currently live. The standard edition sits at $49.99 on PC ($59.99 on consoles), with a Deluxe Edition available that includes exclusive cosmetic packs. Pre-ordering any version unlocks the Crystalline Astromech Cosmetic Pack to customize your squad’s droids with some very cool skins. I’m not going to pretend they’re not. The Deluxe edition also adds a lot of cosmetic options for the Clone Troopers, which I’m sure plenty of players will enjoy.

The Story: A Gritty Clone Wars Tale

Star Wars Zero Company takes place during the twilight of the Clone Wars era, the chaotic, war-torn period between Episode II: Attack of the Clones and Episode III: Revenge of the Sith. Instead of focusing purely on frontline clone battalions, the game pulls back the curtain on the galactic underworld and black-ops operations, which is what makes Zero Company so unique as a setting for me, the fact that we’ll be ditching frontline combat and spectacular lightsaber duels for a more intimate experience.

Who is Zero Company?

Players step into the boots of Hawks, a former Galactic Republic officer. After leaving the formal military structure, Hawks is tasked with building a crew from the fringes of society. This crew is the titular “Zero Company”, and it’s a ragtag group composed of:

• Hardened mercenaries
• Underworld scoundrels
• Customized astromech droids
• Force-wielders, including a rogue Jedi

The Antagonist and Iconic Cameos

Your primary objective is to track down and stop Kundri Fathom, a dangerous villain leading a dark side Force cult that threatens to destabilize the galaxy from the shadows called the Infinite Coil. Because the game takes place during the height of the Republic, you won’t just interact with new faces; developers )and the most recent trailer) have confirmed that iconic legacy characters will make special appearances throughout the campaign, including General Anakin Skywalker.

Gameplay Mechanics: XCOM Meets Star Wars

The core gameplay loop splits cleanly into two distinct layers: isometric, turn-based tactical combat on the ground, and strategic base management in the sky.

1. Tactical Turn-Based Combat

When you drop into a mission, the game shifts to a top-down isometric perspective. Combat relies on an Action Point (AP) system. Every turn, your squad members have a limited pool of AP to spend on movement, taking cover, firing weapons, or executing special abilities. From the looks of it, all the maps will be hand-crafted, and the enemies will use a mix of hiding spots and patrols.

2. Permadeath and Lasting Injuries

The stakes in Zero Company are incredibly high. Squad members can sustain severe, lasting injuries that impact their stats in subsequent missions. Worse yet, permanent death (permadeath) is active (I’m assuming this will be optional, for obvious reasons). If a beloved squad member falls in battle, they are gone for good. However, the narrative is built to adapt; the story continues seamlessly regardless of who you lose along the way, and I’m still not sure whether we will have an endless array of troops to recruit from or a limited pool.

3. Third-Person Exploration: “The Den”

Between high-stakes tactical strikes, you return to your hidden base of operations known as The Den. Unlike traditional strategy games that keep you locked behind flat menus, Zero Company switches to a cinematic third-person perspective inside your base.

Here, you can physically walk around, manage research trees, upgrade your arsenal, and launch galactic investigations. Crucially, you will interact directly with your crew. Squad members have distinct personalities and conflicting worldviews; as their leader, you must actively converse with them and resolve interpersonal conflicts to maintain squad cohesion. It looks like the experience will be a lot more similar to that of Marvel’s Midnight Suns than traditional XCOM, which is just blue over gold for someone like me.

4. Grand Strategic Elements

Following the XCOM formulae closely, the game will have a massive strategic element, with already 150 planets confirmed to make an appearance in the tactical rendition of this galaxy far, far away.

Deep Customization and Squad Synergies

Bit Reactor is putting a heavy emphasis on player agency, allowing you to tailor your team to your preferred playstyle, and the most recent gameplay trailer from the 2026 Summer Games Fest showcased plenty of examples if one is to pay close attention.

Character Creation: You can completely customize Hawks’ and your teammates’ appearances with some amazing high-quality cosmetics (at least, the ones we saw in the trailer).

Weapon Customization: The trailer also showcased a lot of equipment customization. Not only are you able to pick the weapons your squad will use, but also to modify said weapons with their specific mods to tailor them to the mission at hand. There was also a brief screen where one could pick out distinct utilities like grenades and medkits. Overall, the game doesn’t seem to be lacking when it comes to customizing your recruits’ loadouts and cosmetics.

Build-A-Droid: Players can build and program their own custom astromech droids from scratch. These droids act as vital support units on the battlefield, handling tech overrides, healing allies, or deploying heavy explosives.

Combat Synergies: As you deploy the same team members together over multiple cycles (the game’s unit of time progression), they develop deep bonds. Unlocking these synergies grants passive combat buffs and unique combo abilities when units operate in close proximity.

A Variety of Operators: As Hawks, you’ll be able to recruit custom operatives, which can be created from a variety of species, and these include: Devaronian, Humans, Togruta, Twi’lek, Zabrak, Mirialan, and several others yet to be unveiled.

Eight Regular Classes and Four Unique Ones: The operators you’ll recruit can be designated as one of 12 unique classes, with the four unique ones being specific to certain characters. The eight regular ones are assault, heavy, sharpshooter, scoundrel, soldier, gunslinger, scout, and medic. The other four are Astromech, Jedi Padawan, Mandalorian Warrior, and a Secret Special Class that will be unveiled as the story goes on.

Who is Developing Star Wars Zero Company?

The pedigree behind the game is one of its biggest selling points. While published by EA, the heavy lifting is being done by Bit Reactor in partnership with Respawn Entertainment (the studio behind Star Wars Jedi: Survivor).

Bit Reactor was founded in 2022 by a group of veteran developers who left Firaxis Games. The studio’s Creative Director is Greg Foertsch, who famously served as the art director for the modern, critically acclaimed XCOM reboots (XCOM: Enemy Unknown and XCOM 2). Because of this, strategy fans can expect a highly polished, mechanically deep experience that stays deeply authentic to the gritty look and feel of the Star Wars universe.

With its mix of tactical depth, deep character customization, high narrative stakes, and cinematic third-person base exploration, Star Wars Zero Company is shaping up to be one of the most unique Star Wars gaming experiences in years. Stay tuned as we edge closer to its August 27 launch date.

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