Star Citizen system requirements in 2026: what your PC actually needs
Maintained by Domux. Editorial approach and referral disclosure
Check the official minimum and recommended PC requirements before paying for a package or a hardware upgrade. Meeting them does not promise a frame rate.
RSI minimum requirements
Official requirements checked 18 October 2026. Read RSI’s current support article; these are compatibility requirements, not our benchmarks.
| Component | Official minimum | Official recommendation |
|---|---|---|
| System | Windows 10, latest 64-bit build | Windows 10 or 11, 64-bit |
| CPU | Quad core: Intel i7 Haswell or AMD Excavator or later; AVX, AVX2 and FMA3 support | Quad/eight core: Intel i7 Haswell or AMD Ryzen 5 or later, with the required instructions |
| Memory | 16 GB | 32 GB DDR4 |
| Graphics | DirectX 11.1 GPU, 4 GB VRAM, driver support for Direct3D 11.1 and Vulkan 1.2 | DirectX 12 GPU, 8 GB VRAM |
| Storage | 150+ GB SSD, required | 150+ GB SSD |
Budget storage separately
A traditional hard drive does not meet the SSD requirement. Required free space is not a measurement of transferred bytes or the exact current installation. Leave additional room for updates and compare the download and installation steps before ordering hardware. RSI PC requirements
Check your actual machine
Record the precise CPU and its supported instructions, installed memory, graphics card and driver, available SSD space and Windows version. A chip’s release year or a laptop’s marketing label alone is not a compatibility test.
Test before spending more
RSI says performance varies with scene, server, background applications and network conditions. This site has not run controlled CPU, GPU, SATA/NVMe or laptop benchmarks, so it does not supply FPS rankings or a guaranteed upgrade recipe. When a public Free Fly is confirmed, try the build on your own PC before deciding what to buy.
Prepare a new RSI account with the code; game access and alpha balances follow separate rules.
STAR-JTV7-FXLR Create account with codeAdd the code at signup or within 24 hours of creating your account. That is not a deadline to buy. A free account can join public Free Fly events during their announced windows. Special event rewards have separate rules. RSI rules
✓ Verified referral code · Today: 11 November 2026FAQ
Is an SSD required?
Yes. RSI lists 150+ GB of SSD storage as required. A traditional hard drive does not meet that specification.
How much RAM does RSI list?
16 GB minimum and 32 GB DDR4 recommended. These specifications do not guarantee a particular frame rate.
Will these specs guarantee 60 FPS?
No. The requirements are compatibility guidance. This site has not performed the controlled hardware tests needed to publish an FPS guarantee.
Are Mac and Linux officially supported?
RSI’s listed client requirements are for 64-bit Windows. Community compatibility setups are separate and this guide has not tested their performance.