Squadron 42 hands-on: ~140 backers played for five hours in Manchester — still no release date

There was no CitizenCon in 2026 — CIG confirmed earlier this year that there would be no event, in person or digital, so the team could focus on delivering Squadron 42 (Massively Overpowered). Instead, CIG held an invite-only Squadron 42 hands-on event at its Manchester studio, October 9–11.

What happened

Per CIG’s October 12 This Week in Star Citizen (as summarized by the iheldtheline.com tracker):

• Around 140 community members attended.
• Attendees played Squadron 42 for five hours, then spent an extra hour in a unique story chapter aboard an adrift Xi’an ship.
• CIG said photos from the weekend are coming soon and pointed players to the trailer and the Steam wishlist.

Release date?

No release date was given. In the August 27 Letter from the Chairman, CIG said it would make announcements about release plans during the event and announce a specific date “shortly afterwards.”

Uncertain: third-party trackers currently cite a Q2 2027 window. Earlier in 2026, CIG had talked about releasing Squadron 42 this year. Treat any window as unconfirmed until CIG publishes a date.

We’ll update the Star Citizen Hub the moment an official date drops.