Star Citizen developer Cloud Imperium Games launched update Alpha 4.7.1 and started a new Free Fly Event, making the game free to play for a limited time.
Specifically, players can register a free account right now, download the client, and play without making any purchase until April 20.
To help you explore what the game has to offer, the following ships will be available for everyone to fly during the event.
- Drake Golem OX
- Drake Cutter
- Argo ATLS
- Argo RAFT
- MISC Hull A
- Crusader C1 Spirit
The “Captains of Industry” event is also ongoing following the release of the MISC Hull B cargo ship and the Greycat UTV buggy.
Of course, players will also be able to enjoy the sizable content introduced with the previous major update, Alpha 4.7.
Incidentally, the crowdfunding total for the game has passed another big milestone and is now at over $960 million. Specifically, it’s currently sitting at $960,973,557. The game currently has 6,410,290 registered accounts, but we know that not all are paying customers.
Some are alt accounts, while others are simply created to enjoy the “Free Fly” periods like the one that started today.
It’s notable that Star Citizen’s funding tally for 2025 has beaten all records from previous years by a large margin, and 2026 appears to be going even better so far.
If you’re unfamiliar with Star Citizen, it’s a PC exclusive, crowdfunded project directed by Chris Roberts of Wing Commander fame. It’s a multiplayer sandbox space simulator that has been in development for over a decade and in alpha for several years.
A single-player campaign titled Squadron 42 is also in active development with a 2026 release window, starring an exceptional cast of famous actors, including Mark Hamill, Henry Cavill, Gary Oldman, Liam Cunningham, Gillian Anderson, and more.
Since the project has been in development for over a decade, you can see how Squadron 42 has evolved since its first reveal.
Full disclosure: the author of this article has backed Star Citizen’s crowdfunding campaign.
