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Start Star Citizen
  • Home
  • Enlist With Referral
  • Pick A Starter Ship
  • Blog
  • Can I Run Star Citizen
  • Star Citizen Play Tips
  • How to Join a Free Fly
  • How to Download & Install
  • What is a Wipe?
  • Star Citizen Resources
  • Star Citizen Misnomers
    • Sky Citizen
    • Space Citizen Start Guide

How to Download and Install Star Citizen

An Avenger Titan spaceship from Star Citizen flies towards the sunset on the frozen planet MicroTech

You need to install Star Citizen with the official standalone launcher from Roberts Space Industries (RSI). The RSI Launcher is also used to keep your install up-to-date.


In this page, we'll go through the steps you need to take to:

  • Download and install the RSI Launcher 
  • Use the RSI Launcher to download Star Citizen onto your computer
  • Use the RSI Launcher to start playing Star Citizen

A Star Citizen player dashes away from their Avenger Titan on snowy MicroTech.

First, do you have the essentials?

Before you can install Star Citizen, you will need:

  1. a Star Citizen account
  2. a Star Citizen game package


If you don't have an account yet, then check out our instructions for how to enlist with a referral code to get 5000 bonus in-game credits.


If you don't have a game package yet, then check out our recommendations for the best starter package and how to pledge for a starter pack (or learn how to join a free fly event and play for free during those limited time events!)

Download & Install the RSI Launcher

  • You need to leave this website and go to the official Roberts Space Industries website to download Star Citizen. Click the link below (or copy and paste it into a new browser window) to go to the official Roberts Space Industries website: https://robertsspaceindustries.com/download
  • You should see a "DOWNLOAD" button when you scroll down on the official RSI launcher download website.
  • Click the "DOWNLOAD" button on the official RSI launcher download website to start downloading the RSI Launcher installer.
  • Once the installer downloads, run it on your computer and follow the prompts to install the RSI Launcher.
    • We recommend using the default settings unless you have a specific setup for your game installs.

The RSI Launcher 2.0 with the install game button shown.

Use the RSI Launcher to Install Star Citizen

  • After the launcher installation is completed, run the RSI Launcher.
  • When the RSI Launcher opens, you will need to sign in to the RSI Launcher with your Star Citizen account.
  • Once you have successfully signed in with the RSI Launcher, a Game Environment drop down box and "INSTALL GAME" button will be shown in the RSI Launcher if you have purchased a game package or if a free fly is available. 
  • Select the Game Environment of Star Citizen that you want to install from the Game Environment drop down box.
    • Select the "LIVE" environment unless you're testing in the PTU, EPTU, or TECH-PREVIEW test channels.
  • Click the "INSTALL GAME" button in the RSI Launcher to start installing Star Citizen.
  • A couple of notes about the installation process:
    • The download size is over 70GB. Depending on your internet speeds, it may take hours to download Star Citizen.
    • You will need to allow Easy Anti-Cheat to be installed. Windows will pop up and verify that you want it to be installed while Star Citizen is being installed. Easy Anti-Cheat is required for Star Citizen.

The RSI Launcher 2.0 with the launch game button showing.

Use the RSI Launcher to Launch Star Citizen

  • When Star Citizen finishes installing, the RSI Launcher will show a "LAUNCH GAME" button.
  • Click the "LAUNCH GAME" button in the RSI Launcher to launch Star Citizen and start playing.


Congratulations, you have installed Star Citizen! 

You're Now Ready to Play Star Citizen! What Next?

Play Star Citizen

The best way to learn how to play Star Citizen is to jump in and play it! 


Check out our Star Citizen Play Tips page to learn some tips that we wish we knew when we first started playing Star Citizen.

Play with and Learn from Other Star Citizens

The next best ways to learn how to play Star Citizen is to find others to play with and watch some of the community's best content creators play it!


A list of recommended creators and third-party tools to make the most of your Star Citizen adventure is on our Star Citizen Resources page.

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Last Updated: 12 April 2024

This is an unofficial Star Citizen fansite, not affiliated with the Cloud Imperium group of companies. All content on this site not authored by its host or users are property of their respective owners.


The official Star Citizen website may be found at https://robertsspaceindustries.com

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