Star Wars Zero Company is Star Wars meets XCOM, and it just got its first gameplay trailer

Star Wars Zero Company, developed by Bit Reactor in collaboration with Respawn Entertainment and Lucasfilm Games, just got its first trailer showcasing gameplay. As a single-player turn-based tactics game where you build up an elite squad of varying soldiers and fighters taking on missions in a cinematic story, this is the Star Wars + XCOM game fans have been waiting for.

"Set in the twilight of the Clone Wars, you will step into the shoes of Hawks, a former Republic officer who leads Zero Company - an unconventional outfit of professionals for hire hailing from across the galaxy," the synopsis reads. "Hawks and Zero Company are recruited for an operation that pits them against an emerging threat that will consume the galaxy if left unchecked. To succeed, Hawks will lead a team of uneasy allies who must set aside their differences to overcome nearly impossible odds."

Bit Reactor is a new studio led by veterans who worked on the iconic XCOM franchise. With the help of Respawn Entertainment (Apex Legends, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor), this is shaping up to be something special.

Set in the Star Wars universe, with the Clone Wars still raging, you can recruit Jedi, troopers, Mandalorians, droids, and more. Turn-based tactics games are renowned for being hardcore. Although Star Wars Zero Company is being developed to make the genre more accessible, XCOM fans can play with more traditional rules, like permadeath for units that die during a mission, which will impact how the story plays out.

In between missions, players will develop their 'base of operations', which can be used to manage their squad and discover new intel and missions.

The trailer above includes pre-Alpha gameplay footage from a skirmish or mission, showcasing the radial UI and cinematic close-ups for when turn-based actions play out. Star Wars Zero Company is on track for a 2026 release on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S.