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Star Wars: Zero Company Confirms Permadeath, Third-Person Exploration in 2026 Tactics Game

A hands-on preview points to high-stakes permadeath with third-person exploration to broaden the tactics audience.

Overview

  • PC Gamer's Thursday hands-on confirmed permadeath for most squadmates, with limited early plot armor for some story characters.
  • Downed characters take injuries that stack like strikes, and a third injury removes them from your roster for good.
  • Hawks, the customizable squad leader, is the lone exception to permadeath, since a fatal hit on Hawks results in a game over.
  • Between turn-based battles, players explore mission areas in third person as Hawks, a design meant to deepen story beats and time in Star Wars locales.
  • The campaign uses a galaxy map with a cycle system that forces mission choices and leaves lasting effects, and EA and Bit Reactor are targeting a 2026 launch on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S without a set date.