Star Wars Zero Company reviews: A niche Game of the Year?

The reviews are in, and they’re genuinely good

Star Wars: Zero Company, the XCOM-style tactics game set during the Clone Wars era, has been out since August 27, 2026 - and critics are treating it as a real, if niche, game-of-the-year contender. Dual Shockers scored it a 9, PC Gamer gave it 90/100, and Metacritic’s press average sits at a strong 85, with players agreeing at 8.2.

Why it matters for dads

Licensed Star Wars games have a mixed track record, so Zero Company (also on Xbox) clearing 85+ across the board on the strength of its actual systems is worth paying attention to. Reviewers keep landing on the same shorthand - “Star Wars XCOM” - and it fits: permadeath applies even to named story characters, which means missions carry real tension instead of the consequence-free skirmishes a lot of licensed tie-ins settle for. Between missions, shoulder-perspective exploration and BioWare-style crew conversations at your base give the cast room to breathe, which critics single out as more effective than expected for a “simple” system.

It’s not unanimous praise - some reviewers found the story mundane rather than distinctive, and there’s real criticism that the combat’s tactical variety thins out over a full campaign. A Steam poll of 842 players found 40.5% not interested and another 26.7% waiting for a price drop, so this is clearly a genre pick, not a mass-market one. If tactics games are already a hit in your house, our best action RPGs with strong stories guide has other picks in the same lane worth comparing before you commit.

What’s next

With reviews largely settled, the open question is price - a meaningful chunk of interested players are explicitly waiting for a discount rather than buying at launch price. We’ll flag it here if Zero Company shows up in an early sale.

What is Star Wars: Zero Company?

An XCOM-style turn-based tactics game set during the Clone Wars era, built around squad-based missions, permadeath, and base-camp conversations between an original cast of characters.

How is Star Wars: Zero Company being reviewed?

Strongly. Dual Shockers gave it a 9, PC Gamer 90/100, GameStar 86/100, and Metacritic’s press average sits at 85 with an 8.2 user score - unusually consistent scores for a licensed Star Wars game.

Is Star Wars: Zero Company good for kids?

It’s a tactics game with permadeath that can kill named story characters permanently, closer in tone to XCOM than a typical Star Wars adventure - fine for older kids comfortable with strategy games, not a pick for younger ones.