Squadron 42 is currently not available for purchase on the official Roberts Space Industries (RSI) store. Cloud Imperium Games (CIG) delisted the standalone single-player campaign and its combo packages from the store in May 2023 ahead of an expected price adjustment. While the game cannot be bought right now, it can be wishlisted on Steam ahead of its targeted Q2 2027 release window.
Current Availability: Why Can't You Buy Squadron 42?
If you navigate to the official Roberts Space Industries store looking for a checkout button, you will not find one. CIG pulled Squadron 42 from digital storefronts in May 2023. Community manager Zyloh previously confirmed on the official RSI forums that the game was removed at its previous pricing tier and will return to the store at a later date.
The removal was deliberate. Squadron 42 spent years offered at an early-backer discount, but developer Cloud Imperium Games intends to position the completed title as an independent, full-fledged standalone release. With the game reaching the feature-complete milestone and entering its extended polish phase, the studio withdrew legacy packages to prepare a revised retail rollout.
Where Can You Track or Pre-Order Squadron 42?
While direct purchases are temporarily offline, there are specific places to track availability and prepare for the return of sales:
- Steam Storefront: Valve's platform features an official store listing for Squadron 42. While pre-orders are not live yet, players can add the title to their Steam Wishlist to receive automated notifications when purchasing opens.
- Official Roberts Space Industries Website: When official pre-orders resume, packages will return to the RSI pledge store. Creating an RSI account ahead of time will be necessary, as the Steam edition also requires a linked Roberts Space Industries third-party account.
| Platform / Store | Current Purchasing Status | Available Actions |
|---|---|---|
| RSI Pledge Store | Delisted (May 2023) | Account creation, newsletter tracking |
| Steam | Listed (Not yet purchasable) | Add to Steam Wishlist |
| Consoles (PlayStation / Xbox) | Not announced / Unconfirmed | None |
Can You Buy Squadron 42 via Buybacks or the Grey Market?
In the past, players who backed earlier could "melt" their game packages for store credit and later use buyback tokens to re-acquire packages containing Squadron 42. However, CIG officially closed this route by disabling buybacks for any packages containing Squadron 42.
In a formal statement to the community, CIG stated that the pledge buyback tool was never intended to act as cold storage to lock in discounted prices for future redemption or grey-market resale. Because Squadron 42 was removed as a standalone product and promotional bundle, buybacks were turned off to prepare for the commercial launch.
Third-party grey-market reseller sites (such as The Impound) historically listed legacy standalone add-ons and combo packages ranging from $79.99 starter pledges up to high-tier collector editions. However, these inventories are almost entirely sold out due to the inability of sellers to retrieve packages from buyback queues.
Historical Pricing vs. Expected Relaunch Price
Before its removal from the pledge store, Squadron 42 had two primary purchase routes:
- Standalone Pledge: Originally priced at $45 USD.
- Star Citizen Add-on: Available during checkout as a $15 USD add-on package when purchasing an introductory multiplayer starter ship.
When Squadron 42 returns to digital store shelves, it will feature revised standalone pricing. Community analysis and creator reports anticipate the retail launch price to land within the standard modern gaming range of $40 to $80 USD. CIG has not officially posted the final retail price tag.
PC System Requirements
According to the official specifications published on the game's Steam page, running Squadron 42 requires the following hardware configuration:
| Specification | Minimum Requirement |
|---|---|
| Operating System | Windows 11 (64-bit required) |
| Processor | Quad Core CPU (Intel i7 Sandy Bridge or AMD Bulldozer or later) |
| Memory | 16 GB RAM |
| Graphics | DirectX 11.1 compatible GPU with 8 GB VRAM |
| DirectX | Version 12 |
| Storage Space | 150 GB available space (Broadband connection required) |
Frequently Asked Questions
Does buying Star Citizen grant access to Squadron 42?
No. Following the package split in February 2016, Star Citizen (the multiplayer persistent universe) and Squadron 42 (the single-player story campaign) became separate purchases. Owning a Star Citizen starter pack does not include Squadron 42 unless your package explicitly lists "Squadron 42 digital download" inside your RSI Hangar.
When will pre-orders for Squadron 42 reopen?
CIG has not established a specific date for store reactivation, but studio announcements and hiring listings for campaign launch managers indicate that marketing and pre-orders will precede the targeted Q2 2027 release window.
Will existing backers have to buy Squadron 42 again?
No. If your account already owns an older game package containing the "Squadron 42 digital download" line item and you did not melt it, your access is permanent and will grant you the full campaign upon release.
