Nearly two decades after the original release of Star Wars: Battlefront II, a volunteer developer has achieved what official studio updates and re-releases failed to deliver. The newly released “Galactic Conquest Together” mod finally brings the game’s most beloved strategic mode to the online arena, allowing players to wage interstellar war with friends over the internet for the first time.
Galactic Conquest has long been considered the crown jewel of the 2005 classic. The mode blends grand strategy with tactical shooters, tasking players with moving fleets across a galaxy map, purchasing planetary upgrades, and engaging in ground or space battles to seize total control. Despite its enduring popularity, the original game lacked an official way to play this specific campaign mode online, and the feature remained absent even in the 2024 Star Wars: Battlefront Classic Collection—a glaring omission that contributed to that title’s poor reception among long-time fans.
Created by a modder known as Trauntrow (also identified as u/Hunterbing), the mod introduces two distinct ways to experience the campaign online: co-op and versus. In the cooperative mode, one player manages the overarching strategy on the galaxy map while the second player’s screen mirrors the host’s actions, from fleet movements to troop recruitment. Both players then deploy into the same battles to fight side-by-side. In versus mode, the experience becomes a competitive turn-based struggle, with each player controlling their own faction and facing off directly in combat when their interests collide.
Technically, the mod is designed to be user-friendly, utilizing Steam invites to facilitate connections. This eliminates the need for players to configure dedicated servers or navigate the complexities of port forwarding. To support longer campaigns, the mod also includes the ability to save and load progress, ensuring that players do not have to conquer the entire galaxy in a single sitting.
However, potential users should note several technical requirements and limitations. The mod is built exclusively for the 2005 Steam version of Star Wars: Battlefront II, and will not function with the 2017 reboot or the recent Classic Collection. Both participants must have the mod installed along with the unofficial 1.3 patch. While the creator has acknowledged the possibility of occasional crashes or synchronization errors, the reception from the community has been overwhelmingly positive, with many players noting they have waited since childhood for such a feature.
Currently, the mod is limited to two-player sessions, though Trauntrow has indicated that increasing the player count is being researched for future updates. For a fanbase that recently expressed deep frustration with official development choices—specifically regarding the use of AI upscaling and missing features in the latest commercial re-release—this community-led project represents a significant victory in preserving and expanding the legacy of a landmark Star Wars title.
