How to download Star Citizen in 2026
Roughly 45 minutes from start to first ship in space, if your internet is decent. The full game is about 150 GB and must go on an SSD. Here's the whole flow, plus the small trick that locks in 50,000 UEC of in-game currency for your account before you even download anything.
The short version
Star Citizen is sold direct by RSI, not on Steam or any other store. You create an RSI account, buy a Game Package, then download the RSI Launcher which downloads the actual game. The launcher is small (under 1 GB). The game client is about 150 GB. On a 100 Mbps connection you're looking at roughly 3 to 4 hours of total download.
Do this before you click download
Paste STAR-JTV7-FXLR in the Referral Rewards field when you create your RSI account. Costs you nothing. The new account gets 50,000 UEC of in-game currency once your Game Package purchase clears (the package price itself stays the same). The field disappears 24 hours after account creation, so do it during signup.
Step by step
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Create your RSI account with the referral code
Go to
robertsspaceindustries.com/enlist. Fill in Account Name, email, password, date of birth. Scroll to Referral Rewards at the bottom of the form, pasteSTAR-JTV7-FXLR, tick the Terms checkbox, click Enlist Now. The orange button below this list pre-fills the code into the URL if you want to skip the manual paste. -
Buy a Game Package
Open the Pledge Store, go to Game Packages, and pick a Starter Pack. The Citizen Starter Pack at $60 USD is the right default for most new players (RSI Aurora Mk II + 10,000 UEC + full game access). The 50,000 UEC bonus credits to your account once this purchase clears, usually within minutes.
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Download the RSI Launcher
Go to
robertsspaceindustries.com/download. Click the Windows download button. The installer is small (under 30 MB) and finishes in a few seconds. Run it. -
Open the launcher and sign in
The launcher opens automatically after install. Sign in with the RSI account you just created. You'll see Star Citizen LIVE listed. Before clicking Install, open the launcher settings (cog icon, top right) and verify the install location.
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Set install location to an SSD
The default is
C:\Program Files\Roberts Space Industries\StarCitizen\LIVE. If your C drive isn't an SSD, change this to a drive that is. The game must be on SSD to run acceptably. Make sure the drive has at least 200 GB free. -
Click Install and wait for the download
The launcher downloads approximately 150 GB. On a 100 Mbps connection that's roughly 3 to 4 hours. On a 1 Gbps connection, around 30 minutes. The launcher resumes if interrupted. You can close it and come back later.
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Launch Star Citizen for the first time
Once the install completes, click Launch Game. The first boot takes 1 to 3 minutes as shaders compile. You'll land in the main menu. Pick a starting location (Area18 on ArcCorp is the recommended starter for new players: friendly NPCs, mission terminals nearby, less crime than other zones). Run the Verse Tour if it's your first time to learn the basic keybinds.
Install size, patch cadence, and storage planning
| Component | Size | Frequency |
|---|---|---|
| RSI Launcher (installer) | under 30 MB | One-time download |
| RSI Launcher (installed) | under 1 GB | Auto-updates as needed |
| Star Citizen client (full install) | ~150 GB | Once per major install |
| Major patch (4.0, 4.1, 4.2 etc) | 10 to 40 GB | Every 3-4 months |
| Hotfix patch | under 1 GB typically | Weekly to monthly during active periods |
| Occasional full re-install (major systems change) | ~150 GB | Once every 1-2 years |
Plan for at least 200 GB of headroom on the install drive. A dedicated 1 TB NVMe SSD for games is the sensible setup. The drive must be NTFS formatted (Windows default) and RSI recommends another 10 GB of free space on the same drive for the Windows page file.
The SSD rule, explained
HDD installs are technically supported, practically broken
Star Citizen streams huge amounts of data while you play. Planet tiles, ship interiors, city assets, NPC populations. On a traditional hard drive, the game stutters constantly, loading screens drag for minutes, and ship interiors load with missing textures. RSI strongly advises an SSD for a reason.
NVMe SSD is preferred for the fastest loading. SATA SSD works fine and the difference is mostly in initial loading times, not in-game frame pacing. The big win is going from HDD to any SSD; going from SATA SSD to NVMe is a smaller improvement.
Common download and install problems
Launcher download stuck or extremely slow
Star Citizen patches sometimes hit CDN bottlenecks during major event windows like IAE in November. If your launcher download is stuck under 1 MB/s and your normal internet is faster, pause and resume the download. If that doesn't help, restart the launcher. Last resort, restart your router. CIG's CDN is generally fast outside event windows.
"Cannot allocate memory" or install fails partway
Usually a disk space issue. Make sure the install drive has at least 200 GB free during install (the launcher unpacks intermediate files that consume extra space). Check your antivirus is not scanning every downloaded file (Windows Defender real-time scanning slows the install significantly; consider pausing it during the initial download).
Verse compiler hangs on first launch
The first time you launch the game, shaders compile and the verse loads. This can take 1 to 3 minutes on a fast SSD, longer on slower hardware. Don't kill the process. If it sits more than 10 minutes, check the launcher logs (Help menu) for a specific error.
Game won't start after a patch
Use the launcher's "Verify" or "Repair" function (right-click the game entry). This re-downloads any corrupted files. If that doesn't help, the launcher's Reinstall option does a full fresh install.
Storage tips for SC players
- Dedicated 1 TB NVMe SSD is the sweet spot. Holds SC plus a few other games comfortably.
- Don't store the game on a network drive. Latency kills the streaming system.
- Don't store it inside OneDrive or other cloud-sync folders. The launcher's files get massively syncronized which slows updates and breaks the install.
- Defrag is not needed on SSDs and is actively harmful. Windows handles SSD maintenance correctly via TRIM.
- If you're upgrading to a larger SSD, the launcher has a "Change install location" option that moves the files cleanly. Don't manually copy the LIVE folder.
Code first, then download. The bonus credits the moment your package purchase clears, before you even finish the download.
STAR-JTV7-FXLR Create account with codeFAQ
How do I download Star Citizen?
Create an RSI account at robertsspaceindustries.com/enlist (paste STAR-JTV7-FXLR for the bonus). Buy a Game Package. Download the RSI Launcher from robertsspaceindustries.com/download. Open the Launcher, sign in, click Install. The full game is approximately 150 GB and must be on an SSD.
How big is the Star Citizen download in 2026?
Approximately 150 GB for the current alpha 4.x client. RSI Launcher itself is under 1 GB. Patches add 10 to 40 GB per major release. Plan for 200 GB of headroom on the install drive.
How long does Star Citizen take to download?
On 100 Mbps, roughly 3 to 4 hours for the 150 GB client. On 1 Gbps, under 30 minutes. The launcher uses standard HTTP CDN and rarely bottlenecks on RSI's side outside major event windows.
Where does Star Citizen install by default?
C:\Program Files\Roberts Space Industries\StarCitizen\LIVE is the default. You can change it in the RSI Launcher settings before clicking Install. Pick an SSD with at least 200 GB free.
Can I install Star Citizen on a HDD?
Technically yes, practically no. The game stutters constantly on a hard drive because it streams data continuously. RSI strongly advises SSD. NVMe is preferred, SATA SSD works.
How often does Star Citizen patch?
Major patches every 3 to 4 months (10 to 40 GB each). Hotfixes weekly to monthly during active periods (usually under 1 GB). Free Fly events and major in-game events often coincide with patch releases.
Do I need to redownload for each Free Fly?
No, the install persists between events. You just need to make sure your client is on the current patch when the Free Fly window opens. The launcher will prompt you.
Is Star Citizen on Steam?
No, never has been, no plans to. Direct from RSI only. See the full not-on-Steam breakdown for why.