'Star Wars Fate of the Galaxy' Officially Released for Free

Published Oct 30, 2026, 11:24 AM EDT Elijah is a freelance news writer at Polygon. He was an associate editor at The A.V. Club and Paste, and has been featured in outlets like Game Informer, Fanbyte, Unwinnable, and more. He loves media in all forms, from fighting games and horror flicks to slow cinema and visual novels. He's from the Greater Boston area. The Force is strong with this one Huge Star Wars fan game officially released after nearly 20 years in development Image: Factor 5/LucasArts Sign in to your Polygon.com account Never doubt the tenacity of Star Wars fans. After close to 20 years of development, a group of volunteers is finally releasing Fate of the Galaxy, a Star Wars space combat game built on FreeSpace 2’s open-source engine. This total conversion mod was developed using FreeSpace Open and is available for free on Linux, Mac, and PC. “Our goal is to deliver starfighter combat that captures the look and feel of the movies,” the game’s official website reads. “Play your way with engaging combat and campaigns, custom settings, mission creation tools, and more.” Fate of the Galaxy has several different modes, including “interconnected story campaigns, customizable dynamic campaigns that span across the galaxy, arcade and training scenarios, single stand-alone missions, and even quick multiplayer matches on LAN.” The trailer shows a map of different systems alongside a list of missions. Players can choose to be an independent adventurer or a pilot for the Rebel Alliance or the Galactic Empire. There are more than 64 ships to pick from, each with fully functioning cockpits and customizable weapon loadouts. Beyond the pre-built levels, the game also has a mission editor that lets players create their own battles. The developers tout a long list of customizable settings that offer a “wide range of play styles and experiences, from more casual to more sim-like.” They provide multiple difficulty settings and support a range of input methods. The game even works with VR. Fate of the Galaxy is completely open-source. The website touts that “all assets [were] made by humans only,” meaning there’s no reason to worry about AI slop. The space combat sim Freespace 2 was released by Volition in 1999 and became a common foundation for fan projects because the developer openly distributed the game's source code. The game's engine was previously used to create Beyond the Red Line, a total conversion mod based on Battlestar Galactica, and The Babylon Project, which is based on Babylon 5. What other Star Wars games have come out this year? It’s been quite a year for Star Wars video games. This August, Star Wars: Zero Company brought the late Republic era to life with well-designed tactics gameplay and surprisingly sharp writing. Earlier this month, Star Wars: Galactic Racer proved to be another worthy addition to the galaxy far, far away, offering breakneck podracing action and introducing the new Star Wars freak, Biddy Blas.