Star Citizen is on course to reach $1 billion in player funding in 2026, and we still might not get to play its singleplayer campaign next year

In 2026, gaming will (almost certainly) reach a huge, seemingly inconceivable milestone. No, I'm not talking about the release of Grand Theft Auto 6 . I'm referring to how Star Citizen's ridiculously successful, seemingly unstoppable, ethically debatable funding model is set to surpass $1 billion next year.

We last checked in with Star Citizen's Godzilla-sized money magnet in April, at which point the game had just crossed the $800 million mark. But that number has grown substantially in the last eight months.