Star Citizen Free Fly: Play Free Until 27 November at IAE 2956

The Star Citizen free fly is live. Cloud Imperium Games has opened the game to everyone from 13 to 27 November 2026 to celebrate the Intergalactic Aerospace Expo 2956 (IAE 2956), its yearly in-game ship show.

That matters because Star Citizen normally has no free trial. To play, you need a paid Game Package on your account. For two weeks, that rule is switched off, and the expo floor lets you rent ships that would cost real money to own.

Below you will find the official start time in IST, GMT and US Eastern, which ship everyone gets, how the daily manufacturer rentals work, what your PC needs, and how to plan group flights and stream them with Discord.

At a glance - Dates: 13 to 27 November 2026. IAE opened on 13 November at 16:00 UTC. - Price: free for anyone with an RSI account. No Game Package or special code needed. - Free ship: every account gets an RSI Aurora Mk II for the whole event. - Rentals: CIG says over 200 ships and ground vehicles can be tried at the Tobin Expo Center in New Babbage, on a daily manufacturer rotation. - Platform: Windows PC only, with a 150 GB+ SSD and 16 GB of RAM as the minimum. - Discord angle: there is no official Star Citizen Discord linked from RSI's site, but you can organise crew nights and Go Live from your own server.

🚀 What the Star Citizen Free Fly Includes

According to Roberts Space Industries (RSI), the publishing arm of Cloud Imperium Games (CIG), anyone can explore Star Citizen's Persistent Universe for free during IAE. You do not need to own the game.

Every account gets access to an RSI Aurora Mk II for the full event. You claim it at an ASOP terminal, the in-game ship retrieval kiosk, and then fly to microTech in the Stanton system.

The real draw is the expo itself. It takes place at the Tobin Expo Center in New Babbage, the largest city on microTech. RSI's free fly page says over 200 spacecraft and vehicles can be tried during the event.

Rentals work through the Traveler Rentals terminals in the main hall. The official IAE FAQ confirms three rules:

• Each rented ship or vehicle lasts 48 hours.
• You can rent every flyable or drivable vehicle on show, plus some that are not exhibited.
• Each ship or vehicle can be rented once per account.

A Star Citizen demo stand at Gamescom. The IAE itself happens inside the game. Image: QSO4YOU.com via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0.

🕒 Start and End Times in IST, GMT and ET

RSI's FAQ says IAE runs from 13 November at 16:00 UTC through 27 November. The RSI Knowledge Base gives the same start as 8:00 AM Pacific. New ships rotate into the hall daily at that same time.

Note: CIG has not published an exact closing time for 27 November. If you plan a late session on the last day, check the RSI site or Spectrum before you jump in.

📅 The IAE 2956 Manufacturer Schedule

Each day, a different set of manufacturers takes over the hall. Here is the official rotation from RSI's Free Fly and Manufacturer Schedule post.

Day 1 is the big one. RSI calls it the Galaxy's flyable debut, and its list for the day also includes the RSI Skylark, Constellation variants, Polaris and Perseus, among others.

If you miss a day, the Finale gives you a second chance. From 23 to 27 November, every ship that was available earlier returns to the kiosks.

🛠️ How to Join the Star Citizen Free Fly

The steps are short. The RSI Knowledge Base says no special code is needed for this event.

1. Create an RSI account from the Play Now or free fly page on robertsspaceindustries.com.
2. Download the RSI Launcher from the official download page, then install or update Star Citizen through it.
3. Check the Known Issues list for the current patch, which RSI links from its IAE help article.
4. Launch the game and pick Universe. When asked for a Primary Residence, choose Stanton, then New Babbage.
5. Pick a server region, ideally Best or the one closest to you, and press Play.
6. Head to the expo. New players without ships usually start in The Nest. Follow the Metroloop signs to the Commons/Tobin Expo Center shuttle and get off at the Tobin Expo Center stop.
7. Rent a ship at a Traveler Rentals terminal, then collect it from the spaceport or any ASOP terminal.

Referral bonus

If a friend already plays, the IAE FAQ says using their referral code at sign up gives you 50,000 UEC, the in-game currency. Your friend earns a referral point only if you stay after the free fly. We are not sharing any codes here; ask someone you actually know.

💻 Star Citizen PC Requirements

Star Citizen is a Windows game. RSI's Knowledge Base says it is not available on macOS or Linux, and your CPU must support AVX, AVX2 and FMA3.

RSI lists the NVIDIA 1060, AMD RX 460 and Intel A380 among its minimum spec cards. It also warns that real performance depends on location, server population and network conditions.

In plain terms, the SSD rule is the one that catches people out. A hard drive is not enough, and the download is large, so start it well before your crew night.

💰 What Happens After the Free Fly Ends

Once the event closes, the RSI Knowledge Base says you will again need a Game Package on your account to play. Your rentals do not become owned ships. They are timed and tied to the expo.

The IAE help article adds that the ships on show can be bought with in-game currency in the future, and many are also offered through pledges. CIG's IAE pages do not spell out what happens to in-game progress from the free period, so do not count on it carrying over.

A few store details are worth knowing if you are tempted:

• Warbond Daily Deals run for 24 hours each throughout the event, per the FAQ.
• Stock-limited ships are capped at one per account and released in six waves to cover time zones.
• The MISC Prospector goes from $155 to $175 on MISC Day, according to the FAQ.

The game is still in alpha, and every purchase is technically a pledge to fund development. Try the ships for free first, then decide.

🎁 Other IAE 2956 Highlights

Best in Show. Ship Showdown 2956 was won by the RSI Perseus, with the Drake Ironclad Assault, Drake Corsair and Origin M80 close behind. All four are flyable on Day 10, and owners of those ships get a free limited-edition Best in Show livery.

Twitch Drops. Link your Star Citizen and Twitch accounts, then watch any Drops-enabled Star Citizen stream. The FAQ lists a Venture Undersuit Black/Grey at two hours, the matching Venture Black Armor Set at four, and a MacFlex Backpack Orange at six.

New ship releases. Wccftech reports a release calendar of the RSI Galaxy and RSI Skylark on 13 November, the Anvil Liberator on 15 November, the Drake Marauder on 17 November and the Gatac Hyun on 21 November.

Help for new pilots. RSI points newcomers to its Welcome Hub of beginner guides and its Guide System, where veteran players offer informal help.

🎧 Taking Star Citizen Free Fly Nights to Discord

RSI's official community home is Spectrum, its own forum and chat. We could not find an official Star Citizen Discord linked from the RSI or Star Citizen websites, so be careful with servers that claim to be official.

That still leaves plenty of room for Discord. Star Citizen is far more fun with a crew, and a voice channel is the easiest way to coordinate a multi-seat ship. If you run a gaming community, our guide on how to set up a gaming Discord server covers channels and roles for this kind of group.

Schedule a crew flight. Use Discord's Create Event option from the server menu. Line it up with the 21:30 IST or 11:00 AM ET rotation so everyone can grab the same ships together. Our Discord events guide explains how to plan and promote them.

Create Event in the server menu. Image: Discord Help Center.

Stream with Go Live. Join a voice channel, click the screen share icon in the voice panel, pick the Star Citizen window, choose your quality settings and press Go Live. Discord says up to 50 people can share video or screens in a voice chat at once.

Picking stream quality before you Go Live. Image: Discord Help Center.

Discord's help centre notes that a game has to be recognised by its game detection to stream it as an app. If Star Citizen does not show up, add it manually under User Settings, Game Activity.

Once live, a small preview window shows your stream. Image: Discord Help Center.

Want to send flights to Twitch or YouTube too, and earn those Drops? Our Discord streaming guide shows how to connect those platforms to your server.

❓ FAQ

Is the Star Citizen free fly really free?

Yes. RSI says anyone can play during IAE without a Game Package. You only need an RSI account and a Windows PC that meets the specs.

When does the Star Citizen free fly end?

RSI lists 27 November 2026 as the final day. It has not published an exact closing time.

Which ship do I get for free?

Every account gets an RSI Aurora Mk II for the whole event. Other ships are 48-hour rentals from the expo kiosks on the daily schedule.

Can I play on Mac, Linux or console?

No. RSI's Knowledge Base says Star Citizen is not available for macOS or Linux. Its requirements page covers Windows PCs only.

Do I keep anything if I buy the game?

Your RSI account stays. The rentals do not become owned ships, and CIG has not confirmed that free fly progress carries over.

🎮 The Bottom Line

The Star Citizen free fly is the cheapest way to answer the question everyone asks about this game: is it worth it? Two weeks, a free starter ship and a rotating hangar of rentals is a generous test drive.

Check your SSD space first, pick your manufacturer days, and get a crew together on Discord for the bigger ships. Which IAE day are you most excited to fly?

Sources

1. Intergalactic Aerospace Expo 2956 Free Fly and Manufacturer Schedule, Roberts Space Industries
2. IAE 2956: Choose Your Adventure FAQ, RSI Spectrum
3. Welcome to the Intergalactic Aerospace Expo 2956!, RSI Knowledge Base
4. Star Citizen Free Fly page, Roberts Space Industries
5. Star Citizen Minimum System Requirements, RSI Knowledge Base
6. RSI Launcher: "Missing a Game Package" Message, RSI Knowledge Base
7. Star Citizen Is Free to Play for Two Weeks, With Over 200 Ships and Ground Vehicles, Wccftech
8. Star Citizen Free Fly Runs November 13 to 27 During IAE 2956, MonsterVine
9. Go Live and Screen Share, Discord Help Center
10. Scheduled Events, Discord Help Center