Star Wars: Zero Company launches this Thursday, August 27, at 3:00 pm UTC: one worldwide unlock on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S. No edition gets early access, so that time is the time no matter what you buy. Preload is already live on every storefront, and the install is about 50 GB.
Should you preorder? Only if you want the droid cosmetics. Every Deluxe extra is cosmetic, nothing is playable early, and the game stays the same price after Thursday. Waiting for reviews costs you exactly one thing: the preorder-only Crystalline Astromech Pack.
Why it matters
This is the first flagship Star Wars tactics game: XCOM in the Clone Wars, built by Bit Reactor's ex-Firaxis veterans alongside Respawn. We made the case for it in our full preview, and nothing since has moved it off the top of our 2026 list. Expect day-one impressions here Thursday and a full review once we've actually finished the campaign.
The details
- Prices: Standard is $49.99 on PC and $59.99 on console. Deluxe is $59.99 on PC and $69.99 on console, and adds three cosmetic packs (armor sets, tattoos, weapon skins). Combat and mission content are identical across editions.
- Preorder bonus: any edition preordered before launch includes the Crystalline Astromech Pack: an R3 droid, translucent crystalline R4/R5 heads, and the exclusive BR-1 droid.
- Collector's Edition: the $299.99 physical set (with its Black Series thermal detonator replica) closes preorders tomorrow night (August 23, 11:59 p.m. ET) via Limited Run. That's the only launch-week deadline that actually expires.
- PC specs: minimum is an i5-8400 or Ryzen 5 2600X, 16 GB RAM, and a GTX 1080-class GPU for 1080p/30 on low. Recommended is an i7-10700K or Ryzen 7 3700X, 32 GB RAM, and an RTX 3080 or RX 7800 XT for 1440p/60 on high.
- Where: Steam, the EA App, the Epic Games Store, and the PlayStation and Xbox stores. Details via EA's preorder page and the Steam listing.
More as it develops. The games catalog has the full picture.