Squadron 42 Is Delayed to Q2 2027: What Chris Roberts Said

Squadron 42
The New Window

Author:

Watty
Category:

Star Citizen
Date:

Sep 14, 2026

A figure in armour looking up at planetary rings over a rocky landscape

Back in June we wrote that the most recent public target put Squadron 42 in 2026. That is no longer true. In his latest Letter from the Chairman, published at the end of August, Chris Roberts moved the single player campaign from Q4 2026 to Q2 2027.

The reason is GTA 6

Roberts was unusually direct about why. Grand Theft Auto 6 is due in November, and even though it is not launching on PC, he expects it to take over the attention of pretty much every outlet and most content creators. His argument is that there is no point launching what he calls his spiritual successor to Wing Commander into that. After this long in development, the one thing Squadron 42 cannot afford at launch is to go unnoticed.

Plenty of the gaming press met the news with an eye roll, and it is hard to blame them: this is far from the first time the campaign's date has moved. Whether you find the reasoning convincing probably depends on how many of those previous dates you remember.

A few people play it in October

The more interesting line in the letter is that a small number of original backers and select content creators will get their hands on Squadron 42 in October, with more information promised then. What those players say about it will tell us far more about the state of the game than any release window.

"A delay that comes with hands on time is a different thing from a delay on its own. October is the month to watch."

The Exiles

What it means for the verse

For the persistent universe, day to day, nothing changes. Alpha 4.10 went live at the end of August with the instanced Siege of Orison and the Kruger S-65 Stingray, and Star Citizen keeps updating on its own schedule whatever happens with the campaign.

Flying in the meantime

If Squadron 42 was the thing you were waiting for before getting into the verse, there is no reason to keep waiting for it. Our Star Citizen org UTLAGARNIR is in the Discord, and the Star Citizen hub has more on how we fly. New pilots always welcome.

Further reading: RSI: Letter From The Chairman | The Exiles Star Citizen hub