Star Wars Zero Company: Everything We Know About the Turn-Based Strategy Game

Star Wars Zero Company is an upcoming single-player turn-based tactics game set in the Star Wars universe. Developed by Bit Reactor in collaboration with Respawn Entertainment and Lucasfilm Games, the project focuses on squad-based combat, strategic decision-making, and an original story set during the Clone Wars.
Rather than putting players in the role of a familiar film character, Zero Company is designed around a new group of specialists brought together for a dangerous mission. Its tactical format makes it one of the most distinctive Star Wars games currently in development, especially for players who enjoy games built around positioning, team composition, meaningful choices, and carefully planned encounters.
The game is expected to launch in 2026 for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S. Because development is ongoing, some details, including the exact release date, pricing, and final feature list, have not yet been confirmed.
What is Star Wars Zero Company?
Star Wars Zero Company is a turn-based tactical strategy game. Players command a small squad rather than controlling a single hero throughout a real-time action campaign. Each unit is expected to have a specialized role, and success will depend on using the team’s abilities together.
The game is being developed by Bit Reactor, a studio founded by veterans of the tactical strategy genre. Its team includes developers with experience on well-known squad-based and turn-based games, which helps explain why Zero Company is being positioned as a strategy-focused Star Wars experience instead of another third-person action title.
Respawn Entertainment is collaborating on the project, while Lucasfilm Games is involved in shaping its place within the wider Star Wars universe. Electronic Arts has also identified the game as part of its Star Wars publishing lineup.
The core concept is straightforward: assemble a group of operatives, travel across the galaxy, investigate a growing threat, and make tactical decisions that determine whether the squad survives. The details surrounding the story and characters are still limited, but the game is intended to offer a self-contained narrative rather than retelling events from the movies.
When is Star Wars Zero Company set?
The story takes place during the final period of the Clone Wars. This places Zero Company in the same broad era as Star Wars: The Clone Wars, when the Galactic Republic and Separatist Alliance are locked in a galaxy-wide conflict.
The setting gives the developers considerable freedom. The Clone Wars era includes major battles, covert operations, political tension, criminal organizations, clone troopers, Jedi, droids, and countless independent worlds. A small squad can operate in places that would not normally receive much attention in a film or television story.
Zero Company is expected to explore the less visible side of the war. Instead of focusing only on Jedi generals or massive armies, the campaign appears to emphasize specialists who must work together under difficult conditions. That perspective could make the game feel more like a military operation or espionage thriller than a traditional lightsaber adventure.
The timing is also important because the last days of the Clone Wars are filled with uncertainty. The Republic is still fighting the Separatists, but the political structure behind the conflict is already changing. A story set in this period can use familiar elements of Star Wars while introducing characters and missions that do not interfere with the main film narrative.
Who is the main character?
The central character is expected to be Hawks, a former Republic officer who leads the squad. Players will guide Hawks as the team investigates a dangerous threat and recruits different specialists for the mission.
Hawks is not presented as a conventional Jedi protagonist. That distinction matters because it places the emphasis on leadership, planning, and cooperation rather than overwhelming Force abilities. The squad’s effectiveness should come from the way its members combine their skills.
The team is expected to include characters from different backgrounds and species. Possible roles shown or associated with the game include soldiers, droids, spies, and other operatives with distinct combat abilities. The exact roster and the full list of recruitable characters may change before launch, but the game’s structure is clearly built around squad variety.
This approach also opens the door to character relationships. Zero Company has been described as including moments between missions where players can get to know squad members, develop connections, and influence how the group works together. Those interactions could give the campaign more emotional weight than a sequence of unrelated battles.
How will the gameplay work?
Combat in Star Wars Zero Company is turn-based. Players will have time to examine the battlefield, assess enemy positions, and decide how to use each squad member. The goal is not simply to defeat every opponent as quickly as possible. Good results should come from controlling space, managing risk, and creating favorable engagements.
A typical mission may involve several important decisions:
- Which characters should be included in the squad?
- Who should move first?
- Is it better to attack an exposed enemy or secure cover?
- Should a powerful ability be used immediately or saved for a stronger opponent?
- Can the squad complete an objective without triggering additional enemies?
- Is a risky advance necessary to rescue an ally or reach an extraction point?
Cover is likely to play a major role. Star Wars battlefields naturally provide plenty of defensive positions, including cargo containers, ruined structures, military installations, and urban environments. Moving from cover to cover, flanking opponents, and controlling sightlines are fundamental features of this type of tactical game.
Squad abilities should also encourage cooperation. A long-range specialist might weaken an enemy, allowing a close-combat character to finish the attack. A support unit could protect an ally or restore their effectiveness, while a droid might interact with machinery or provide a unique utility option.
The most interesting missions in a tactical game are usually those that present more than one viable solution. Players may be able to concentrate on eliminating enemies, complete an objective under pressure, or use stealth and positioning to reduce the size of a fight. More information about mission design is still needed, but Zero Company’s premise gives it room to include varied objectives instead of repeating simple combat scenarios.
Can players customize the squad?
Squad customization is one of the most important features associated with Star Wars Zero Company. Players are expected to recruit operatives, select which members participate in missions, and develop a team that suits their preferred play style.
Customization may involve more than choosing weapons. In a tactical campaign, the best squad is usually shaped by complementary roles. A team built around heavy firepower may be effective in open combat but vulnerable when missions require stealth or rapid movement. A balanced group may be more adaptable, but it could lack the specialized strength of a focused team.
The ability to customize individual characters is also expected to influence progression. Players may be able to improve abilities, unlock new equipment, and choose upgrades as the campaign develops. These systems are especially valuable when a game includes multiple possible squad combinations, because they give each playthrough a slightly different tactical identity.
Cosmetic customization has also been shown or discussed in connection with the game, allowing players to give their squad a distinct visual style. Whether this system is purely aesthetic or connected to equipment remains to be seen.
Will Star Wars Zero Company include Jedi?
The game is set during the Clone Wars, so Jedi and Force-sensitive characters exist within its timeline. However, that does not mean the player will lead a squad made entirely of Jedi or control a Jedi as the main protagonist.
The available information suggests that Zero Company is centered on a diverse group of operatives. Jedi may appear in the story, serve as allies, or play a role in specific missions, but their exact gameplay function has not been fully explained.
Keeping Jedi in a supporting role could be a sensible creative choice. A squad of ordinary specialists faces different problems from a Jedi-led army, and the tactical systems become more meaningful when players cannot solve every encounter with powerful Force abilities. It also allows the story to focus on soldiers, agents, and civilians affected by the war.
What makes Zero Company different from other Star Wars games?
Star Wars Zero Company stands apart from recent action-oriented games because its main appeal is planning rather than reflexes. Players who enjoy turn-based tactics will be able to approach the Star Wars universe through battlefield analysis, resource management, and team development.
The game also offers a different scale of storytelling. Large Star Wars productions often focus on galactic events, famous factions, or powerful heroes. A squad-based campaign can show how those events affect people working behind the front lines. A mission might involve intelligence gathering, extracting a target, sabotaging equipment, or surviving an ambush far from the main battlefield.
Bit Reactor’s involvement is another reason strategy fans are paying attention. The studio is associated with developers who understand the importance of readable battlefields, distinct unit roles, meaningful progression, and encounters that reward careful thinking. Those elements will be central to whether Zero Company succeeds.
The Clone Wars setting is equally useful. It provides recognizable visual and narrative ingredients while leaving enough room for original world-building. Players can encounter Republic and Separatist forces without being limited to the exact missions already depicted in films or television.
Is Star Wars Zero Company multiplayer?
Star Wars Zero Company has been presented as a single-player game. There is currently no confirmed information indicating that it will include competitive multiplayer, online co-op, or a live-service structure.
That focus is likely to benefit the story. A single-player campaign can give more attention to squad relationships, branching decisions, character development, and mission pacing. Players can also take as much time as they need to study a battlefield, which is particularly important in a turn-based strategy game.
The absence of multiplayer does not make the game less ambitious. For many strategy players, a well-designed single-player campaign with strong replay value is more appealing than a game built around repeated online matches.
Which platforms will support the game?
Star Wars Zero Company is expected to release on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S. These platforms give the developers access to current-generation hardware while allowing the game to reach both computer and console strategy audiences.
The PC version may offer additional control options, graphics settings, and support for high-resolution displays. Console players, meanwhile, will be looking for a smooth interface that makes selecting units, examining abilities, and navigating menus comfortable with a controller.
A release date has not been firmly announced beyond the expected 2026 window. Buyers should wait for official information about editions, pre-order bonuses, system requirements, and whether all platforms will launch at the same time.
What should players watch for before release?
The most important unanswered questions concern the depth of the tactical systems. It will be useful to learn how many squad members can be taken on a mission, how character progression works, and whether different operatives can fill overlapping roles.
Mission variety will also determine the campaign’s long-term appeal. A strong turn-based game needs objectives that change the way players approach each battlefield. Rescue operations, sabotage missions, defensive stands, infiltrations, and timed extractions would create more variety than a campaign built around straightforward elimination battles.
The quality of squad relationships is another point to watch. Conversations between missions are most effective when they reveal character motivations and create meaningful consequences. They should support the tactical campaign instead of functioning only as optional dialogue.
Finally, the game’s relationship to established Star Wars lore will matter. Zero Company does not need to feature famous characters constantly, but it should make the Clone Wars era feel authentic through its locations, factions, technology, music, and moral conflicts.
Why Star Wars Zero Company is worth following
Star Wars Zero Company has a clear opportunity to fill a gap in the franchise’s game library. It combines a recognizable setting with a genre that has rarely received this level of attention within Star Wars.
For fans of turn-based strategy, the game promises squad customization, battlefield planning, and a new campaign set in one of the franchise’s richest historical periods. For Star Wars viewers, it offers a chance to experience the Clone Wars from the perspective of an original team rather than another adaptation of an existing story.
The project is still in development, so final features and release plans may change. At present, the most reliable description is simple: Star Wars Zero Company is a single-player, turn-based tactical adventure about leading a specialized squad through the dangerous closing years of the Clone Wars. Its success will depend on how well it balances accessible Star Wars storytelling with the demanding choices that make tactical games satisfying.