How to Download and Install Star Citizen
Step 03 of the Star Citizen beginner guide: installing the RSI Launcher on the right drive, and the two first launch settings that are painful to change later.
Go back to step 02 and choose a game package first, then come back here and carry on down the page.
You have selected your ship and completed your purchase. This section covers the two remaining steps before your first session: installing the RSI Launcher correctly on an SSD, and configuring your first launch: channel selection, character creation, and spawn location. Both steps have critical failure points that end sessions before they start.
How to download and install Star Citizen
The RSI Launcher is the mandatory client manager for Star Citizen. It handles patch delivery, channel switching, and login. Download it free from the link below and install it on your machine. The launcher itself is small. The game client it downloads is not.
Why Star Citizen has to go on an SSD
Star Citizen cannot run correctly from an HDD. The game streams massive asset packages continuously during play. A hard disk drive cannot sustain the required read speeds, causing:
› Severe frame-rate stuttering on the ground and in space
› Missing geometry, so ships, stations and terrain fail to render
› Invisible players and NPCs
› Mission load failures and broken spawns
› Crashes disguised as engine errors
These failures are routinely mistaken for game bugs. They are not. They are hardware failures. Install exclusively on a high-speed NVMe SSD.
Where to install Star Citizen
During launcher setup, click the install path field and route it to your NVMe SSD before downloading the game client. Do not rely on the default path. On many systems it defaults to the C: drive which may be a SATA SSD or an HDD depending on your configuration. Verify explicitly.
First launch: channel, character and home location
Once the 100GB download completes, open the launcher and work through the following sequence before hitting Play. Two decisions made here have long-term consequences: which channel you launch on, and where you set your primary residence.
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A
Select the LIVE Channel, Not PTU
In the RSI Launcher you will see a channel dropdown. Always select LIVE.
PTU (Public Test Universe) is an unstable testing environment for upcoming patches. It has incomplete content, frequent wipes, reset inventories, and game-breaking bugs by design. It is not intended for normal play.
If the launcher defaults to PTU or shows a PTU version number in the top bar, switch to LIVE before clicking Install or Play. -
B
Character Creation
On first login you will be taken through a character creator. Customise appearance as you like, because this can be changed later. The only decision with lasting consequences is your Primary Residence, which comes after character creation.
Do not rush. The creator is the only thing standing between you and your first-session walkthrough at 07:35 in the video guide. -
C
Set Primary Residence to Lorville, Hurston
After character creation the game will ask you to choose a Primary Residence, your medical respawn point and default spawn location. Select Lorville on Hurston.RECOMMENDEDHURSTON // STANTON ILORVILLE
Central Stanton position minimises quantum travel time to all other planets. TEASA Spaceport is beginner-friendly with clear signage. New Deal Dealership on-site for in-game ship purchases.Shortest average QT to all Stanton destinationsNew Deal ship dealership on-siteIntuitive port layout for new playersStrong mission board selectionMICROTECH // STANTON IVNEW BABBAGE
Visually impressive but far from the system centre. Longer QT to ArcCorp, Crusader, and Hurston. Complex port navigation for first-session players.Good tech and armour shopsQuiet, lower player density
You are installed. What to do next
LIVE channel selected, character created, Lorville set as primary residence. Proceed to Section 05: The Tutorial for the full video walkthrough of your first session, including how to claim your 95,000 aUEC day-one bonus.