Before You Launch
Set up your account, install the game, tune your PC and pick a home before your first login.
1. Create your RSI account
Everything starts at robertsspaceindustries.com (RSI). Make an account there: it holds your ships, your game package and your forum (Spectrum) identity. To play you need a Game Package , which includes a starter ship. Free Fly events happen several times a year and let anyone try the game without paying, so watch for those if you just want a taste.
2. Use a referral code when you sign up
When you create the account you can enter another player's referral code . As of the July 2025 referral program overhaul, a new account registered with a code gets a one-time bonus of 50,000 UEC of in-game money. The code must be entered at sign-up (RSI currently allows a short grace period afterwards). Every valid code gives you the same bonus; the code only decides which player gets credit for recruiting you.
3. Install the RSI Launcher
Download the RSI Launcher from the RSI website. It installs, patches and launches the game. Plan for well over 100 GB of free space, and more if you also install test builds. LIVE is the normal, stable-ish game. Start here. PTU (Public Test Universe) and EPTU are test servers for upcoming patches. Progress there does not carry over and they can be very buggy.
4. Check your hardware
Star Citizen is demanding. The realistic baseline: SSD is a must. On a hard drive, cities and planets may load slowly or not at all. NVMe is best. RAM: 16 GB is the minimum; 32 GB is strongly recommended. CPU: must support AVX. Strong single-core speed helps a lot. GPU: a modern card with plenty of VRAM. The game supports DirectX 11 and Vulkan.
5. Graphics settings that matter
Start conservative, then raise things once you know how your PC copes in a big city: Try both Vulkan and DirectX 11 (Graphics settings). One often runs smoother on a given PC; you need to restart after switching. Lower graphics quality and planet detail first if you stutter. Use upscaling (if offered for your GPU) for easy extra frames. Cities and busy stations are the heaviest areas, so judge performance there, not in empty space.
6. Set up your controls
Mouse and keyboard is perfectly fine to start. Under Options > Keybindings you can see and change every bind; this site's Keybinds list shows the important defaults. Joysticks, HOTAS and gamepads are supported, but learn the basics on keyboard first so guides and tutorials match what you see.
7. Choose your home location
On first login you create your character and choose a home location . This is where your personal hangar lives and where you fall back to when you die without another respawn point. As of 4.x the main options are the Stanton cities: Lorville (Hurston) - industrial, easy hangar access. Area18 (ArcCorp) - compact, lots of shops. New Babbage (microTech) - clean and modern, snowy planet. Orison (Crusader) - floating platforms in the clouds. Since 4.4, Levski in the Nyx system can also be a home, but staying in Stanton is easier at first.
8. Expect alpha behaviour
Star Citizen is an alpha . Bugs, server hiccups and the occasional lost ship are part of the experience. Progress can also be reset by a wipe (the last full one was in 4.8; 4.9 and 4.10 kept progress). Go in curious and relaxed: the fun is in the journey, not in grinding every credit.