Anyone can play Star Citizen for free during Free Fly events. Find out when the next one is, what's included, and how to lock in a 50,000 UEC referral bonus before you launch.
Twice a year, Cloud Imperium Games — the studio behind Star Citizen — opens the game to everyone. For roughly 10 days, no purchase is required. You make a free RSI account, download the launcher, and you're in.
The two main events are Invictus Launch Week in May (a Navy fleet showcase) and the Intergalactic Aerospace Expo (IAE) in November (the largest ship show of the year, with 100+ ships rotating through the free roster).
Free Fly is the moment to try Star Citizen. If you bounce off, you've lost nothing. If you're hooked, you'll know it within an afternoon — and you can decide whether to grab a Game Package while still inside the event window.
Use this checklist whether the event is live now or you're preparing for the next one. Each step is bite-sized — get through them and you'll have a real sense of the game.
Use a referral code at signup so 50,000 UEC lands in your account when you log in — plus a free Drake DefenseCon Gear Pack if you sign up before May 27. You cannot add the code after the 24-hour grace window — get it right the first time.
Grab the RSI Launcher from your account page. It downloads the game client (~100 GB). Start this early — the launcher will keep running while you read on.
During the event, several ships are unlocked for everyone. The featured ships rotate by event — check the current event card on the homepage.
Spawn at your starting station, follow the contract markers, and learn flight, quantum travel, and ship combat basics. 30–45 minutes well spent.
Easiest first earner. Pick up boxes on one moon, drop them on another. Pays well, low risk, and you see a lot of the universe quickly.
Microtech (snow), ArcCorp (city), Crusader (gas giant), or Hurston (industrial). Each is enormous and worth a quantum jump.
Star Citizen is unforgivingly fun in groups. Use chat or Spectrum to find a crew. Friend other players and queue into shared instances.
If you're enjoying it, pick up a Game Package while still inside the event window. Your referral bonus and any Free Fly progress carry over.
Free Fly is a great time to start. If you've never played before, DayOneCitizen.com has a plain-English guide for your first 30 days in the 'Verse.
When you create your RSI account, paste a referral code into the Referral Code field. You receive 50,000 UEC — Star Citizen's in-game currency — the moment you log in. That's real money to spend on rentals, ammo, components, and gear during the event.
Already signed up? Join the DayOneCitizen Discord for starter help and ship advice.
Want the full referral code details? screferralreward.com has everything you need.
RSI offers a 24-hour grace period to add a referral code after signup, but in practice it's easy to miss. The reliable path: paste the code into the Referral Code field on the signup form itself.
After 24 hours have passed, the code cannot be added — you forfeit the 50,000 UEC permanently. There's no support ticket that fixes it.
DefenseCon 2956. Free Fly reinstated May 18 2026 and active through May 27. Initially cancelled ~May 14 due to server performance issues — first cancellation in SC history — then restored. Anvil Ironclad made its Flight Ready debut.
IAE 2954. Largest ship showcase of the year.
Every Free Fly we've catalogued. Use this to estimate when the next one is likely — patterns repeat year over year.
| Highlights | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| DefenseCon 2956 | May 14–27, 2026 | 13 days | Anvil Ironclad (Flight Ready debut) |
| Intergalactic Aerospace Expo 2025 | Nov 20 – Dec 3, 2025 | 13 days | 100+ rotating ships |
| Invictus Launch Week 2025 | May 15–27, 2025 | 12 days | Aegis Hammerhead |
| Intergalactic Aerospace Expo 2024 | Nov 22 – Dec 3, 2024 | 11 days | 100+ rotating ships across 11 manufacturers |
| Invictus Launch Week 2024 | May 17–28, 2024 | 11 days | F7C Hornet |
| Intergalactic Aerospace Expo 2023 | Nov 17 – Dec 1, 2023 | 14 days | 100+ rotating ships |