This particular error means that something went wrong while the game client was attempting to load into the Persistent Universe (PU). There could be a number of reasons why, but usually it is caused by temporary network issues that resolve themselves over time. Thus, the first step to try when encountering this is waiting for a while before trying again. If that doesn't seem to clear this up, here are some additional troubleshooting steps to try to fix the issue.
Check For Current Server Issues
The RSI Status Page is the place to go to see if there are any known or ongoing issues related to our servers or other one-off issues that might be affecting the game. If there is anything posted there, check back to see when it is resolved and try logging in to the PU again.
Character Repair
If the issue caused something to happen to your character data, then this will be what you need to do to resolve it. We have a separate article going over the ins and outs of this process located here:
Character Repair
Remember that initiating this process will lock you out of the game until it has finished.
Enter Arena Commander
It seems a little strange, but it might work to help get your character sorted out as it does need to be loaded to work in Arena Commander. Load into a game, play for a while, and then attempt to login to the PU again.
Verify Game Files
Bad or corrupted game files can cause all sorts of problems, which include throwing errors like this one when attempting to download, update, or even play the game. Files can sometimes get corrupted during the patching process and does not usually point to any other specific problem with your computer or the game itself. Most often it can be due to brief connection interruptions during download, old hardware, or a short interruption in the installation process, but this is not an exhaustive list.
To make certain that the problem is not rooted in bad or corrupted files, the best troubleshooting step is to verify the game files are correct.
- Open and login to the RSI Launcher.
- Go to the Settings menu option.
- Select the channel (LIVE, PTU, etc.) of the version of the game giving the errors.
- Ensure the game install location matches where you installed the game.
- Click the VERIFY button.
- Allow the process to finish and re-download/install any needed files.
To avoid any further complications, it's best to allow the file verification process to finish before running any other resource intensive programs or apps on your computer.
Network Troubleshooting
This is a tricky one, as the reasons for network problems are vast and varied and likewise the steps to fix things are as well. The first step would be to figure out if it is a personal or home network issue, something related to your ISP (Internet Service Provider), or a general routing issue somewhere between your computer and our servers.
In general, the best that RSI Tech Support staff can do here is give some general advice that might help point you at the problem, but here are some general steps to try to help pinpoint where the problem lies.
- If possible, try logging into the game from a different device.
- If only one device is having trouble, then the network settings for that device need to be checked to correct the issue. Be sure to also check security programs like anti-malware apps or firewalls to make certain that the game's connection is not being blocked there.
- If multiple devices in your home network are also receiving the error and the Internet connection is otherwise working for other games and online services, it is likely that something within the home network or your ISP is causing some trouble.
- Should you have one available, attempt to connect to the game via a Virtual Private Network (VPN) service.
- If this resolves the problem, there is likely some trouble on your normal connection route between your computer and our servers. Your ISP will need to investigate the issue.
Router Port Forwarding
This is a process that can help minimize certain connection and other network issues to connect with the game. We have a dedicated article going over this process as it is a little involved. It's located at this link.
In some instances, you might need to contact your ISP to do this if they are managing your router and such for you.
The ports that need to be opened for Star Citizen are:
- Ports 8000-8020 for TCP
- Ports 64090-64110 for UDP