16 February 2026

PC Gamers Can Play Popular Sci-Fi Game for Free Until February 23

By newsgame

A popular science fiction game, Star Citizen, is available for free for PC gamers until February 23. After this date, the game will return to its original price, which varies depending on the game packages selected by players: from the basic Citizen Starter Pack for $55.35 USD to more advanced options priced at over a hundred dollars. Fans of sci-fi video games can find and download Star Citizen on the Roberts Space Industries website. Gamers can also find instructions on how to install the game and a guide for new players there.

Star Citizen is a multiplayer space trading and combat game with a long and complicated development history, which began with the announcement of the project in 2012 and a successful crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter. The original goal of raising $2,000,000 USD was quickly achieved, but after the campaign ended, the developers at Cloud Imperium Games continued to raise funds through the sale of ships and other in-game content, collecting over $900 million to date. This makes Star Citizen both one of the highest-funded crowdfunding projects and one of the most expensive video games to develop, which has sparked controversy in the gaming community due to the fact that the game is still in early access and there is no specific release date on the horizon. Despite this, the game remains a highly anticipated project among players, who occasionally get the opportunity to try it out for free.

Star Citizen clarifies Flight Blade release

Star Citizen Delays Controversial Feature After Fan Backlash

Star Citizen appeases fan controversy over a recently released feature with a promise to keep gameplay fair for the entire player base.

Star Citizen is Free for PC Gamers Until February 23

Star Citizen Available for Free Until February 23

According to PCGamesN, players will have the opportunity to check out the current state of Star Citizen‘s development during the free fly event, which runs until February 23. As part of testing Star Citizen Alpha 4.6, fans will have the opportunity to pilot five different ships, ranging from the beginner-friendly RSI Salvation to more advanced and specialized vehicles such as the Anvil Arrow, Drake Golem, Argo Mole, and Drake Cutlass Black.

Rearrange the covers into the correct US release order.

Easy (5)Medium (7)Hard (10)

In connection with this limited-time Star Citizen event, there is also a recruit-a-friend campaign, in which gamers can enter the codes of friends who also play the game, so that when they purchase a starter pack or spaceship worth $40 USD or more, both players will receive rewards. Newcomers will receive the Greycat Aril ‘Red Alert’ armor set, which includes an integrated toolbelt and backpack, while veterans will enjoy a Consolidated Outland Hoverquad with a Lovestruck paint job.

The free-to-play promotion is intended to draw attention not only to Cloud Imperium Games’ largest project, but also to Star Citizen‘s spin-off Squadron 42, which is aiming for a 2026 release. As this single-player production was recently announced as fully playable from start to finish by CIG founder and CEO Chris Roberts, its release this year is becoming increasingly likely. The opportunity to play Star Citizen for free is a chance for players to familiarize themselves with the universe shared with the spin-off before its release. At this point, it is known that Squadron 42‘s story campaign will take about 40 hours to complete, and that the project involves such big names as Mark Hamill, Gillian Anderson, Gary Oldman, and Henry Cavill.

Squadron 24 is said to be pushing towards a beta version, although the same cannot be said about Star Citizen, which is aiming for release in 2027 or 2028, but is still in alpha without any definitive launch window. Although the game has been in early access since December 2017 and players have slowly begun to lose hope for a finished version, Cloud Imperium Games assures them that the game will not remain a pipe dream and will see a full release. Limited events such as this February free-to-play promotion are a way to keep players interested and prepare them for the full game content, allowing fans to test their skills in piloting Star Citizen‘s ships or start building a community of friends in the game. It remains to be seen how this space production will develop this year and in the years to come.