Squadron 42 Opens Steam Wishlists With 150 GB PC Requirement

Now available to wishlist on Steam, Squadron 42 is bringing Cloud Imperium Games’ long-awaited single-player adventure from the Star Citizen universe to Valve’s storefront, with a Q2 2027 release currently planned.

The October 10 announcement arrived alongside a new cinematic trailer titled The Oath, showcasing the game’s military science-fiction setting, large-scale space battles, first-person combat and character-driven storytelling.

Set in 2945, Squadron 42 follows a rookie joining the United Empire of Earth Navy as humanity faces threats from hostile alien forces and internal instability. Players will serve aboard a capital ship, working alongside their crew while progressing through a campaign that combines spacecraft combat, ground operations, stealth and exploration.

The production features an extensive cast, including Mark Hamill, Gary Oldman, Gillian Anderson, Henry Cavill, Andy Serkis and Ben Mendelsohn, with performances captured for the game’s cinematic sequences.

However, the new Steam page reveals several practical details missing from the trailer.

Minimum PC requirements include Windows 11, 16 GB RAM, a graphics card with 8 GB VRAM and 150 GB of available storage. The listing specifies a quad-core processor, DirectX 12 and a broadband internet connection, although recommended hardware requirements have not yet been published.

Steam also lists full controller support, including Xbox and PlayStation controllers, alongside Steam Achievements, Steam Cloud saves and HDR support.

One important restriction is that a Roberts Space Industries account is required, with the option to link it to a Steam account. Wishlisting is available now, but neither a purchase price nor pre-orders have been announced.

I think the account requirement deserves particular attention. Steam gives Squadron 42 access to a much wider PC audience, but its arrival on Valve’s storefront does not mean players can avoid Cloud Imperium’s own account system.

The announcement follows an invitation-only hands-on event held in Manchester on October 9 and 10, where selected long-term backers and content creators were given approximately five hours with the game.

Several attendees subsequently shared their experiences on Reddit, describing more responsive first-person combat, improved enemy behaviour and detailed cinematic presentation. Players reported enemies taking cover, flanking and even reviving fallen allies during firefights.

Their accounts also describe a noticeably more linear experience than Star Citizen’s open-ended multiplayer universe, with scripted missions and a stronger emphasis on storytelling.

Not every observation was entirely positive. Some participants reported graphical glitches, occasional stuttering and other minor bugs, although their overall impressions were largely encouraging.

These were limited hands-on sessions rather than independent reviews of the finished game, and reports of strong performance on powerful demonstration PCs do not establish how well Squadron 42 will run on the hardware listed in its minimum requirements.

The new Steam listing also follows another revision to the release schedule.

GLN’s earlier Star Citizen crowdfunding coverage recorded Squadron 42’s previous 2026 target. In August, Cloud Imperium founder Chris Roberts moved the planned launch into Q2 2027, explaining that the studio wanted to avoid the enormous attention surrounding Grand Theft Auto VI.

Roberts subsequently promised more release information following the October hands-on sessions, including a specific launch date. For now, the Steam listing still shows only the April to June 2027 window.

Squadron 42 remains a separate, story-driven game from Star Citizen’s persistent multiplayer universe, although both projects share technology developed through Cloud Imperium’s StarEngine.

For anyone interested in following the release, the Steam wishlist is live now. The remaining questions are when pre-orders and pricing will be announced, whether the current PC requirements will change, and whether Cloud Imperium can finally deliver the campaign within its latest release window.