Cloud Imperium Games has released its 2025 Letter from the Chairman, detailing key development milestones for Star Citizen and Squadron 42. The update highlights a year focused on improved stability, increased content delivery, and record-breaking player engagement.
Star Citizen Development Highlights
In 2025, Star Citizen expanded its playable universe with two star systems, the return of the Levski landing zone, and new locations across the ’verse. A major technical milestone was the release of Server Meshing in version 4.0.1, enabling larger shared instances, improved server performance, and faster recovery from server or client crashes without loss of player progress.
Content delivery accelerated throughout the year, with 11 major patches, over 40 live publishes, 147 PTU builds, and multiple tech previews. Updates included new mission content, large-scale in-game events, environmental and AI improvements, and the addition of 24 new vehicles.
Alpha 4.5 closed out the year with the introduction of the Engineering gameplay system, expanding ship management mechanics, alongside an experimental VR mode supported by engine optimization and the ongoing transition to Vulkan.
Player engagement reached record levels, surpassing 64 million hours played in 2025. The year also saw increases in average daily users and peak concurrency, along with a reduction in player disconnections compared to 2024.
Squadron 42 Progress Update
Development of Squadron 42 reached content completion in 2025. All chapters are now playable from beginning to end, with internal playtesting underway. The single-player campaign is reported to exceed forty hours in length, with remaining work focused on polish, optimization, and bug fixing ahead of Beta and a planned 2026 release.
Community Activity
Community participation continued globally through hundreds of Bar Citizen events, with Cloud Imperium Games attending 24 in person. Online events included racing competitions, social meetups, and worldwide watch parties during CitizenCon Direct.
Development Focus for 2026
Looking ahead, development priorities for 2026 include dynamic Server Meshing capable of real-time reconfiguration, expanded core gameplay systems such as Engineering, Inventory, Crafting, and Social Tools, and the introduction of Genesis planets featuring denser biomes and improved planetary technology. Core systems including Inventory, Insurance, and Cross-Patch Persistence are also scheduled for significant upgrades.
Work on Squadron 42 will continue to focus on quality and polish as the project moves toward Beta and release.
