Troubleshoot the RSI Launcher

The RSI Launcher may encounter a variety of errors and issues when installing, updating, and launching the game. The issues can have underlying errors involving your system specs, network configuration, Internet Service Provider (ISP) settings, and graphic card / GPU issues. 

Always search the Issue Council when you encounter a crash or issue. We track entered and contributed reports to provide information directly to development and QA. If any launcher error is not listed here, please consider adding a report to the Issue Council to help us track such things and find a solution.

See the following:

• Error Message - "You do not have permission to sign in."
• Clear the Launcher cache
• "Star Citizen has Stopped Running Unexpectedly"
• Session Expired
• Storage drive space
• Login access issues
• Multiple Launchers running
• Missing Required Windows Files
• Error Code 4000 - "Something went wrong when downloading the Manifest, please try again."
• Running and Installed Application Conflicts
• Common issues
• Connection errors

Error Message - "You do not have permission to sign in."

If you have encountered this error within the RSI Launcher, this means that you are not currently using the proper version of the launcher. The most common cause of this issue is using an outdated link to directly download the launcher install file, like from an old Spectrum post or a message from a friend trying to be helpful.

To correct this, uninstall the launcher and then download the correct version from the RSI Website. The most recent version of the launcher will always be available here:

Download - Roberts Space Industries

Clear the Launcher cache

The Launcher has two cache folders to help open and load faster. When you have stuck issues like this, you may need to clear the cache to get you back in business.  This is easy to accomplish with these

1. Open the RSI Launcher.
2. Click on the arrow next to the RSI logo in the upper left.
3. Select Settings from the drop down menu options.
4. Under the Application settings, click the CLEAR LAUNCHER CACHE button.

Try running the Launcher to see if it clears and continues through to fully download the manifest, check your files, and finish installing.

You may also want to make sure the drive you are installing to has enough space. The Launcher is not fully checking available disk space at this time.

"Star Citizen has Stopped Running Unexpectedly"

This is a fairly generic error that can be caused by a lot of different things, such as out of date drivers, code issues, or even certain hardware issues. To figure out what is causing this, you will need to look at the game error log and locate the crash. Follow these steps to find your errors and codes:

• Open a file browser and navigate to the following location:
  • (install drive):\Program Files\Roberts Space Industries\StarCitizen\LIVE
  • If you have changed where the game was installed for some reason, go to that location instead.
• Locate the file called game.log.
  • This file will only contain the logs from the most recent game session, so it is important to do this right away after there is a problem.
  • If you have played without a crash after receiving this message, the crash information will not be in this file.
• Open the file in any text viewer such as Notepad++.
• Scroll to the bottom.
• Note the errors and codes that are listed.

If you are still having trouble locating any crash messages in this log file after completing the above steps, try this instead:

• Under the edit menu, select Find or press Ctrl + F to open the "find" dialogue option.
• Search for crash.
• Note the errors and codes that are listed.

Is the error code in your game logs not listed above? Try converting it to hexadecimal using a converter tool, such as this one. Once you have the hexadecimal code, search for "0x<hexadecimalcode>" in any search engine to see if anything pops up.

Session Expired

A more permanent fix for this error message is currently being tested. Generally this is caused by network issues or sometimes VPN settings interfering with the launcher. Consider also checking any programs that are monitoring and protecting your online connection, like anti-virus/anti-malware programs or things like NordVPN's Web Protect feature and either temporarily disable them or whitelist the launcher and game in the appropriate place in the program.

Consider also contributing to the information we have on this issue on the Launcher section of the Issue Council.

Storage drive space

Currently, the RSI Launcher does not verify the amount of available and required file storage space against the drive you select. Make sure to check the available space on your current drive before installing. 

We recommend:

• At least 100 GB of space for the RSI Launcher and Star Citizen
• A solid state drive (SSD) is required to play.
• Drive should be NTFS formatted

If you do not have enough space, the install may not complete. If you are tight on space, you may encounter issues when performing Star Citizen updates or file verification.

Login access issues

It's possible your USER content needs to be rebuilt. 

1. Open a file explorer. 
2. Locate the folder: (install drive)\Program Files\Roberts Space Industries\StarCitizen\LIVE 
3. Delete the USER folder. 
4. Fully shutdown your computer. This fully clears any remaining Windows memory cache with incorrect or corrupt information.
5. Boot up. Open the Launcher and try logging in again with your Login ID and password! 

Helpful note: The logindata.json file generates and deletes when the RSI Launcher is open. This also helps to keep login information updated. Just in case, fully close the Launcher and make sure the file is definitely removed from (install drive)\Program Files\Roberts Space Industries\StarCitizen\LIVE.

Multiple Launchers running

It's possible you may have multiple Launchers open. By default, the RSI Launcher only minimizes to the system tray when you click X to close. You may want to check and close any additional Launchers.

Click the System Tray near the date and time on the Windows task bar. You may see multiple RSI icons for each open launcher. Right click on an icon and select Quit to close extras. Or you can open the Windows Task Manager to find and close extra Launchers.

To close the Launcher when clicking X:

1. Open and login to your Launcher.
2. Click the RSI Icon in the upper left.
3. Select Settings from the menu that appears.
4. Ensure the Enable close-to-quit option is turned on.

Missing Required Windows Files

If you bought a new computer, manually handle and adjust your operating system updates, or reformatted your drive with Windows, you should verify you have the following files and settings configured before installing the RSI Launcher and Star Citizen.

• For Windows version N or KN, make sure you have the latest Media Pack for Windows. If you have Windows home or pro in the US, you do not need this pack.
• Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5 and 4.5.2
• Make sure all of your Windows updates have fully installed.

Error Code 4000 - "Something went wrong when downloading the Manifest, please try again."

If you receive an error of "Cannot retrieve Update Manifest" or error code 4000, you may have an access issue. 

Check Ports:

Ensure TCP 8000 - 8020 UDP 64090 - 64110 ports are permitted out/opened in your firewall/router. 

• This article can help for adding ports to a router. 
• You may need to contact your Internet Service Provider (ISP) to also have them update and check your ports for your account. Some players were able to get this solved with their help.

Whitelist .exes:

• Ensure our files are whitelisted in your firewall and anti-virus software: RSI Launcher.exe and StarCitizen.exe.
  • Whitelist in Windows 10/11
• Some players have had to change their anti-virus software. We've seen issues with Avast, Panda, and a few others. 

Fully delete and install:

You may need to perform a complete deletion and reinstall. Make sure to follow those instructions. Completely shutdown your computer to fully clear any lingering Windows 10 memory cache.

Running and Installed Application Conflicts

There are cases where certain specific programs may conflict with the RSI Launcher and prevent it from running properly.  It is difficult to form a list, but if you are running into constant issues with consistently launching the game, considering turning off other running programs and applications and trying again. 

Though rare, simply having certain applications installed may also cause troubles, which is much harder to identify.

A recent conflict our Tech Support Agents have identified is with Sonic Studio 3 / Sonic Studio Virtual Mixer which will need to be fully uninstalled for the RSI Launcher to properly function.  The RSI Launcher error file log.log will show this line if this is causing the launcher to fail:

"error":"Star Citizen process exited abnormally (code: 3221225477)

Common issues

• Launcher is stuck checking for updates
• Troubleshoot errors with data.p4k
• Error 3001
• Error 2000

Connection errors

You may receive one of the following connection errors when trying to launch the game. 

• Error 10002
• Error 30007
• Error 15006
• Disconnection errors