Star Wars: Squadrons

 PC
User Score
5.8

Mixed or average reviews- based on 417 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 206 out of 417
  2. Mixed: 52 out of 417
  3. Negative: 159 out of 417

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  1. rubblecoder
    Oct 15, 2020
    6
    So, after two weeks and version 1.2 of the game (no new content, just bug fixes, 1.0 was an alpha build and 1.1 was a beta build...) we actually have a real game. I was able to get everything running pretty smoothly with my VR headset and flight stick, but like all sim games there is a bunch of configuration after getting it running, but the menus are decent even in a headset without aSo, after two weeks and version 1.2 of the game (no new content, just bug fixes, 1.0 was an alpha build and 1.1 was a beta build...) we actually have a real game. I was able to get everything running pretty smoothly with my VR headset and flight stick, but like all sim games there is a bunch of configuration after getting it running, but the menus are decent even in a headset without a keyboard or mouse.

    But even still there are a few bugs and a pretty big one in ranked multiplayer that makes it impossible to take multiplayer serious right now.

    I have started to recommend the game to friends, but with the warning that there are still some bugs in the game, but it is a blast to fly around in VR.

    (Everything below is from release night)
    The game has shipped in a very bad state. The "VR Support" and "HOTAS Support" just isn't there for PC. There are multiple problems with HOTAS deadzones. And for VR you HAVE to have your keyboard and mouse to play so anyone with a sim setup is going to be sitting with a keyboard in their lap while playing...

    And if you get it on Steam and this is your first EA game on Steam you have to link your EA account with your Steam account. If you already have another EA game (say Fallen Order) this wasn't that big of a deal, but for this game the account link screen is buggy, and you have to do it from in game. It took me about an hour to figure out how to get past EAs login just to link my account.

    This is the first non-Nintendo game that I have pre-ordered in years. I completely regret buying it and thankfully I should be able to get a refund for it. Going back to Elite Dangerous for my space sim needs.    … Expand
  2. randolfra
    Oct 31, 2020
    7
    The launch version was very buggy and unstable, but it is better now. Some issues still remain however, like poor VR performance. The game is good at what is most important: it is fun and feels like Star Wars. However, it is somewhat limited in scope: only a handful of different ships to fly and only so many different maps.

    I wish EA had gone "all in" with this product. With larger    The launch version was very buggy and unstable, but it is better now. Some issues still remain however, like poor VR performance. The game is good at what is most important: it is fun and feels like Star Wars. However, it is somewhat limited in scope: only a handful of different ships to fly and only so many different maps.

    I wish EA had gone "all in" with this product. With larger budget it could have been something truly marvelous.    … Expand
  3. cplaideau
    Oct 7, 2020
    7
    The game play concept is nailed on, Multi-player 5 on 5 flight battle. The problem with the game is the Clunky Control, terrible UI, and game breaking multiplayer.

    Control: I manly play with Mouse and Keyboard, and i can tell you the mouse translation is horrible. You either don't not see where the cursor is, or get bugged down with the "restrain mouse control" feature... They added a    The game play concept is nailed on, Multi-player 5 on 5 flight battle. The problem with the game is the Clunky Control, terrible UI, and game breaking multiplayer.

    Control: I manly play with Mouse and Keyboard, and i can tell you the mouse translation is horrible. You either don't not see where the cursor is, or get bugged down with the "restrain mouse control" feature... They added a "mouse sensitivity which change NOTHING" in game, but to prevent you to use the wheel commands. I don't have a decent joystick, but my old one didn't give much benefit in my aiming either.

    UI: I don't know who designed that UI, but the constant loading screen to change section in the UI is obnoxious. Plus half the time in multiplayer escape doesn't do what it's supposed to do. It feels like none tested it, or didn't bother fixing it.

    Multiplayer: Most of the time multiplayer is ok, until you get this weird bug when you ask to join but doesn't join a game, and it just cancel the matchmaking. Or you join a game with no count down at the start with 1 player missing on a 10/10 lobby. The game Think you have 10 player, but you don't and there's no count down.

    The game needed to be delayed to polish the edges. I'm glad i didn't had to pay 40$ for that game because it's not worth that for now. It's another release it now, fix it later tittle. A shame because the concept is GOOD, the delivery, not so much.    … Expand
  4. bearthor
    Oct 2, 2020
    5
    Its not worth the price in my opinion. To expensive for what it offers. Gameplay is just ok.. Played with Rift S and Hotas.
  5. SplitMind
    Oct 3, 2020
    5
    This game was welcomed with open arms, especially by critics and sometimes uncritically, as ironic as this may seem. Star Wars has a strong hold on people's heartstrings but gamers have found themselves disappointed for well over a decade now. What Star Wars Squadrons brings is not the saviour of the game series, but it is a shining ray of hope.

    A lot of emphasis has been placed on the    This game was welcomed with open arms, especially by critics and sometimes uncritically, as ironic as this may seem. Star Wars has a strong hold on people's heartstrings but gamers have found themselves disappointed for well over a decade now. What Star Wars Squadrons brings is not the saviour of the game series, but it is a shining ray of hope.

    A lot of emphasis has been placed on the graphics here. When not in your ship, the cutscenes are impressive and observing them in the hangar is an impressive sight. The downside is that you don't get to free-roam; instead pointing and clicking from room-to-room which I suspect is to make VR smoother for gamers. Speaking of which, I did not play this in VR at all, so bear this in mind when reading my review. Having said that, I think there is a lot of space for improvement in the graphics department. The backgrounds are excellent, however these become repetitive. What I would like to see going forward is battles that take place not just in outer space, but on planets such as Tattooine to provide a variety of backdrops. One final note; the thing that annoyed me most was that I was limited to cockpit-view throughout the game. This is not my preferred POV so it quite marred the experience for me. You can tell they wanted to focus the game on VR but diversity is always better.

    The story isn't anything special, and other than the appearance of Darth Vader at the beginning it really lacks some star power and figures from the movies to capture my interest. You play as a mostly nameless protagonist that you customise at the beginning of the game but this is rather limited, making me suspicious that microtransactions are on their way. A core element of the story was the constant switching between the Imperials and the Rebels for each mission. I would have much preferred to have chosen one side to play as consistently throughout the game and this could have opened up the option of having different endings depending on which side you choose. Instead, one minute you are in a Tie Fighter, then an X-Wing, then a Tie Interceptor followed by an A-Wing. Speaking of ships, where are the classics such as the Millennium Falcon? Canon or not I'd love to fly these ships again.

    Finally, the gameplay. This is where I had a love-hate experience. Generally, flying and dogfighting is enjoyable, but what really took away from the experience for me was just how bloody slow all aircraft seem to be! Some have good speed and acceleration, however in a dogfight it takes forever to manoeuvre these, meaning that even on the easiest difficulty my enemies had an easy time flying rings around me. What this also means that I found it harder to tell the difference between the craft other than how the cockpit looked. This also pushed me towards a style of gameplay I'll call 'turreting', which is when your aircraft sits completely still in mid-air and you simply fire directly at opponents. I struggled to succeed with any other style of gameplay than this. Ace Combat 7 has captured gameplay fairly well so I don't know why a company like EA are struggling with the money they have behind them.

    One more thing. I cannot conclude without stating how barebones this game is. Given the mediocre quality I'm actually happy that the campaign was so short so I didn't get too bored of it, however what I'm seeing is a game that's a platform for yet another live services model stuffed full of microtransactions. They aren't in the game yet but this is EA we're talking about, so watch closely and get it for less than £20, or not at all if the live services begin to fester into the game and ruin it. Overall, it's a step in the right direction but another missed opportunity.    … Expand
  6. opining_dudebro
    Oct 3, 2020
    5
    If all you want in this game is to have pvp space battles using Star Wars spacecraft then I would say this game is might be right up your alley. However, the gameplay controls in Star Wars Squadrons are terrible for space dogfighting and there are way better games out there that are far superior in every way if you want an actual enjoyable space battle game. The cockpit instruments areIf all you want in this game is to have pvp space battles using Star Wars spacecraft then I would say this game is might be right up your alley. However, the gameplay controls in Star Wars Squadrons are terrible for space dogfighting and there are way better games out there that are far superior in every way if you want an actual enjoyable space battle game. The cockpit instruments are boring, the resource management, while simple, is not very intuitive during fast-paced battles, and the hud is boring and not very creative. Flight controls are a chore rather than feeling immersive or fun. To top that off, the story is mediocre and the characters are not likable, boring, corny, and frankly the alien races feel like something out of a poorly written sci-fi novel written for tweeners. This all makes for a game that is really meant to be played more like Battlefront 2 without the ground battles and frankly I'd probably rather play Battlefront 2 for the space battles than Squadrons because it was more enjoyable. And then there's the fact that for whatever reason unknown to me, after starting the game up a few hours after the first time I played it, the game was buggy with noticeable and frequent audio and video stuttering. I tried everything I could to remedy the problem including reinstalling the most up-to-date drivers, reinstalling the game, adjusting different graphics settings, locking the framerate at every different cap, and switching between fullscreen and borderless. Nothing seemed to remedy the problems though the game was playable after tolerating it for like 10 minutes or so. My hardware exceeds the recommended specs and none of my other games were causing me problems so I can only assume it was an not optimized game at launch. I am giving it a five because for Star Wars people that want to have pvp dogfights and space battles this game scratches that itch, but I do not recommend it. I ended up getting a refund for this game because it was just not for me.… Expand
  7. LittleTerrapin
    Oct 2, 2020
    5
    I really like space games and have several flight sticks and pedals etc and the great news is: sticks and pedals are fully supported. Hotas, hosas, pedals. All supported.

    The bad new that it doesn't matter much. At least not on on a detailed level as I had hoped for flight control. Squadrons quite simply doesn't feel like flight in space at all. No real drift aside from a manual button    I really like space games and have several flight sticks and pedals etc and the great news is: sticks and pedals are fully supported. Hotas, hosas, pedals. All supported.

    The bad new that it doesn't matter much. At least not on on a detailed level as I had hoped for flight control. Squadrons quite simply doesn't feel like flight in space at all. No real drift aside from a manual button trigger option.

    The graphics are even on ultra not a real highlight as they are made for VR performance I guess... and then there are the bugs. Keybindings don't react as bound for the mission prompts, the camera seems to have a life of its own when no vr is connected, etc. But my biggest gripe is to be confronted with such a overly casual flight handling. I am sure that it will be lots of fun for many players who just want to make things go boom, and for players like me the piloting skill involved and needed is simply too unrealistic, simple and dumbed down too much.

    Also the HUD seems like a ancient thing, probably also in favor of VR. I recommend this game ONLY for VR use. I have a VIVE but even that could not make me want to play more due to the underwhelming flight handling. Just too simplistic for me. After having played it I really think that most of the hight and great "official" reviews were money based, not honesty based. Oh, one more positive: it has good 21:9 support if you ignore video cutscenes.    … Expand
  8. Jimmybeanjojang
    Oct 5, 2020
    5
    Lacking so much for VR but the game gives a stellar visual style and decent story telling.
    a lot of reworking needs to be done for match making.
  9. Nobilis1984
    Oct 4, 2020
    6
    The newest Star Wars game is out and costs only 40 €. It doesn't sound bad, but in terms of content, little is offered.
    The campaign is brisk but fun. Tie Fighter and Co. can be controlled much better than Battlefront 2.
    After that there is not much left. The multiplayer only has two maps and that is not enough.
  10. fazhom
    Oct 11, 2020
    6
    At first, I was happy with the gameplay and everything reminding me of X-Wing/Tie Fighter/X-Wing alliance series.
    Campaign and characters are forgetable at best (like BF2) but, to be honnest, I wasn't expecting much from Disney SW.
    But for me, the real problem is there is no machtmaking: on my second match I was up against a team with a level 40 player! I mean, come-on! I don't want    At first, I was happy with the gameplay and everything reminding me of X-Wing/Tie Fighter/X-Wing alliance series.
    Campaign and characters are forgetable at best (like BF2) but, to be honnest, I wasn't expecting much from Disney SW.

    But for me, the real problem is there is no machtmaking: on my second match I was up against a team with a level 40 player!
    I mean, come-on!
    I don't want to win, but I like to be able to actually PLAY and not get shot down even before arriving on the battlefield.

    It would also be nice if you could hire real writers instead of talentless political activists spreading SJW propaganda.    … Expand
  11. winzentween
    Oct 3, 2020
    6
    Best way to play is VR and hotus flight sticks (if it worked) would be the set up of choice but it needs a beefy 2080s if you dont want frame drops etc. The main issue with this game is it costs about 1500 plus to play well. 500 for vr, 1000 for pc and 200 for flight stick and then game on top. And it is in no way worth that effort while a game like half life might be. You would beBest way to play is VR and hotus flight sticks (if it worked) would be the set up of choice but it needs a beefy 2080s if you dont want frame drops etc. The main issue with this game is it costs about 1500 plus to play well. 500 for vr, 1000 for pc and 200 for flight stick and then game on top. And it is in no way worth that effort while a game like half life might be. You would be better off with the PSVR nightmare or just in 2d for way less. BUT if you want the best PCVR is the only choice. Via INDEX or QUEST VD setup.

    The GOOD: looks great mostly and sounds great and the idea is great and there are wow moments. It has some neat cockpits.

    BAD: story is a tired cliche mess. Lots of tech issues and performance problems and the flight stick does not work as intended. Lacks polish and content. A few modes and 6 hrs single play with no secrets. A few old ships we've already used and no b-wings. Small maps for mp. Lots of hand holding and giant tutorials. VR cutscenes not in VR. DROIDS do nothing at all which is against lore and other games. The hub area is teleport rubbish. Nothing much to do and not hub space for MP. Cosmetics and upgrades change nothing. Only one view point. CAnnot use your hands in VR and flight stick doesnt move but throttle does. Many small issues too which distract from what could have been amazing. The game has not been play tested. You are paying to do that for them.

    Also you're supporting Disney and EA so ...don't.

    Wait for a sale and many patches and free content. The game is just not there yet and not as advertised or promised. 6/10 (7 in vr if you love SWARS and they fix the sticks).    … Expand
  12. Mazma
    Dec 25, 2020
    7
    Buono, annoia velocemente da soli. Con VR pazzesco. Da giocare in compagnia!
  13. DanKir
    Dec 31, 2020
    5
    The game is very arcady with fun moments and others that are very confusing.
    What makes the game fun is its arcady nature, what is NOT FUN is how convoluted and complex the key bindings are and some confusing mechanics that are not well explained in the tutorial.
    Whoever designed this game should explain why adding all those USELESS key bindings make this game better or more fun? They    The game is very arcady with fun moments and others that are very confusing.
    What makes the game fun is its arcady nature, what is NOT FUN is how convoluted and complex the key bindings are and some confusing mechanics that are not well explained in the tutorial.
    Whoever designed this game should explain why adding all those USELESS key bindings make this game better or more fun? They don't!
    The games is a classic arcade space shooter with a somewhat lame and simple story, with very cool SW environments. It feels like someone was trying to add some space sim features but failing at it. Also, the HOTAS support is bad and broken. Instead of spending time to add milions of keybindings that do absoloutetly NOTHING, they should have spent the time to add a better hotas support.

    The missions become repetitive, the combat environments are very nice but the game fails to use them in a meanigfull way, they are there just as background. The game is arcady, but the ship don't feel good to move around. Plus there is NO variety of combat .. just pew pew of red lasers and a random missile.    … Expand
  14. Eddie86PL
    May 1, 2021
    5
    This is one of the most overpriced, over-licenced, underutilized and striped of any good mechanics piece of f(l)ight sim I played to date. Controls were clearly designed for a console and the ships functionality only slightly exceeds the general ideas of those from Terminal Velocity. In comparison to Freespace the game has actually far less to offer. It is significantly shorter (about 8This is one of the most overpriced, over-licenced, underutilized and striped of any good mechanics piece of f(l)ight sim I played to date. Controls were clearly designed for a console and the ships functionality only slightly exceeds the general ideas of those from Terminal Velocity. In comparison to Freespace the game has actually far less to offer. It is significantly shorter (about 8 hours), targeting systems are a joke, ship controls are basic and it is still a high praise. Mouse controls are terrible and a pad is a must. Alternatively you can remap the keyboard for a more dynamic experience. What is absolutely barbaric is that the game physics do not use any form of inertia in space. While at the subject of space, why are all the battles taking place in space alone? Why are there no on - world atmospheric missions? NPC's could be completely skipped as a wooden block would have more to offer. The only thing this game actually does have to offer are really amazing graphics, too bad that there are so many graphical artifacts (v - sync doesn't always work right, you can get stuck on a piece of a space debris). What is an utmost atrocity is that the story regardless of the side chosen is linear and failed missions simply restarts having no impact on the final outcome. To summarize:
    - game is extremely short
    - linear story line, missions have no impact on the story or upcoming missions
    - gorgeous unfortunately under-optimized graphics
    - terrible controls and ship functionality
    - unrealistic space - physics
    - music is yet another SW copy/paste
    - meaningless NPC's

    Fun to play tough... once. Recommendation? Wait until it's on sale for -75% discount, then it may actually be worth your attention.    … Expand
  15. teshia
    Aug 30, 2021
    7
    Not bad but a mix of highs and lows. For me, I took no interest in the multiplayer, as I'm a big fan of Tie Fighter and X-Wing from the DOS days and was looking for a similar experience. Great cutscenes, good looking gameplay and a fun ride but on the down side the flying experience felt a bit sluggish and the keyboard and mouse control set feels a bit rough. Also, it's too short. INot bad but a mix of highs and lows. For me, I took no interest in the multiplayer, as I'm a big fan of Tie Fighter and X-Wing from the DOS days and was looking for a similar experience. Great cutscenes, good looking gameplay and a fun ride but on the down side the flying experience felt a bit sluggish and the keyboard and mouse control set feels a bit rough. Also, it's too short. I was experiencing an old school feel like maybe something where you could play through a rebel campaign of 15 missions and then 15 missions of imperial, kind of like with the original Command and Conquer. Playing both sides simultaneously was interesting but ultimately felt a bit unfocused. Interesting though. I think these guys should remake X-Wing and Tie Fighter together in one game where you can choose sides and then play through those campaigns. Those games are crying out for remasters.… Expand
  16. philzlz
    Jan 13, 2023
    7
    While I enjoyed the music (of course) the characters were not interesting enough to hold my attention and missions felt too short and lacked in variety. You could change your ship before missions but this was unnecessary since the objectives were very similar.

    The graphics looked great, some backdrops with gigantic planets bursting apart looked impressive. Overall, a very mediocre    While I enjoyed the music (of course) the characters were not interesting enough to hold my attention and missions felt too short and lacked in variety. You could change your ship before missions but this was unnecessary since the objectives were very similar.

    The graphics looked great, some backdrops with gigantic planets bursting apart looked impressive. Overall, a very mediocre experience, more can be done with the Star Wars license.    … Expand
  17. Mobileum
    Nov 26, 2022
    6
    Took me some time to get use to the controls. I actually "mastered" it only for the last two missions. Beside that I think this game is a lot of hit and miss. I played entirely in VR with a Hotas joystick and some moments were just orgasmic. But EA miss a lot about immersion in that game and the woke stuff is just annoying. Honestly the female you play with the empire is the most annoyingTook me some time to get use to the controls. I actually "mastered" it only for the last two missions. Beside that I think this game is a lot of hit and miss. I played entirely in VR with a Hotas joystick and some moments were just orgasmic. But EA miss a lot about immersion in that game and the woke stuff is just annoying. Honestly the female you play with the empire is the most annoying character I've ever seen in a game. I don't know why they did that. You remove those lame characters and put regular Star Wars vilain, you give the ability to control the ship when leaving/reentering the hangar and it's an easy 8/10. Also they messed up the hyperspace effect, how can you mess that up ?

    I would recommend that game for a star wars fan and people that don't care about woke propaganda. You can have a lot of fun.    … Expand

Awards & Rankings

77
#77 Best PC Game of 2020
24
#24 Most Discussed PC Game of 2020

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
79

Generally favorable reviews - based on 48 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 41 out of 48
  2. Mixed: 7 out of 48
  3. Negative: 0 out of 48
  1. LEVEL (Czech Republic)
    Jan 4, 2021
    80
    The one and only chance to be a space pilot in a galaxy far far away. Living and experiencing adrenaline filled dogfight is simply breathtaking. [Issue#307]
  2. CD-Action
    Dec 18, 2020
    70
    To put it simply, Star Wars: Squadrons is a low-budget X-Wing vs TIE Fighter II based off of Battlefront II’s space battles. I admit that I expected more, but after two decades we finally got a new Star Wars sim (leaning towards the arcade side, but still) and I did enjoy it. It looks and sounds like a Star Wars game should, and Motive’s successful effort to balance such dissimilar crafts as the X-Wing and the TIE Fighter is commendable. [12/2020, p.64]
  3. Riot Pixels
    Nov 21, 2020
    60
    There’s a good concept at the core of Star Wars: Squadrons, as flying a space fighter and managing its systems can be a lot of fun, however, you have to be a very dedicated Star Wars fan to enjoy a drab campaign with just a handful of memorable moments and watered-down multiplayer modes from Battlefront 2.
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