The XCOM formula meets a galaxy far, far away. Star Wars Zero Company — a single-player, turn-based tactics game from Bit Reactor in collaboration with Respawn Entertainment and Lucasfilm Games — launches August 27, 2026 on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S. Built by a studio stacked with former Firaxis XCOM developers, it sets an elite, customizable squad loose in the twilight of the Clone Wars. Standard pricing is $49.99 on PC and $59.99 on console.
- ▶Sources: Star Wars.com — gameplay trailer · Steam store page · PC Gamer — trailers and details · Insider Gaming — release date
At a Glance
| Developer | Bit Reactor (with Respawn Entertainment) | |
|---|---|---|
| Publisher | Electronic Arts / Lucasfilm Games | |
| Genre | Single-player turn-based tactics | |
| Platforms | PC (Steam, EA App, Epic), PS5, Xbox Series X\ | S |
| Release Date | August 27, 2026 | |
| Price | $49.99 PC / $59.99 console (Deluxe +$10) | |
| Setting | The twilight of the Clone Wars |
Star Wars Zero Company's Official Gameplay Trailer, released in June 2026, shows squad tactics on the battlefield — with a cameo from Jedi General Anakin Skywalker.
The XCOM Pedigree
The reason strategy fans snapped to attention is the team. Bit Reactor was founded by veterans of Firaxis Games, the studio behind the modern XCOM reboots and the Civilization series. That lineage is written all over Zero Company: turn-based skirmishes, cover-based positioning, action economies, and permanent consequences for squad members. Respawn Entertainment — the studio behind the Jedi: Fallen Order and Survivor games — is attached as a collaborator, lending Star Wars production experience to the tactical foundation.
The pitch is essentially "XCOM in the Star Wars universe," and for a genre that has produced few big-budget entries in recent years, a fully resourced tactics game with Lucasfilm backing is a notable event. It is one of the more distinctive strategy releases of 2026.
A Different Corner of the Clone Wars
Rather than replaying familiar film beats, Zero Company tells an original cinematic story set during the twilight of the Clone Wars. Players command an elite unit — the titular Zero Company — through tactical operations, investigations, and high-stakes missions. The gameplay trailer confirmed that established figures cross the squad's path, with Jedi General Anakin Skywalker appearing as his own arc briefly intersects with the crew's.
The framing lets Bit Reactor use the Star Wars setting for flavor and stakes while keeping the mechanical spotlight on the squad the player builds and leads. It is a war story told from the ground level, not the Jedi Council chamber.
Zero Company's squad in a tactical engagement. The game leans on cover, positioning, and turn-based action economy familiar to XCOM players.
Squad Customization and the Tactical Loop
Zero Company centers on an elite, customizable squad. Players recruit and shape operatives, manage their loadouts and abilities, and deploy them across missions where positioning and initiative decide outcomes. The design language — cover, flanking, ability cooldowns, and the ever-present threat of losing a unit — will be instantly legible to anyone who has played modern XCOM.
What Star Wars adds is thematic texture: the diverse species and factions of the galaxy, era-appropriate weapons and gear, and the moral gray zones of a war winding toward its infamous end. The Clone Wars twilight setting is fertile ground for the kind of morally complicated squad drama tactics games do well.
Platforms, Editions, and Price
Zero Company launches simultaneously across PC and current-gen consoles. On PC, it will be available via the EA App, Steam, and the Epic Games Store. The Standard Edition is $49.99 on PC and $59.99 on consoles, with a Deluxe Edition costing $10 more on each platform. The Standard Edition comes in both physical and digital formats on console, while the Deluxe Edition is digital-only.
| Platform | Standard | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| PC | $49.99 | Steam, EA App, Epic Games Store | |
| PS5 | $59.99 | Physical and digital | |
| **Xbox Series X\ | S** | $59.99 | Physical and digital |
| Deluxe (all) | +$10 | Digital-only |
The sub-$60 PC price undercuts the typical $70 AAA console standard, which fits a mid-budget tactics game rather than a blockbuster action title.
Why Korean Players Should Watch This
Two currents make Zero Company worth tracking for the Korean audience. First, the Star Wars brand carries steady recognition, and a fresh, non-film-retread story lowers the lore barrier for newcomers. Second, turn-based tactics and strategy games have a committed niche in Korea, and a polished XCOM-style release with real production budget is exactly what that audience has been short on.
The open questions are localization depth and difficulty tuning. If Korean-language support is complete and the tactical systems land, Zero Company could be a sleeper favorite among local strategy players — a genre that rarely gets a marquee release of this scale.
GamePeak Bottom Line
| Question | Verdict | |
|---|---|---|
| Why it matters | Big-budget XCOM-style tactics from ex-Firaxis devs, in Star Wars | |
| Release date | August 27, 2026 | |
| Platforms | PC (Steam/EA/Epic), PS5, Xbox Series X\ | S |
| Price | $49.99 PC / $59.99 console; Deluxe +$10 | |
| Best fit | XCOM and turn-based tactics fans; Star Wars strategy curious | |
| Key unknown | Mission variety, difficulty balance, localization depth |
Star Wars Zero Company is one of 2026's most intriguing strategy bets: a genre-savvy team, a proven tactical template, and a Star Wars setting used for story rather than spectacle. On August 27, we find out whether the XCOM formula transplants cleanly into the Clone Wars.
- ▶Steam page: store.steampowered.com/app/2075800
- ▶Gameplay details: PC Gamer