When is the next Star Citizen Free Fly?
No Free Fly is running right now. The last one, Invictus / DefenseCon, ended on 27 May. The next window is Foundation Festival, expected in early to mid July. Below is the live event status, the full 2026 calendar, and the small trick that locks the 50,000 UEC referral bonus in for whenever you decide to upgrade later.
How to get ready for the next Free Fly
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Create your RSI account
Go to
robertsspaceindustries.com/enlist. Fill in Account Name, email, password, date of birth. -
Paste STAR-JTV7-FXLR in the Referral Rewards field
Even though you are not buying anything, paste the code anyway. It costs nothing and locks the 50,000 UEC bonus in for whenever you decide to upgrade. The field disappears 24 hours after account creation.
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Download the RSI Launcher
From
robertsspaceindustries.com/download. About 150 GB of game install, plan for several hours on a typical connection. See the full download guide for details. -
Sign in during the event window and pick a ship
From your hangar, request any of the featured ships. Fly, explore, do missions. The ships lock again as soon as the Free Fly window closes.
The code locks in for the long game
Plenty of people try Free Fly, don't buy a Game Package immediately, then come back months later to upgrade. As long as you pasted STAR-JTV7-FXLR during signup (or in the 24 hour window after), the 50,000 UEC bonus credits whenever your $40+ Game Package purchase eventually clears. No expiry on the code attachment.
What ships were flyable in the May 2026 Invictus
For reference, the most recent Free Fly, Drake DefenseCon / Invictus 2026 (14 to 27 May), put over 100 ships in the air across rotating manufacturer days. The showcase line-up featured:
- Drake Ironclad, large armored freight hauler
- Drake Ironclad Assault, combined-arms variant of the Ironclad
- Drake Pitbull, light combat ship
- Aegis Tiburon, large area-denial ship
- MISC Starlight, light refueling vessel
- Origin M80, heavy fighter
- Anvil Odin Battlecruiser, concept-sale event finale
Each Free Fly has its own roster. Foundation Festival in July will publish its ship list on the official RSI Comm-Link a couple of weeks before it opens. Historically it leans toward a smaller, anniversary-themed selection rather than the full Invictus or IAE fleet.
Full Star Citizen Free Fly calendar 2026
Three confirmed annual windows. CIG announces exact dates 2 to 4 weeks ahead on Comm-Link. The pattern below has held for several years.
Annual military and ship showcase, this year under the Drake DefenseCon theme. Over 100 ships flyable across two weeks of rotating manufacturer days, with a Game Package sale running concurrently. Best Free Fly for sampling combat and capital ships.
The summer Free Fly, tied to the project's founding anniversary. 2025 ran 2 to 14 July; the exact 2026 dates are not officially confirmed yet but typically land in early to mid July. Smaller, anniversary-themed ship roster, often paired with subscriber-side promotions.
The shortest of the major windows, typically one week. Themed around alien-design ships (Vanduul Blade, Xi'an Khartu-Al / Nox, Banu Defender, Esperia line). Lighter ship roster but unique flight characteristics.
The biggest event of the year. Every flyable ship in the live alpha is free to test, rotating across themed days for each manufacturer (Anvil, Aegis, Drake, MISC, Origin, Crusader, RSI, Tumbril, Esperia, Banu). Deepest Game Package sales of the year. Highest concurrent player counts.
What changes when a Free Fly ends
When the event window closes (CIG usually sets a clean midnight UTC, as Invictus did on 27 May), here is what happens:
- Your account stays. Permanent.
- The rented event ships lock. You cannot request them from your hangar anymore.
- You cannot enter the live alpha unless you have a Game Package on your account.
- Your referral code attachment stays. If you pasted
STAR-JTV7-FXLRduring signup, it remains tied to your account permanently. The 50,000 UEC bonus credits whenever you later complete a $40+ Game Package purchase.
Make the account during Free Fly. Lock in the bonus. Decide on a Starter Pack any time after, even months from now.
STAR-JTV7-FXLR Create account during Free FlyFAQ
When is the next Star Citizen Free Fly event?
No Free Fly is live right now. Invictus / Drake DefenseCon 2026 ran 14 to 27 May and has ended. The next one is Foundation Festival, expected in early to mid July 2026 (2025 ran 2 to 14 July). After that, Alien Week around September and the IAE in November to December.
What is the Star Citizen Free Fly schedule for 2026?
Four likely windows: Invictus / DefenseCon 14 to 27 May (ended), Foundation Festival early to mid July, Alien Week around September, and the IAE in mid November to early December. CIG announces exact dates 2 to 4 weeks ahead on the official Comm-Link.
Can I join Free Fly without paying?
Yes. Free Fly is genuinely free. Create an RSI account, download the launcher, log in during the event window. The curated event ships are flyable for the duration. Account stays after the event ends; ships lock.
Should I enter the referral code during Free Fly?
Yes. Paste STAR-JTV7-FXLR in the Referral Rewards field at signup. The 50,000 UEC bonus only triggers when you later buy a $40+ Game Package, but the code attachment is permanent. Lock it in now, decide on a package whenever you want.
What ships were flyable during the May 2026 Invictus?
The featured roster included the Drake Ironclad, Drake Ironclad Assault, Drake Pitbull, Aegis Tiburon, MISC Starlight, Origin M80 and the Anvil Odin Battlecruiser, alongside over 100 ships across rotating manufacturer days. Foundation Festival in July will have its own, smaller roster announced closer to the date.
How many Free Fly events does CIG run per year?
Three confirmed annually (Invictus in May, Alien Week in September, IAE in November-December) plus occasionally a fourth smaller event (Foundation Festival in summer). Most years total 3 to 4 Free Fly windows.
How long does each Free Fly last?
Invictus is the longest at 2 weeks (14 days). IAE is similar at roughly 2.5 weeks. Alien Week is the shortest at typically 1 week. Foundation Festival is usually 4 to 5 days when it happens.