How to Fix Star Citizen Installation Error

Star Citizen is Cloud Imperium Games’s newly arrived space trading and combat simulation multiplayer title. This game is available for Microsoft Windows only with its own game client as developers didn’t go with a third-party digital distribution partner yet. Here you’ll experience a never-ending space setting under the annual Intergalactic Aerospace Expo. Recently, multiple fans have claimed that Star Citizen Installation Error while trying to update or install the game.

The inbuilt RSI Launcher may go through errors or issues while installing or updating the same on the PC. The issue might deal with conflicts like system specifications, network issues, graphics driver issues, antivirus blocking, and more. As per multiple reports, affected Star Citizen players are claiming that whenever they try to log into the PTU (Public Test Universe) or download & install the game, a warning message appears. It says “An error has occurred during the installation processes”.

How to Fix Star Citizen Installation Error

We should mention that Star Citizen is currently going through free early access for interested fans or space-themed players. Initially, it did kickstart with over two million dollars in fundraising and now is on the verge of releasing in full mode for the public. The chances are high that insufficient hard drive space, corrupted game data, antivirus blocking, lack of admin access, an outdated system version, outdated graphics drivers, firewall blocking conflicts, and more can be possible reasons.

Fortunately, here we’ve shared with you a couple of potential workarounds to easily fix this error. Make sure to follow all troubleshooting methods until the problem has been fixed. So, without wasting any more time, let’s jump into it.

1. Restart the PC

You should always try to reboot the computer manually to check if the problem has been fixed or not. Sometimes any kind of conflict with the system or cache data issue might trouble you a lot. Restarting the system will help in fixing multiple issues with the game error. To do so, go to the Start menu > Click on the Power icon > Select Restart.

2. Run Star Citizen as an Administrator

Ensure to run the Star Citizen (exe) application as an administrator on the PC by following the steps below to check if the problem has been fixed or not. Without having the system admin’s permission, you might experience multiple issues with the program launching or downloading on the PC.

• Go to the installed game directory on the PC.
• Right-click on the StarCitizen.exe application file.
• Click on Properties > Click on the Compatibility tab.

• Enable the Run this program as an administrator checkbox.
• Once done, click on Apply and then OK to save changes.

3. Check the Hard Disk Space

Sometimes insufficient hard drive space can be one of the primary reasons for Star Citizen not install or download error. We highly recommend you free up the storage space manually from the Windows Settings menu > System > Storage. Alternatively, you can Enable Storage Sense to avoid storage-related temporary files. This might help in fixing the installation error up to some extent.

4. Delete the Star Citizen USER Files

Multiple affected players have reported that the Star Citizen account data update failed is one of the primary reasons. In that case, it’s suggested to delete the USER folder from the RSI game folder. Temporary game files can be related to your user account which may get corrupted. You can follow the steps below to delete it:

• Close the Star Citizen and the RSI launcher completely.
• Make sure no related tasks are running in the background.
• Press the Win+E keys to open File Explorer > Go to the Star Citizen path and its launcher.
  • The default path should be: C:\Program Files\Roberts Space Industries\StarCitizen
• Now, open the StarCitizen folder > Open the USER folder.
• Press the Ctrl+A keys to select all contents > Right-click on it and select Delete.
• Once done, log into the game again & install the update to check for errors.

5. Delete the RSI Launcher AppData Folder

Some of the online reports claim that the ‘Star Citizen won’t update’ issue can happen due to the corrupted temporary folders from the RSI launcher and RSI folders under the AppData directory. You should manually delete the RSI Launcher AppData folder by following the steps below.

• Press the Win+R keys to open the Run dialogue box.
• Type %appdata% in the field and hit Enter.
• Navigate to View > Select the Hidden Items box.
• From the AppData folder, select rsilauncher and RSI.
• Then right-click on these two folders and select Delete.
• Once deleted, you can launch the game to check for the issue again.

6. Check the System Requirements

It’s also recommended to check for system requirements of the Star Citizen game to understand whether your PC configuration supports the game properly or not. Any kind of compatibility issue might trouble you in running the game.

• OS: Windows 8 (64bit), Windows 10 – Anniversary Update (64bit)
• GPU: DirectX 11.1 Graphics Card with 3GB RAM (4GB strongly recommended)
• CPU: Quad Core CPU with AVX instructions (Intel’s Sandy Bridge processor and AMD’s Bulldozer processor or newer)
• RAM: 16GB+ RAM strongly recommended

7. Install the Latest RSI Launcher

If you’re using an incompatible game launcher with the latest game version then you may encounter the Star Citizen installer not working issue at your end. So, you can try installing the latest RSI launcher by following the steps below.

• Make sure to head over to the AppData folder.
• Delete the existing RSILauncher and RSI folders.
• Now, close the Star Citizen game and the RSI Launcher tasks.
• Visit the official page to download the RSI launcher.
• Ensure you already have created an RSI account.
• Then right-click on the RSI-Setup.exe file > Select Open.
• Follow the on-screen instructions to install the game launcher.
• Once installed, you can launch the game and install all pending updates.

8. Disable Antivirus Protection

You can try disabling the antivirus protection at your end by following the steps below to ensure there is no issue with the RSI Star Citizen Launcher error.

• Press the Win+I keys to open Windows Settings.
• Click on Update & Security > Click on Windows Security from the left pane.
• Now, click on the Open Windows Security button.
• Go to Virus & Threat Protection.
• Click on Manage Settings.
• Just Turn Off the Real-time Protection toggle.

• If prompted, click on Yes to proceed further.

Please Note: If you’re using any other third-party antivirus program on your PC then turn off the real-time protection feature manually.

9. Turn Off Windows Firewall

Make sure to turn off security programs on the PC if you’re experiencing game launching or RSI Launcher running issues. Sometimes aggressive antivirus programs may block ongoing connections with the game files or servers. To do so:

• Open the Start Menu > Search and open Windows Defender Firewall.
• Click on Turn Windows Defender Firewall on or off from the left side.
• Now, select the Turn off Windows Defender Firewall (not recommended) option.
• Do the same for all the Private, Public, and Domain Network Settings.
• Once done, click on OK to save changes.

10. Reinstall Star Citizen on Another Location

If the above methods don’t work for you, try uninstalling and reinstalling the Star Citizen game on another location to cross-check if the problem has been fixed or not. Multiple reports claimed that after installing the game in a different location, the problem had been fixed.

• Press the Win+R keys to open the Run dialogue box.
• Type appwiz.cpl inside the field and hit Enter to open Programs and Features.
• Locate and select the Star Citizen game by right-clicking on it.
• Select Uninstall > Confirm the uninstallation process.
• Follow the on-screen instructions to complete it.
• Once uninstalled, restart your computer to apply changes.
• Then visit the official download page of Star Citizen and download the package.
• Reinstall the game via the RSI Launcher to check for the issue.

11. Delete All Files in the PTU Folder

If you’re encountering the Star Citizen launcher not updating issue then make sure to delete all files from the PTU folder. A couple of players have found this trick helpful. To do that:

• Open File Explorer > Go to the specific location as follows:
  • This PC > Programs Files > Roberts Space Industries > StarCitizen/StarCitizenPTU
• Open the PTU folder > Delete all contents from it.
• Reboot your PC and relaunch the game to check if the issue has been fixed.

12. Update Graphics Drivers

Sometimes issues with the graphics card driver such as an outdated driver or corrupted driver on the system can eventually trigger multiple conflicts while playing video games. It’s suggested to check for the graphics driver and install the latest driver version.

Recommended Update:

• Press the Win+X keys > Click on Device Manager from the list.
• Double-click on Display Adapters.
• Right-click on the dedicated graphics card that you use.

• Select Update Driver > Click on Search automatically for drivers.
• If there is an update available, it’ll automatically download & install the latest version.
• Once done, restart the computer to apply changes.

Manual Update:

If you can’t find any pending updates, head over to the official website of the respective graphics card brand below and search manually for the latest update. Do remember that you’ll always have to search for the latest driver version and specific for the model you’re using. If a new version is available for the graphics card, download the driver and install it on your PC. You can jump to the link below to do so:

• Nvidia GPU
• AMD GPU
• Intel GPU

13. Check for Internet Connection

The chances are also applicable that your internet connection is somehow having an issue with the slow speed or stability. It’s better to run a speed test of the connected internet online and try playing other multiplayer games. If in case, there is an issue with the internet connection at your end, try switching to a wired (ethernet) connection from Wi-Fi or vice versa to cross-check the issue. Make sure to contact your internet service provider (ISP) to get it checked, and ask to fix the issue.

14. Update Windows

It’s recommended to check for system updates on the Windows PC before getting into any other workarounds. Sometimes an outdated system build can cause several issues.

• Press the Win+I keys to open Windows Settings.
• Click on Update & Security.
• Select Check for updates under Windows Update.
• If there is a feature update available, select Download and Install.
• Wait until the software update is complete.
• Once done, restart your computer to apply changes.

15. Rename Hosts File

An incorrect entry of the RSI hosts file can trigger an installation error with Star Citizen on the PC version. You can try following the steps below to resolve the issue by renaming the older host file.

• Press the Win+E keys to open File Explorer.
• Now, go to the View tab > Check the Hidden items box in the Show/hide section.
• Copy and paste the following path into the navigation section of File Explorer.
• Click on the File name extensions box under the View tab.

C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc

• Next, select and right-click on the host file.
• Select the Rename option and change the name of the file to hosts.old.
• The host file with incorrect entries will be avoided and the issue will be fixed.

16. Reinstall Graphics Drivers

It’s better to manually download the latest version of the graphics driver and install it directly from the official website respective to your graphics card manufacturer. Nvidia graphics card users can update the GeForce Experience app via the Nvidia official site. Meanwhile, AMD graphics card users can visit the AMD website for the same. Now, follow the steps below to uninstall and reinstall the driver.

• Right-click on the Start Menu to open up the Quick Access Menu.
• Click on Device Manager from the list.
• Now, double-click on the Display adapters category to expand the list.
• Then right-click on the dedicated graphics card name.
• Select Uninstall device > If prompted, click on Uninstall again to confirm the task.
• Wait for the uninstallation process to be completed.
• Once done, make sure to reboot the PC to apply changes.
• Finally, head over to the downloaded graphics driver file and install it manually.

17. Rollback Graphics Driver Updates

If you’ve recently updated your graphics driver and somehow the Star Citizen Installation Error is appearing after that, make sure to roll back the display driver (graphics driver) to its previous stable version. It’s possible that the new version has some bugs or stability issues. To do that:

• Press the Win+X keys to open the Quick Link Menu.
• Now, select Device Manager > Double-click on Display adapters to expand it.
• Right-click on the active or dedicated graphics card > Select Properties.

• Click on the Driver tab > Click on Roll Back Driver (if available).
• Follow the on-screen prompts to complete the process.
• Once done, make sure to restart your computer to apply changes.

18. Clear the Download Cache of Star Citizen

The Star Citizen RSI launcher keeps a temporary download cache and files that can cause multiple issues with the installation error. It’s better to clear the download cache of Star Citizen manually by following the steps below.

• Open the RSI Star Citizen Launcher.
• Click on the Settings menu > Select Network.
• Select Clear Download Cache.
• Wait for the launcher to clear the download cache.
• Restart the launcher and try installing Star Citizen again.

19. Scan and Verify the Game Files

Sometimes corrupted or missing game installation files can also cause multiple issues with the game. You should follow the steps below to verify the game file issues.

• Open the RSI Star Citizen Launcher.
• Go to Settings > Click on Verify under the ‘Game’ section.
• Wait for the launcher to verify the integrity of the game files.
• Once done, restart the launcher, and check for the issue again.

20. Run the System File Checker (SFC)

As a last resort, you should manually run the SFC scan on your PC to fix multiple issues or find out bad sectors. SFC (System File Checker) tool is useful to check whether any program file or a disk drive has some issues not on a Windows system.

• Open the Start menu > Search for cmd.
• Right-click on Command Prompt from the search result.
• Click on Run as administrator > If prompted, click on Yes to give admin privileges.
• Type the following command in the cmd window and hit Enter to execute it:

sfc /scannow

• Now, wait for the process to complete. It may take a couple of minutes or so.
• Once done, reboot the PC, and check for the issue again.

That’s it, guys. We hope this guide was helpful to you. For additional queries, you can comment below.