4/15/26 – UPDATE: Just tried this again. I was able to reproduce this issue by creating a new account and signing up for the playtest myself. From there, I replicated the issue my friend had, and then I verified the game files, closed all RSI instances via task manager, and boom-- upon relaunch, I could select a starting System and a City to select as my home.
Here’s a list of steps to take to resolve this issue if you encounter it:
- Log out of the RSI Client
- Open Task Manager (or equivalent app in your OS) and close all instances of the RSI Launcher/Client
- If this issue occurs during a playtest, ensure you have claimed the playtest vehicles/game access using the same RSI account you intend to log-in with.
- Log back into the RSI Client-- do not launch the game.
- Verify the game files
- Launch Star Citizen. If a HOTFIX version is available, install the HOTFIX patch, then launch.
- If you see a game permission or connectivity issue before you even get to select anything, repeat steps 2-6.
- Enter Arena Commander. If you are loaded into a scenario selection and can proceed to ship selection, continue to step 9. If you experience connectivity issues (ex. Error 19000) in Arena Commander, close the game and relaunch. Repeat steps 2-6. If that does not work, this may point to issues with firewall permission for the RSI launcher, but in my experience so far, this is rare.
- Proceed to the Persistent Universe, create a character, and try the drop down again. If it fails, repeat 2-6.
In my trials, the issue was fixed after one iteration of the steps, at most two. It never took three, but it may your case. Don’t give up!
April 14th, 2026
Hello everyone. My friend is trying to play during this free to play weekend, and his game keeps failing to show any drop-down menu options for system/city selection right before the start of the tutorial.Here’s some of the things he’s tried to fix this issue:
He’s done 3-4 reinstalls starting a few days ago to today
He deleted the ‘USER’ folder and relaunched
Deleted the ‘rsilauncher’ folder and relaunched
Reinstalled after the failed folder deletion fix attempts
He tried to enter arena commander with no luck, gets a connection error, and never sees any map/ship selection
Someone suggested to follow this official RSI link (https://robertsspaceindustries.com/en/star-citizen?utm_source=organic&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=2026) for him to ‘claim’ his starter ship(s), but when he went to that site, it simply prompted for account creation and then pointed him to download the RSI client.
He’s tried to log in/out of the RSI client with no luck (also suggested in the r/starcitizen)
Finally, he checked his firewall and made sure that RSI was not being blocked or restricted in any form
His PC specs:
GeForce RTX 5090
64GB RAM
Similarly powerful processor (unsure of the exact model)
Internet provider: AT&T (same provider as the one that I have, and I can launch/run the game normally)
Some posts that we’ve already referenced include this post from Reddit, this post from the SC Wiki, and this post from the official RSI website (with the exception of trying the .json file configuration listed in there).
Note: My friend is suspicious that this is because RSI wants more sales, and I keep making jokes that the fine print meant free to install, but not necessarily free to enter the Persistent Universe.
In all reality, I’d like to get to the root of this to show him that this isn’t the case… Has anyone encountered this issue and successfully solved it?