Free Fly Events
Star Citizen, free for a week. No purchase needed.
Several times a year, Cloud Imperium opens Star Citizen up for free. Download the full game, fly real ships, explore the ‘Verse — no pledge required. This page tracks every Free Fly window, past and future.
What it is
A promotional window — usually 5 to 14 days — where the full Star Citizen alpha is downloadable and playable for free. You make a free RSI account, download the launcher, and start flying.
What you can do
Fly the loaner ships of the day, run missions, explore four planets and Pyro, dogfight, mine, salvage, trade. The whole game is open. Your character is wiped after the event ends.
What it costs
Nothing. If you decide to keep playing after the event, the cheapest game package is around $45 USD. Use a referral code on signup for 50,000 UEC free.
No Free Fly is running at the moment.
The last one, Foundation Festival 2026 Free Fly, ended on August 10, 2026. CIG announces each window by official blog post, usually one to two weeks ahead. Nothing new has been announced yet. The 50,000 UEC referral code bonus does not depend on an event — it applies whenever you create an account.
Upcoming
The next likely Free Fly windows
Nothing is confirmed right now. One more window is generally expected later in the year. Treat anything not confirmed by CIG as a best guess and check back for updates.
- July 29 – Aug 10, 2026Live now
Foundation Festival 2026 Free Fly (ended)
CIG’s community event ran with a Free Fly attached: players could play free from July 29 through August 10 with five ships — RSI Aurora Mk II, Drake Cutter, Drake Golem, Crusader Intrepid, and RSI Salvation. (Official RSI blog post) Two side promotions run through August 12: rewards for watching streams on Twitch, a live-streaming site, and a referral bonus — the player who recruits a friend earns a free Argo ATLS, a one-person cargo-lifting machine, and the new player earns a kit of starter gear. Both gear rewards require the new player to buy a starter pack; the 50,000 UEC referral bonus stays free either way. (Official RSI blog post)
- Nov 2026Predicted
IAE 2956 (predicted)
The biggest event of the year — the IAE ship show held every November. Every flyable ship is free for at least one day during the rotation, usually across twelve to fourteen days. CIG has not announced 2026 dates yet.
During Free Fly: use a referral code on signup.
You can use a referral code only on a brand new account. If you create your free Star Citizen account during a Free Fly and decide to pledge later, the 50,000 UEC bonus carries over to your real character. Don’t skip this step.
History
Recent Free Fly events
CIG runs Free Fly events two to four times a year. The table below shows recent windows so you can predict how long the next one might run.
| When | Event | Length | Ships flyable |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 2026 | Drake DefenseCon 2956 | 14 days | 100+ ships via 48-hour rentals |
| Nov 2025 | IAE 2025 Free Fly | 12 days | Every ship in the game |
| May 2025 | Invictus Launch Week | 10 days | All military ships flyable |
| Mar 2025 | Spring Free Fly | 7 days | Starter + popular trade ships |
| Nov 2024 | IAE 2024 | 14 days | Manufacturer-of-the-day rotation |
| May 2024 | Invictus 2024 | 10 days | Combat-focused selection |
For live event status and countdowns, freeflyevent.com tracks every Star Citizen Free Fly event with real-time status.