Error Code 19000 / 19005 – Roberts Space Industries Knowledge Base

Likely one of the most frustrating and pervasive errors that players might experience, there are a great deal of things that can cause the various 19000-series errors to show up. More often than not, this will show up as error 19000 (or sometimes 19005 or another 19k number) and say something about "authentication or login failed" in the error window text. This is not related to the Multi-Factor Authentication that players use to login to their account, but instead is related to your computer and account connecting properly with the game servers and data. That is a very basic level of what's happening here.

Given the extent of what can cause these errors, this is going to be a long one! So bear with us here while we delve into the depths of troubleshooting this problem with you.

What causes this authentication error?

Something has caused your game client to not communicate properly with the game servers, and thus the game systems cannot authenticate your account data to properly get you into the game. This then means that you will not be able to login, as how can you play when the servers can't match your account with the proper data?

There are a large number of possible causes, which can involve but are not limited to:

An account not having a game package.
Network problems at the home, router, and/or ISP (Internet Service Provider) level.
Client-side conflicts like overly restrictive security programs or corrupted files.
Heavy server loads.

At the end of day, the result is that players that experience this error cannot play the game when they want, and that is a big problem.

Troubleshooting Authentication Errors

As there are so many causes to these types of errors, unfortunately there isn't one catch-all procedure that we can give to help players resolve it quickly. There are a plethora of causes and thus an equal number of possible fixes for said causes. Patience is important here as this list may get quite long. We want you to be able to play, too! No one enjoys spending their free time doing tech support or waiting for a reply to a support ticket.

The easiest troubleshooting steps will be at the beginning and will get progressively more involved as we move down the list.

Check Server Status

Perhaps one of the most basic troubleshooting steps for any connection errors is to make sure that the game servers are up and not experiencing any issues. This can be done easily by visiting the RSI Status page.

Try Again Later

Another frequent cause of this error is just plain old excessive server load, which may not be reported on the RSI Status page right away. When our servers are busy and lots of people are trying to access them at the same time, sometimes this error can happen when things get jumbled during the process. Our various teams are constantly working to improve things and mitigate the effects of high amounts of traffic.

RSI Support sees a huge increase of 19k errors after major patches and events, such as the Interstellar Aerospace Expo (better known as IAE) or Invictus. If something has caused a surge of player activity and you've run into this error, it's best to check back later to see if it will resolve on its own.

Use the Correct RSI Launcher File

It sounds a little strange, but for players that are searching through their game installation files they might find some apparent discrepancies for which file to use to launch the game. It's important to use the correct one, which will be RSI Launcher.exe and will be located in the RSI Launcher folder.

There is a file within the StarCitizen game instance folders (such as LIVE or PTU) that is called StarCitizen_Launcher.exe which is not correct. This will launch the game without first logging into your RSI Account, which will present a 19k error.

Check For Multiple RSI Launcher Instances

It is rare, but sometimes a computer may have multiple instances of the RSI Launcher running. This is easiest to check by looking at the system tray on the Windows task bar.

If there are multiple RSI launcher icons int he system tray, right click and select to exit all of them, then re-open the RSI Launcher to start fresh.

You can also check in the Task Manager and force quit all instances of the RSI Launcher that are running from there.

Verify Game Files

This is a very common fix that can resolve a great number of errors and things, and it's no exception to some instances of the 19000 errors. 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.

Sync Your System Clock

It seems very strange at first, but your computer's system clock might also be causing this problem if it is not synced properly. We have an article going over this in-depth:

Check Your System Clock

Run the RSI Launcher as an Administrator

Another very simple step, but this time it's to ensure that any file permissions issues are fully resolved. To accomplish this

Fully exit the RSI Launcher.
Right-click on the RSI Launcher icon, either on your desktop or in the start menu.
Select Run as administrator from the menu that pops up.
Attempt to login again.

Disable VPN or Proxy Services

VPNs (Virtual Private Networks) and Proxy services are a useful programs to help with maintaining privacy, and sometimes with sorting out some connection problems in specific regions to certain services. However, sometimes these connections can also cause problems such as this error. If you are running a VPN or proxy for some reason, temporarily disable it and see if the error goes away.

VPNs are usually contained in stand alone, third-party programs, so usually disconnecting from the VPN and exiting the program will restore your connection to your ISPs connection.

Disabling a Proxy is more involved:

Open the Windows Settings.
Go to Network & Internet.
Click on the Proxy option.
Disable the Automatically detect settings option.
Delete any proxy profiles, if there are any listed.
Restart your computer.
Check if the error has resolved.

If it has, play in the game for a while and then you can try turning these back on once the error has been resolved to see if it returns or not. However, if the error returns again, you'll need to troubleshoot the situation with the specific VPN/proxy you are using, which is beyond what RSI Support can assist with.

Use a VPN Service

It may seem contrary to the troubleshooting step that was just suggested, but as mentioned at the beginning of this article, there are a great deal of causes for this error and thus there are just as many different possible solutions to it as well.

Using a VPN service may help with solving connection troubles that are related to intermittent problems on the network between your computer and our servers. They can do this by changing the route that your connection uses to get to us. We cannot recommend a specific VPN service, but there are indeed some free options out there among the usual subscription-based ones you might see advertised on YouTube and other places. Make sure to investigate the legitimacy and safety of any program you download from the Internet before using!

If this solves the issue, there is likely something going on with the Internet connections and routers your normal connection path uses. Your ISP may need to look into this.

Flush DNS

In another vein of troubleshooting designed to refresh your connection and sort out any home network issues, doing a DNS Flush can sometimes help with resolving this error. DNS stands for Domain Name System which is a system that translates host names into IP addresses. A DNS Flush forces your computer to refresh all the data related to this, sort of like doing a computer restart to refresh your system's memory, in a way.

To do a DNS flush:

Exit the game and the RSI Launcher.
Locate or search for the command prompt program.
Right-click on the command prompt program and select Run as administrator from the pop-up menu.
You should see a window with a command line that says "C:\Windows\System32>
On this command line, enter ipconfig /flushdns and press enter.
It should say "Successfully flushed the DNS Resolver Cache" in the window output.
Try to connect to the game again.

Whitelist Game and Launcher Files

Security measures are a necessity in all online activities, however sometimes these programs can cause serious disruptions when trying to spend one's free time by messing with certain functions of valid programs. Anti-virus, anti-malware, and firewalls can sometimes cause this error to appear, as if these programs intercept the connection to our servers as something it needs to moderate in some way, the servers will not be able to authenticate your account properly.

Whitelisting the important .exe files for both the launcher and the game itself can help combat this ahead of time. The files to whitelist are RSI Launcher.exe and StarCitizen_Launcher.exe.

There are far too many of these programs to list here, so unfortunately a single set of steps is not feasible. However, the whitelisting function is usually a fairly prominent one within the apps. If you need further help, head to the support information for your chosen programs.

Delete the USER Folder

This is another, slightly more involved step designed to combat corrupted and bad files. The user folder contains a lot of settings and other information specifically for your game client. Corrupted files here can cause all sorts of problems. Deleting this folder will force the game to rebuild it from scratch the next time you run the game.

The folder is contained within the main Star Citizen game directories. By default, this is located at:

<install drive letter>:\Program Files\Roberts Space Industries\StarCitizen\LIVE\

If you chose to change the install path of the game, then you will need to navigate to wherever you installed the game. Once there, find the folder named user and delete it. If you wish to save your control settings or other things, you can rename it to something else instead like "user-backup".

Delete and Reinstall the Launcher and the Game

The nuclear option to resolve all possible file issues, we go over the entire process to ensure everything is removed at this article:

How to Delete the RSI Launcher and Star Citizen

What if All Troubleshooting Has Failed?

If all of the above troubleshooting steps have failed and your account is still experiencing a 19000 error, please gather your game and system files, and contact RSI Support for further assistance. You will want to go over what steps you have already tried to resolve so our agents can help with analyzing your situation.

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