Star Citizen is an intimidating prospect. Vast, intricate, and with a veteran player base, the multiplayer space opera may seem impenetrable at first. But if you can learn its ways, find a ship that suits you, and get into a steady rhythm of missions and exploration, Cloud Imperium’s big-budget epic has a lot to offer. 11 years since the arrival of the first playable modules, a new Star Citizen free period has just launched, in an attempt to draw more players to the ongoing galactic saga. Squadron 42 is getting nearer to release. The persistent space simulator we’ve been anticipating is closer to realization. If you want to try it out for the first time, Star Citizen is now, briefly, completely free to play.
The latest Star Citizen Free Fly event allows potential players to test out the ambitious space game for absolutely nothing. You get a small collection of ships and the freedom to explore the entire Star Citizen universe, which was recently overhauled thanks to December’s Wrecks to Riches update, which added new settlements, expanded PvP, and more. And if you’re a Star Citizen regular, Cloud Imperium offers an incentive for bringing new players into the game.
Marking the Lunar New Year, and Star Citizen’s in-game Red Festival celebrations, if you recruit a brand-new player using a referral code, you both receive the Drake Dragonfly Pack cosmetic, as well as a full armor suit, undershirt, and Ravager shotgun. During the Free Fly period, new players will have access to five ships: the MISC Prospector, the RSI Scorpius, the Origin Jumpworks 400i, the Origin Jumpworks 100i, and Consolidated Outland Nomad.
The Star Citizen Free Fly event runs from Thursday February 8 until Thursday February 15. The Red Festival celebrations meanwhile run until Monday February 26. A variety of red envelopes have been secreted around the Stanton System, and if you find them, you can exchange them with traders for a hefty chunk of cash. The Star Citizen Squadron 42 campaign mode is also getting nearer to launch.
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