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If you liked planning squad turns, customizing operators, and managing decisions between missions in Star Wars Zero Company, start with XCOM 2. Its tactical missions, soldier classes, research, and mobile-headquarters upgrades make it the closest match among the games covered here. If the Clone Wars setting, an authored Star Wars story, or Hawks’s squad relationships matter most, choose Zero Company itself.
What kind of game is Star Wars Zero Company?
Star Wars Zero Company is a single-player, turn-based tactics game set near the end of the Clone Wars. You lead former Republic officer Hawks and an unconventional squad against the Separatist-aligned Infinite Coil. EA describes tactical operations, investigations, customizable characters, squad bonds, and decisions made at the Den, the team’s base of operations. EA’s game and launch information presents it as an original, cinematic Star Wars story.
Combat decisions
According to the official StarWars.com gameplay guide, each operator has three action points for movement, attacks, and abilities. Combat choices include taking cover, calling for a teammate’s attack, setting overwatch, rallying an injured operator, and spending Advantage points on special abilities. Missions have marked objectives, and difficulty can be adjusted outside combat.
Choices between missions
From the Den, Hawks selects tactical missions and non-combat operations. Operations spend Intel and can return items, credits, or influence; some also affect bonds between teammates. Since you cannot take every mission and operation, choosing what to prioritize is part of the campaign strategy. The guide also recommends talking with squadmates to learn their backstories and unlock personal missions.
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Permadeath is optional. When it is enabled, the guide says an operator dies after accumulating three injuries. PC Gamer’s March 26, 2026 hands-on preview describes third-person exploration outside battles and a design intended to connect exploration, tactical combat, and cinematic presentation. That is a preview account, not a substitute for a review of the released game.
Which game should you choose?
| If you want… | Choose… | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Squad tactics, soldier customization, and campaign management | XCOM 2 | Its Steam description lists five soldier classes with skill trees, tactical guerrilla combat, and research and upgrades aboard the Avenger. Its setting is an alien-ruled Earth and resistance campaign, not Star Wars. |
| A Clone Wars setting, authored Star Wars story, and squad relationships | Star Wars Zero Company | EA describes an original cinematic story and squad bonds; the official guide details teammates’ backstories and personal missions. |
| A first tactics game with adjustable challenge and guidance | Star Wars Zero Company | The official guide documents tutorials, on-screen tips, and adjustable difficulty. The cited sources do not establish a universal difficulty ranking against other games. |
| Optional persistent risk for squad members | Check the specific game’s injury and loss rules | Zero Company documents optional permadeath and a three-injury death threshold when enabled. Do not assume other games use the same injury, recovery, or death mechanics. |
How to compare turn-based strategy games
“Turn-based strategy” covers different kinds of decision-making. Before choosing another game, compare the parts you care about rather than relying on genre labels alone.
Rank #2
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- Battle decisions: Look for the actions that make a turn interesting to you: movement, cover, attacks, abilities, and positioning are documented parts of Zero Company combat.
- Campaign management: Decide whether you want to manage research, upgrades, and squad development between encounters. The XCOM 2 storefront description includes research and upgrades aboard the Avenger.
- Story and squad: Choose between a defined Star Wars narrative and character relationships, or a resistance campaign whose appeal includes building and improving a team.
- Consequences for risk: Check whether injury and permadeath are optional, how recovery works, and whether a character can be lost permanently. Rules differ by game.
Platforms and release context
EA announced Zero Company availability for August 28, 2026, on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series consoles. EA’s announcement lists PC availability through the EA app, Steam, and Epic Games Store. It gave launch-announcement suggested retail prices for the Digital Deluxe Edition of $59.99 on PC and $69.99 on consoles, and described a Collector’s Edition with themed physical items. Those are announcement figures, not verified current prices; check your regional store for current availability and cost.
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Best Value
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- Includes gameboard, armies with 4 Infantry, 12 Cavalry, and 8 Artillery each, deck of 56 Risk cards, 1 card box, 5 dice, 5 cardboard war crates, and game guide.
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Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
