Platform: PC (version reviewed), Xbox Series, PlayStation 5
Genre: Strategy, Turn-Based Tactics, Star Wars, Sci-Fi

From the ashes of the XCOM franchise comes Star Wars Zero Company (or ZCOM, heh), a new 2026 turn-based strategy combat title that carries the torch and DNA of one of the best turn-based tactical role-playing game of all time. It also happens to reignite my love of anything Star Wars following several questionable releases on both TV and film.

Living up to their pedigree, Bit Reactor Games, which is made up of mostly industry veterans who worked on Firaxis Games titles such as XCOM and Civilisation, did not hold back. The complex yet engaging game loop of a great tactical turn-based title keeps you coming back for just one more turn. And by the time the credits roll, itching for a brand-new save.

The turn-based gameplay of Star Wars Zero Company is so solid, that even if you strip all of the IP, you are still getting a very meaty, highly polished game which is essentially a spiritual successor of XCOM 2. But with a big Star Wars-sized IP latched on to it, the game also comes a very legitimate worry of the studio butchering an already established IP in pursuit of carving out something ‘original’.

Thankfully, this didn’t happen.

Your Focus Determines Your Reality…

Instead, what we have is a game that satisfies two of the most dedicated fanbases with almost zero downside. XCOM fans who are starved of new content and just relying on The Long War 2 mod to nurse that itch are now presented with fresh challenge. Then there’s the Star Wars fanbase who have been disappointed countless times with tie-ins which, in attempts to expand the Star Wars universe, diluted and trivialised the lore. In Zero Company, both fanbases are served with a feast of engaging gameplay set in the thick of the Clone Wars sprinkled with just the right amount of cameos by iconic characters making it – at least in our books – one of the frontrunners for 2026’s Game of the Year.

You assume the role of Tesh Keff Hawks, the former Captain of the 100th Clone Company which served the Grand Army of the Republic during the Clone Wars. Following a massive loss under the command of the notorious-Jedi-turned-Sith General Pong Krell (yes, THAT Pong Krell from The Clone Wars Animated Series), Hawks was dishonourably discharged and now run a private mercenary outfit which he calls Zero Company as tribute to his fallen troopers.

Along for the ride are a former clone trooper who served under him at the 100th, Trick; a one-armed, former boxer Felshi called Kabb Uppercut and his sassy Togruta accountant-cum-administrator, Runa Blask. Then there’s Aurelio who serves as the Tutorial Mission’s sacrificial Rodian.

Throughout a full, completed game which should each eat up roughly 40 hours of gameplay, you will be introduced to a host of new characters with differing backgrounds, turning Zero Company into a formidable, multi-species fighting force. Apart from the standard human characters, Twi’leks, Zabraks, Weequays, Rodians, Togrutas, Devaronians and Mirialan are all recruitable into Zero Company; a necessary step to fill in roster spots whenever characters are sidelined due to injuries. Injuries which will come in waves as instant recovery is only applicable for Normal difficulty and below.

And once you’ve completed the game for the first time, you’ll be allowed to hire Clone Troopers into Zero Company in your next new save. Imagine a squad of four ARC Troopers each sporting unique markings running around the battlefield blowing up clankers!

There are eight different classes to choose from, each with specific skill trees and ultimates which can be mixed and matched with other squad mates producing some effective synergies and approaches, as well as other passive benefits. Four further ‘Exotic’ classes are included; the Jedi Padawan, Mandalorian Warrior, Astromech and Clone Commando; with the last being accessible later in the game. Just for the sake of adding variety and complexity, you get to add a second sub-class midway through the game.

What is a Star Wars game without Jedi and in ZCOM, we are introduced to Tel-Rea Vokoss, a Padawan who joins Zero Company following a tragedy pre-Order 66. We think it is a smart move to include a new Padawan instead of a full-fledged Jedi as a playable character as they would be super overpowered. Bit Reactor anticipated this, hence their fan service move of allowing us to control Anakin “freaking” Skywalker temporarily midway through the game. Without spoiling a key moment in the game, we love how the devs are able to weave in some iconic and really significant moments into the storyline without breaking any continuity of the canon storyline.

Our favourite character of the Zero Company is definitely Cly, the Mandalorian who’s also on her own revenge mission. The versatility and movement allowed via the Mandalorian kit is severely broken, which explains why we are only allowed one per squad. In fact, if played right, you can easily wipe out up to half of the enemies in a single turn with a combination of Cly and the Scout class.

Astromechs are fun units to play with if you’re big with support characters buffing mates and debuffing enemies, but at the cost of blaster fire. Then again, the choice is yours, and we applaud the dev team for enabling an almost infinite number of playstyles and approaches to the levels.

Zero to Hero

Despite an obvious difference in UI and controls, XCOM, or even any turn-based game veterans would instantly feel right at home. Class-specific skills are balanced, situational and if used correctly, can turn the tide of the battlefield in an instant. Speaking of the battlefield, it is much more condensed compared to XCOM, making each round frenetic and engaging without too many wasted turns. Unlike XCOM2 which allows at least one turn to set up your positions, you can instantly take out the first wave if you play your cards right.

While the campaign does lead you to the next key moments laid out, you can chart your journey via side missions and fulfilling your squad mates’ personal missions which in turn rewards you with credits and team chemistry. The voice acting is top-notch all across the board, with special mention to Vic Michaelis who plays Runa.

However, the game isn’t without its flaws. While we haven’t encountered game-breaking exploits or bugs, we did find several missions were a bit too hard to overcome until you fully utilise all the core mechanics of the game. Then again, turn-based games were never meant to be easy anyway. Another gripe would be that once you’re done with the playthrough, at time of writing, there’s no option for a continuous, endless option. It just … ends.

However, this is definitely something the modding community is going to address – something akin to XCOM2’s The Long War option which allows us to carry on the fight with our maxed-out operators.

Without sounding too cliche’d, the Star Wars universe feels very Star Wars-y in ZCOM; mostly attributed to their collaboration with the folks behind EA’s best Star Wars games released in recent memory, Respawn Entertainment  who made Jedi: Fallen Order & Survivor. The animations and environment share the same design language so seamlessly that we almost expected to see a Cal Kestis cameo in this game – although impossible since the timeline won’t fit.

Star Wars: Zero Company is a rare gem of a game that successfully fan-serviced its way to excellence. It also comes backed up with solid gameplay, gorgeous graphics, unique worlds, a host of play styles, a huge variety of unique and customisable characters, a magnificent score and most importantly, genuine love for Star Wars and turn-based tactics. We can talk about it until the cows come home, but I have another save to start.

Final Score: 90/100

Review copy provided by publisher.