Star Wars Zero Company is one of the most interesting Star Wars games. Rather than another lightsaber-heavy action adventure or multiplayer shooter, developer Bit Reactor is taking the franchise into turn-based tactical strategy.
The game was first revealed at Star Wars Celebration Japan in April 2025, but with its August 27, 2026 release date now approaching, EA and Bit Reactor have revealed considerably more about what we can expect.
Here is everything you need to know about Star Wars Zero Company, including its story, gameplay, characters, customization, permadeath system, platforms, PC requirements, and editions.
What Is Star Wars Zero Company?
Star Wars Zero Company is a single-player, turn-based tactics game developed by Bit Reactor in collaboration with Lucasfilm Games.
The game is set during the twilight of the Clone Wars and puts you in command of an unconventional squad of operatives recruited from across the galaxy.
The obvious comparison is XCOM, particularly because Bit Reactor was founded by veterans of the strategy genre.
However, Zero Company isn’t simply XCOM with Star Wars characters.
The developers are building a more character-driven campaign around the relationships between squad members, their individual abilities, and the unique possibilities offered by the Star Wars universe.
The game has tactical battles with a management layer at the squad’s headquarters, known as The Den.
You will recruit operators, customize them, improve their abilities, and develop relationships between members of the team.
Star Wars Zero Company Release Date
Star Wars Zero Company will launch on August 27, 2026.
EA has confirmed the game will release simultaneously on PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S.
On PC, it will be available through Steam, the EA app and the Epic Games Store.
The game is currently scheduled to launch at 3 PM UTC on August 27, according to EA’s official store listing.
There is currently no announced PS4, Xbox One, or Nintendo Switch version.
What Is the Story About?
The story takes place during the Clone Wars, but it focuses on a side of the conflict that isn’t normally shown in the main Star Wars films and television series.
You take control of Hawks, a former Republic officer who now leads Zero Company, an unconventional group of professionals for hire.
The squad includes characters from very different backgrounds, including clones, droids, a Mandalorian, and a Jedi.
Their mission eventually leads them toward Kundri Fathom, the mysterious leader of a Separatist-aligned cult known as the Infinite Coil.
Zero Company must investigate the group and prevent its activities from pushing the galaxy toward an even greater catastrophe.
The premise gives the game a different perspective on the Clone Wars.
Instead of commanding armies or following the biggest Jedi characters in the galaxy, you are dealing with a relatively small group operating in the shadows.
Who Is Hawks?
Hawks is the protagonist and leader of Zero Company.
He previously served as a captain in the Grand Army of the Republic, but now works outside the conventional Republic military structure.
His experience allows him to bring together a group of very different characters and turn them into an effective tactical unit.
Hawks is also highly customizable. You can change his appearance, species, voice, clothing, and combat specialization to make the game’s protagonist fit your preferred playstyle.
The Zero Company Squad
One of the biggest selling points of the game is its unusual collection of characters.
The roster contains both Authored Operators and Custom Operators.
Authored Operators are characters designed specifically for the story, while Custom Operators can be recruited and extensively customized by the player.
Confirmed characters include Hawks, clone trooper Trick, Jedi Padawan Tel-Rea Vokoss, Mandalorian Cly Kullervo, sharpshooter Luco Bronc, and other operators including Kullervo, Jae, Mordant, and Kabb Uppercut.
The roster is deliberately diverse. You can have characters representing familiar Star Wars archetypes alongside much stranger combinations, including astromech droids and characters from different alien species.
Turn-Based Tactical Combat
Combat is the heart of Zero Company. Battles take place in turn-based environments where positioning, cover, abilities, and squad composition are critical.
Instead of simply moving characters toward enemies and firing, you need to consider how their operators work together.
Star Wars-specific abilities are a major part of this system. For example, a Jedi can use the Force to manipulate an enemy’s position, potentially pulling an opponent out of cover and exposing them to another squad member’s attack.
An astromech can also provide battlefield support, including healing abilities.
The terrain itself also plays an important role. Taking cover, finding advantageous positions, and coordinating attacks between different operators can determine whether an operation succeeds or falls apart.
Squad Synergies Are Extremely Important
One of the more interesting systems is the relationship between squad members.
Operators who repeatedly fight alongside one another can develop stronger bonds, which unlock additional combat synergies.
That means building a squad isn’t simply about picking the characters with the strongest individual abilities. Pairing the right operators together can make the entire team more effective.
This also means the squad you develop over the course of the campaign can become very personal.
And that matters because Zero Company includes a potentially brutal consequence for losing characters.
Does Star Wars Zero Company Have Permadeath?
Yes, although the exact impact depends on the difficulty setting.
Zero Company features permadeath, meaning operators can permanently die during the campaign.
EA confirmed that permadeath and limited saves are part of the higher difficulty experience.
This can have particularly serious consequences because some important authored characters cannot simply be replaced with another identical character.
For example, Tel-Rea is the game’s sole Jedi Operator, meaning losing her can permanently remove a Jedi from your particular campaign.
Permadeath can be disabled on easier difficulty settings if you prefer a less punishing experience.
The system is designed to make tactical mistakes matter. A reckless decision isn’t necessarily something you can simply undo.
The Den – Your Base of Operations
Between missions, you return to The Den, Zero Company’s base of operations.
The Den is effectively the management side of the game. You can recruit new operators, customize characters, upgrade facilities, and interact with members of the squad.
It also provides access to the galaxy map and other strategic systems.
The base includes facilities such as a recruitment area and Medbay, where injured operators can recover.
The game also features a Memorial that records operators who have died during your campaign.
You can upgrade The Den over the course of the campaign, so the base becomes more useful as Zero Company grows.
Recruitment and Custom Characters
Players aren’t restricted to the game’s authored characters.
Custom Operators can be recruited and modified to fit the needs of your squad.
Recruitment generates a selection of potential operators with their own backgrounds, talents, specializations, and weapons, after which you can further customize them.
You can also create your own pool of custom recruits.
Character customization goes surprisingly deep. Depending on the operator, you can modify things such as appearance, species, clothing, voice, weapons, and abilities.
Hawks and Custom Operators can also use different species options, including Humans, Togruta, Twi’lek, Zabrak, Devaronian, and others.
Classes and Specializations
Operators are built around different combat specializations that determine their battlefield role.
The confirmed standard specializations include Assault, Heavy, Sharpshooter, Scoundrel, Soldier, Gunslinger, Scout and Medic.
There are also specialized roles associated with certain Star Wars characters, including the Jedi Padawan and Mandalorian Warrior.
Each standard specialization is built around a small set of distinctive abilities, giving you reasons to experiment with different squad compositions rather than relying on a single optimal team.
The Star Wars-specific classes are particularly interesting because they can introduce mechanics that traditional military characters don’t have.
Is the Story Fully Branching?
Not exactly. Despite EA describing player decisions as capable of making each playthrough different, the game’s main narrative is linear.
Developer comments indicate that players should not expect a branching RPG storyline with dramatically different endings.
However, your squad composition, character relationships, and deaths can change parts of the experience.
That distinction is important: Zero Company offers tactical and squad-level variation rather than a traditional choose-your-own-adventure structure.
How Long Is Star Wars Zero Company?
Bit Reactor has said the main campaign should take approximately 30-40 hours, depending on the player’s experience with strategy games and selected difficulty.
There is no New Game Plus mode planned for launch. The game also isn’t being positioned as an endlessly replayable live-service title.
Its replayability instead comes from experimenting with different squad compositions, custom operators, difficulty settings, and tactical approaches.
Does Star Wars Zero Company Have Multiplayer?
No. Star Wars Zero Company is designed as a single-player experience. There is no announced multiplayer or competitive mode.
That makes sense for the game’s design, which is heavily focused on its campaign.
Does It Have Romance?
No. Despite the game’s emphasis on squad relationships and character interactions, Zero Company does not feature a romance system.
The relationships are primarily about building squad bonds and unlocking gameplay synergies rather than creating romantic storylines.
Is There DLC or a Battle Pass?
There is currently no confirmed post-launch DLC roadmap.
The developers have focused on delivering the core game, and recent previews have indicated that there are currently no plans for DLC.
That doesn’t necessarily mean post-launch content can never happen, but you shouldn’t purchase the game expecting a live-service roadmap.
There are also no microtransactions announced for the game.
Reported developer information indicates that customization is intended to be earned through gameplay, apart from cosmetics specifically included with the Deluxe Edition.
Star Wars Zero Company Editions and Price
EA has announced Standard and Deluxe Editions.
The standard PC version is listed at $49.99, while the Deluxe Edition is $59.99 on Steam.
Pre-ordering either edition provides the Crystalline Astromech Cosmetic Pack, which includes the R3 droid, crystalline heads for the R4 and R5 variants, and the exclusive BR-1 droid.
The Deluxe Edition adds additional Clone Wars-inspired cosmetic content, including weapon and armor customization items.
Importantly, the Deluxe Edition content is cosmetic rather than gameplay-changing.
PC System Requirements
The PC requirements are fairly demanding for a turn-based strategy game.
The minimum configuration calls for a Core i5-8400 or Ryzen 5 2600X, 16GB RAM and a GTX 1080, Radeon RX 5600 XT or Intel Arc B580. The minimum target is 1080p at 30 FPS on Low settings.
For the recommended configuration, a Core i7-10700K or Ryzen 7 3700X, 32GB RAM and an RTX 3080 or Radeon RX 7800 XT. The recommended target is 1440p at 60 FPS on High settings. The game requires 50GB of storage.
| Requirement | Minimum | Recommended |
|---|---|---|
| OS | Windows 10/11 64-bit | Windows 10/11 64-bit |
| CPU | i5-8400 / Ryzen 5 2600X | i7-10700K / Ryzen 7 3700X |
| RAM | 16GB | 32GB |
| GPU | GTX 1080 / RX 5600 XT / Arc B580 | RTX 3080 / RX 7800 XT |
| Storage | 50GB | 50GB |
| Target | 1080p / 30 FPS / Low | 1440p / 60 FPS / High |
Who Is Developing Star Wars Zero Company?
The game is being developed by Bit Reactor, a studio founded by veterans of the strategy-game industry, with EA and Lucasfilm Games involved in the project.
Respawn Entertainment has also been involved in the game’s development and production.
Bit Reactor’s background is particularly relevant because the studio was formed with experienced developers from the turn-based strategy space.
That experience is one of the biggest reasons Zero Company has attracted attention from fans of games such as XCOM.
This article will be updated with additional information, reviews, launch details, and post-release updates as they become available.
