The campaign
What are cycles in Zero Company?
The campaign clock. Completing a tactical mission advances the cycle, and missions and Operations expire after a limited number of them.
- Confidence
- Strongly supported
- Verified
- 15 August 2026
- Version
- pre-release (no retail build)
The short answer
The campaign clock. Completing a tactical mission advances the cycle, and missions and Operations expire after a limited number of them.
In full
What that means when you are planning
One previewer reports you can run only one full combat mission per cycle, which makes every cycle a choice about what you are giving up rather than a schedule to work through.
Things that cost cycles: healing an Injury in a standard Medbay bed takes one. Things that expire: missions and Operations both, permanently. Recruitment offers a new selection of Operators each cycle, so passing on someone is not always a decision you can revisit.
The clock runs against you in a second way. Enemy factions strengthen over the campaign regardless of what you do, and ignoring certain Operations grants them upgrades that persist all game. One previewer reached cycle 7 in roughly eight hours.
What we don't know yet
The game has not been released. These are open questions we have chosen not to guess at.
- How many cycles a campaign runs.
- Whether the one-mission-per-cycle limit is universal or specific to the preview build.
Next
Related questions
- Can you miss an Operation permanently?
- Yes. Operations expire, and one whose window closes is gone for good.
- What are Operations in Zero Company?
- The non-combat half of the campaign — intelligence work and political manoeuvring, run from the HoloTable at the Den between missions.
- How many Injuries kill an Operator?
- Three, on standard difficulty.
Where this is covered properly
Sources
- Lead Zero Company To Victory on August 27
Electronic Arts · Tier 1 — Official · accessed 6 August 2026
Supports: Operator introductions; 3 Action Points per turn; Advantage caps at 10; the eight Specializations; Bonds in the Personnel Facility; Hawks' species options
- I played Star Wars Zero Company early — new gameplay and details
Star Wars HQ · Tier 3 — Hands-on preview · accessed 11 August 2026
Supports: 5:01–12:48 — one full combat mission per cycle; Hawks alone cannot permanently die; the exotic classes restricted to Cly, Tel-Rea and astromechs; recruitment refreshing each cycle with a name, Talent, Specialization and weapon type; Medbay bed and Bacta Tank costs; ignoring Operations granting enemies lasting upgrades
- I played 54 hours of Star Wars Zero Company
Dantics · Tier 3 — Hands-on preview · accessed 11 August 2026
Supports: 5:26–11:55 — an injury is taken only on being reduced to zero health; normal, hard and expert named, plus an Ironman-style toggle; crisis operations; weapon mods slotted freely before missions; a second Specialization after cycle 18; every Bond level granting Focus Points and one of three joint training bonuses; the Sharpshooter's unmissable shot and the Soldier's rocket barrage
- I played Star Wars Zero Company — my honest thoughts
EckhartsLadder · Tier 3 — Hands-on preview · accessed 11 August 2026
Supports: 3:18–12:36 — no hunker-down action, so a spare AP goes to Overwatch; astromechs carrying three utilities and extra uses of each; Trick able to negate some injuries along an upgrade path; twelve galaxy zones; super battle droids telegraphing a rocket one turn ahead; many of the 150+ planets being text-only
- Star Wars Zero Company preview — after 15 hours
Arekkz Gaming · Tier 3 — Hands-on preview · accessed 11 August 2026
Supports: 3:15–9:43 — conversations at the Den unlocking side missions; late companions forcing a rethink of squad composition; missions carrying a limited window; fighting alongside Anakin Skywalker late in the preview; fifteen hours without a crash