Mass Effect Meets Starfield In Stunning 2026 RPG

An upcoming RPG set for release next year looks absolutely stunning, and we can’t wait to see more.

Squadron 42 is an upcoming RPG being developed by Cloud Imperium Games. It’s a single-player spin-off of its multiplayer space sim Star Citizen. You know, the game where players pay thousands of dollars for a ship?

Well, Squadron 42 is essentially a spiritual successor to Wing Commander where you participate in a series of large space battles with the United Empire of Earth Navy. There are space combat sim elements, as well as first-person shooter segments.

Judging from what we’ve seen so far, we also get Mass Effect and Starfield vibes from this, though it sounds like Cloud Imperium is going for its own thing here. It doesn’t even look that much like Star Citizen.

What’s also particularly notable about Squadron 42 are the Hollywood cast members that are set to appear in the game’s campaign. We’ve got the likes of Gary Oldman, Gillian Anderson, and even Mark Hamill appearing.

Cloud Imperium even called in the Cavillry, and has cast Henry Cavill in a small role. We’ve also seen Mark Strong, Liam Cunningham, and Eleanor Tomlinson appear as various characters in the trailers too.

If you’d like to see some of the game in action, here’s a 75 minute video showcasing the opening. You can see some of the game’s space and FPS combat, as well as the narrative unfold.

In terms of other features included in the game, the player will be able to interact and have conversations with other characters. These conversations can also affect your relationships with the various characters.

Cloud Imperium Games

There’ll also be a separate co-operative mode releasing after launch. This was originally going to be included with the game at release as per Star Citizen’s Kickstarter, though it is now believed that it will be a separate release post-launch.

Squadron 42 doesn’t have a concrete release date yet, though development on the game remains top priority for Cloud Imperium Games. The company is currently targeting a 2026 release, but nothing narrower than that has been confirmed yet.

It’ll be released in three parts as an episodic game. The first episode is the one planned for next year, in which it’ll feature around 70 missions for a total of 20 hours of gameplay.

Episodes two and three will presumably come a bit after then, and will aim for around the same length in terms of play time.