TheRetroArcade
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Joined: Feb 2026
Joined: Feb 2026
Bit Reactor's debut is a complicated and exciting beast of a tactics game.
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Bit Reactor's long-rumored Star wars tactics game, Zero Company, finally got a formal reveal last year, but we still didn't know many details about this Clone Wars-era black ops story—until now.
I got about 4.5 hours of hands-on time with Zero Company, plus several interviews with the dev team—you can read my full write up about the game and what I think of it. In this article, I'm sticking to the facts: What's the story, what are its mechanics, what can you expect from the moment-to-moment gameplay.
Star Wars Zero Company is expected to launch in 2026 but there is not a known release date yet.
It looked like it was in good shape to release this year when I played it in February, but as for specifics, we just don't know.
Zero Company is "Star Wars XCOM," but way more than that. Its combat iterates on XCOM, but its presentation is closer to something like Jedi: Fallen Order or even Mass Effect. You lead a mercenary company of former Separatist and Republic operatives during the Clone Wars, investigating a new Dark Side faction on behalf of the Republic.
The combat is to XCOM as Dragon Age: Origins was to Neverwinter Nights or Knights of the Old Republic: immediately familiar, but definitely an iterative upgrade. The big surprise is how you can walk around with full third-person control back at your home base and between fights on missions.
It's a seamless, immersive, and very exciting development for the genre, blurring the line between squad tactics and a full-on RPG. Selecting a mission from the galaxy map, coming home, talking to all my buddies, upgrading stuff—the overall rhythm was giving Mass Effect 2, even though the fights themselves couldn't have been more different.
Keep up to date with the most important stories and the best deals, as picked by the PC Gamer team.
You get a custom protagonist in Zero Company, Hawks, who is also a mandatory unit in story missions. They're a disgraced Republic officer getting by in a galaxy at war, accompanied by their clone war buddy, Trick. Zero Company itself is Star Wars A-Team, doing covert mercenary work for the highest bidder—but with a heart of gold, naturally. The story introduces a number of authored squadmates who resemble BioWare companions, and that cast includes:
There are also a number of story-centric su...Read more: Full article on www.pcgamer.com
What do you think about this?
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.
Keep up to date with the most important stories and the best deals, as picked by the PC Gamer team.
You are now subscribed
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Every Friday
GamesRadar+
Your weekly update on everything you could ever want to know about the games you already love, games we know you're going to love in the near future, and tales from the communities that surround them.
Every Thursday
GTA 6 O'clock
Our special GTA 6 newsletter, with breaking news, insider info, and rumor analysis from the award-winning GTA 6 O'clock experts.
Every Friday
Knowledge
From the creators of Edge: A weekly videogame industry newsletter with analysis from expert writers, guidance from professionals, and insight into what's on the horizon.
Every Thursday
The Setup
Hardware nerds unite, sign up to our free tech newsletter for a weekly digest of the hottest new tech, the latest gadgets on the test bench, and much more.
Every Wednesday
Switch 2 Spotlight
Sign up to our new Switch 2 newsletter, where we bring you the latest talking points on Nintendo's new console each week, bring you up to date on the news, and recommend what games to play.
Every Saturday
The Watchlist
Subscribe for a weekly digest of the movie and TV news that matters, direct to your inbox. From first-look trailers, interviews, reviews and explainers, we've got you covered.
Once a month
SFX
Get sneak previews, exclusive competitions and details of special events each month!
Bit Reactor's long-rumored Star wars tactics game, Zero Company, finally got a formal reveal last year, but we still didn't know many details about this Clone Wars-era black ops story—until now.
I got about 4.5 hours of hands-on time with Zero Company, plus several interviews with the dev team—you can read my full write up about the game and what I think of it. In this article, I'm sticking to the facts: What's the story, what are its mechanics, what can you expect from the moment-to-moment gameplay.
Star Wars Zero Company is expected to launch in 2026 but there is not a known release date yet.
It looked like it was in good shape to release this year when I played it in February, but as for specifics, we just don't know.
Zero Company is "Star Wars XCOM," but way more than that. Its combat iterates on XCOM, but its presentation is closer to something like Jedi: Fallen Order or even Mass Effect. You lead a mercenary company of former Separatist and Republic operatives during the Clone Wars, investigating a new Dark Side faction on behalf of the Republic.
The combat is to XCOM as Dragon Age: Origins was to Neverwinter Nights or Knights of the Old Republic: immediately familiar, but definitely an iterative upgrade. The big surprise is how you can walk around with full third-person control back at your home base and between fights on missions.
It's a seamless, immersive, and very exciting development for the genre, blurring the line between squad tactics and a full-on RPG. Selecting a mission from the galaxy map, coming home, talking to all my buddies, upgrading stuff—the overall rhythm was giving Mass Effect 2, even though the fights themselves couldn't have been more different.
Keep up to date with the most important stories and the best deals, as picked by the PC Gamer team.
You get a custom protagonist in Zero Company, Hawks, who is also a mandatory unit in story missions. They're a disgraced Republic officer getting by in a galaxy at war, accompanied by their clone war buddy, Trick. Zero Company itself is Star Wars A-Team, doing covert mercenary work for the highest bidder—but with a heart of gold, naturally. The story introduces a number of authored squadmates who resemble BioWare companions, and that cast includes:
There are also a number of story-centric su...Read more: Full article on www.pcgamer.com
What do you think about this?