Star Citizen Is Free to Play for Two Weeks: Over 200 Ships to Fly, RSI Galaxy Debut, and Full IAE 2956 Schedule
The biggest annual celebration in the persistent universe has arrived: Cloud Imperium Games (CIG) is hosting the Intergalactic Aerospace Expo 2956 (IAE 2956) inside Star Citizen from November 13 at 16:00 UTC through November 27, 2026. Across the entire 15-day showcase, the space simulation is completely free to play on PC, giving newcomers and veterans alike unrestricted access to test-fly more than 200 spacecraft and ground vehicles at zero cost.
A 15-Day Free Fly Event at New Babbage With a Loaner RSI Aurora Mk II
Whether you have been curious about stepping into a cockpit for the first time or you already follow the massive space battles of EVE Online's Fractured Skies expansion, this two-week celebration removes the entry barrier entirely. You do not need to own a starter Game Package to jump in, and full registration instructions are live on the official Intergalactic Aerospace Expo 2956 hub on Roberts Space Industries.
Once you create an account (which grants a 50,000 UEC starting credit bonus if you enter a player Referral Code at sign-up), every pilot is automatically provided with a loaner RSI Aurora Mk II at any in-game ASOP ship retrieval terminal. To reach the show floor immediately, select the Stanton system and the snowy metropolis of New Babbage on the planet microTech as your primary residence, then hop aboard the Metroloop transit line straight to the Tobin Expo Center.
Inside the convention halls, interacting with any displayed craft or visiting the Traveler Rentals kiosks unlocks a free 48-hour rental for that ship or ground vehicle. With a new lineup of aerospace manufacturers taking over the showroom every 24 hours, players can sample everything from nimble dogfighters and mining rigs to multi-crew capital ships.
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RSI Galaxy, Anvil Liberator, and Gatac Hyun: Major New Ships Debuting at the Expo
Beyond free test flights, IAE 2956 marks the flight-ready debut of several heavily anticipated vessels, arriving right as CIG's standalone single-player campaign Squadron 42 opens its Steam page ahead of its Q2 launch window on the 2027 video game release calendar. Kicking off Day 1 on November 13, Roberts Space Industries (RSI) takes center stage with the RSI Galaxy, a large modular multi-role vessel engineered around swappable center modules for cargo hauling, medical treatment, and ore refining.
Four headline manufacturer rollouts will introduce brand-new ships to the playable fleet during the event:
- November 13 (Roberts Space Industries): The modular RSI Galaxy makes its flight-ready debut alongside the first standalone release of the RSI Skylark, which was previously bundled exclusively as a companion craft with the Constellation Mk V.
- November 15 (Anvil Aerospace): The Anvil Liberator rolls onto the flight deck, offering a dedicated heavy carrier built to ferry fighters and ground armor across external landing pads.
- November 17 (Drake Interplanetary): The Drake Marauder joins the lineup as a rugged medium-to-heavy combat vessel tailored for sustained engagements.
- November 21 (Alien Manufacturers): Xi'an shipbuilder Gatac Manufacture unveils the Gatac Hyun, an industrial and salvage spacecraft sporting an articulated multi-arm frame.
Full IAE 2956 Manufacturer Schedule and Limited Hull Waves
To help you plan your 48-hour test rentals at the Tobin Expo Center, here is the official day-by-day exhibitor rotation (with each daily turnover starting at 16:00 UTC):
- November 13 to November 14: Roberts Space Industries (RSI).
- November 14 to November 15: Origin Jumpworks (including limited-stock waves for the luxury Origin 890 Jump).
- November 15 to November 16: Anvil Aerospace.
- November 16 to November 17: Crusader Industries and Tumbril Land Systems.
- November 17 to November 18: Drake Interplanetary (featuring limited-stock waves for the Drake Kraken and Kraken Privateer).
- November 18 to November 19: Argo Astronautics, Consolidated Outland (limited waves for the Pioneer), Greycat Industrial, and Grey's Market.
- November 19 to November 20: MISC, Mirai, and Kruger Intergalactic.
- November 20 to November 21: Aegis Dynamics (limited waves for the capital-class Aegis Idris-P and Aegis Javelin).
- November 21 to November 22: Alien Manufacturers (Aopoa, Banu, Esperia, and Gatac Manufacture).
- November 22 to November 27: Best in Show 2956 showcase followed by the Finale, where all event vehicles become rentable at the showroom kiosks.
Each quantity-limited capital ship is restricted to one per account and distributed across six global time waves (16:00, 20:00, 00:00, 04:00, 08:00, and 12:00 UTC) so pilots in every region get a fair shot.
Best in Show 2956 Liveries and Free Twitch Drops Gear
On November 22, the expo spotlights the Final Four winners of this year's community-voted Ship Showdown tournament: the RSI Perseus, Drake Ironclad Assault, Origin M80, and Drake Corsair. All four semifinalists receive an exclusive limited-edition Best in Show 2956 paint scheme and a manufacturer challenge coin in a display case, awarded automatically to current owners. Crowned overall champion of this year's bracket, the RSI Perseus also grants its owners a themed manufacturer bomber jacket, and all four finalists will be free to test-fly from November 22 through November 27.
Finally, a dedicated Twitch Drops campaign runs throughout the entire expo from November 13 to November 27. By linking your RSI and Twitch accounts and watching any Drops-enabled Star Citizen broadcast, you can permanently claim three pieces of gear: the Venture Undersuit Black/Grey at 2 hours watched, the matching Venture Black Armor Set at 4 hours, and the MacFlex Backpack Orange after 6 cumulative hours.
My Take
Truthfully, between its massive crowdfunding milestones and high-end ship pledges, Star Citizen is a project you should always evaluate firsthand before spending a dime. This two-week Free Fly during IAE 2956 is hands-down the best window of the year to download the client with zero financial commitment. Walking onto the Tobin Expo Center floor and renting over 200 ships for 48 hours apiece lets you experience the physical scale of the game immediately, especially when you crew up with friends aboard newly flight-ready giants like the modular RSI Galaxy or the Anvil Liberator.
Over on the hardware bench, Arthur "Heimdall" is already warming up his telemetry overlays: "For me, visiting New Babbage during IAE is also the ultimate stress test for any gaming rig. Between microTech's snowstorms, the Metroloop transit ride, and packed convention halls rendering massive multi-deck hulls down to the last rivet, your CPU and system memory get a serious workout. My advice before the doors open tomorrow at 16:00 UTC: make sure the game is installed on a fast NVMe SSD, confirm you have at least 32 GB of RAM or a properly sized pagefile, and head straight to the RSI kiosk to put the Galaxy through its paces for free!"
SEO consultant for over 20 years and digital entrepreneur, Charles "Grimtag" is the founder of Pro-Gamer.gg, Retrocharting.com, and Gamescharting.com. A competitive gamer, streamer, and retro game collector, he has worked in the video game industry for over 15 years, notably as a consultant for leading game price comparison platforms. Passionate about real-time performance data and gaming technology, he analyzes competitive esports, gaming hardware benchmarks, and creator workflows on Pro-Gamer.gg with an authentic player perspective.
