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Star Citizen currently requires 150+ GB of SSD storage according to Roberts Space Industries (RSI). That is the current minimum-storage figure on RSI’s system-requirements page, updated September 23, 2026. It is a planning minimum, not a promise that every live build has exactly that download size or installed-folder size. RSI also says an SSD is required, and its launcher may not fully detect whether the selected drive has enough free space.
In practical terms, do not plan an installation around a barely free 150 GB. Check the drive selected in the RSI Launcher, make sure it is an SSD, and leave additional capacity for the operating system, temporary installation files, updates and verification work. RSI has not published a numeric update buffer in the cited guidance.
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The current answer is 150+ GB on an SSD. RSI’s page titled Star Citizen Minimum System Requirements lists “150+ GB SSD required” and was updated September 23, 2026.
That number should be read as the current official minimum for storage planning. It does not establish the exact size of the current download, the installed game directory after patching, or the amount of temporary space the launcher may use while installing or verifying files. Those values can change between builds, and the cited RSI pages do not provide a measured live-build size.
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RSI explicitly cautions that, because Star Citizen remains in development, its minimum and recommended specifications may change. Treat 150+ GB as the floor you need to meet today, not as a permanent upper limit.
Does Star Citizen require an SSD?
Yes. RSI states that an SSD is required to play Star Citizen. A mechanical hard disk drive does not satisfy the published storage requirement, even if it has enough raw capacity.
The requirement is about the type of drive as well as its free space. Before installing, identify whether the drive selected in the RSI Launcher is an SSD. An internal SSD is a generic suitable category; RSI’s cited guidance does not endorse a particular brand, model, interface or capacity.
If your computer has several drives, it is possible to have ample free space on an HDD while the launcher is pointed at an SSD with too little room, or vice versa. Always check the specific drive and folder selected for the game.
Why do RSI pages mention 100 GB as well as 150+ GB?
RSI has published different figures for different documents and dates. For a current answer, use the newer 150+ GB minimum-requirements figure; the 100 GB references are older or troubleshooting-oriented guidance.
| RSI source | Published figure | How to interpret it |
|---|---|---|
| Star Citizen Minimum System Requirements, updated September 23, 2026 | 150+ GB SSD required | Use this as the current minimum storage figure. |
| Game and Launcher Requirements, updated December 17, 2025 | 150+ GB SSD required; its recommendations also mention at least 100 GB for the launcher and game plus at least 10 GB SSD additional space for the pagefile | This is older general requirements guidance. The pagefile note is an additional recommendation in that article, not a revised 160 GB minimum on the newer page. |
| Troubleshoot the RSI Launcher, updated August 19, 2026 | At least 100 GB for the RSI Launcher and Star Citizen | This is troubleshooting guidance and conflicts with the newer minimum-requirements page. Do not use 100 GB as the current sufficient target. |
The difference does not mean you should add every number together. In particular, do not turn the older 100 GB plus 10 GB pagefile recommendation into a claim that RSI currently requires exactly 160 GB. The documents serve different purposes, and the latest minimum page supplies the headline figure.
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Is 150+ GB the exact installed size?
No. RSI’s 150+ GB statement is a requirement threshold, not a measurement of one particular build. The live game is updated during development, so downloads, extracted files, cached data and the final game folder can differ over time.
A launcher can also need working space while it downloads, unpacks or verifies files. RSI does not publish a quantified temporary-space or patch-space allowance in the cited guidance. Therefore, an installation that technically has 150 GB free may still be uncomfortable if the drive is nearly full.
When estimating capacity, distinguish three things:
- Free space before installation: what the selected SSD reports as available.
- Installed game data: the files left after the current build is installed.
- Working and update space: temporary room used while replacing, checking or downloading files.
The available data’s sources establish the first requirement but do not provide a current measured value for the second or a numeric allowance for the third.
How much extra room should you leave for updates?
Leave more than the 150+ GB minimum whenever possible, but there is no RSI-published number that can be stated as a required update buffer. RSI warns that low free space can prevent installation and can cause problems during updates or file verification.
Its launcher troubleshooting guidance also says: “Currently, the RSI Launcher does not verify the amount of available and required file storage space against the drive you select.” That means a launcher attempt can proceed without a complete capacity check and fail later when the drive fills.
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Use 150+ GB as the minimum starting point, then keep ordinary headroom for your operating system and other applications. The more frequently you patch large games or maintain several builds, the more valuable additional free space becomes, but RSI’s cited material does not justify a universal extra figure such as 10, 20 or 50 GB.
What drive size makes sense for a Star Citizen installation?
Drive capacity is a planning decision rather than another official requirement. A 256 GB SSD may satisfy the published minimum on paper but can become tight once the operating system, applications and ordinary free-space needs are counted. A 512 GB SSD gives substantially more breathing room, while a 1 TB SSD is easier to share with other large games and files.
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These examples are capacity-planning guidance, not RSI-certified targets. The correct choice depends on how much of the drive is already occupied and whether the SSD will host anything else. A nearly full 1 TB drive can be less useful than a mostly empty 512 GB drive.
Before buying or reallocating storage, check the actual free capacity of the SSD you intend to use. Do not confuse the drive’s advertised capacity with the free space available to the launcher.
How do I check storage before installing Star Citizen?
You need the RSI Launcher, the intended installation drive identified, and enough free space on that specific SSD. Because RSI says the launcher does not fully validate storage, perform the capacity check yourself.
- Choose the target location in the RSI Launcher. Note the drive and folder shown for the game; checking a different drive can give a misleading result.
- Open your operating system’s storage or file-management view. Select that same drive and read its current free-space figure, not just its total capacity.
- Confirm the drive is an SSD. If the selected location is on a mechanical hard drive, move the installation to an SSD before starting.
- Account for other uses. Include the operating system, applications, personal files and any temporary room you want to retain. Do not plan to fill the drive to its last gigabyte.
- Start the installation and monitor free space. If the launcher reports an error or verification repeatedly fails, recheck the selected drive rather than assuming the game’s requirement has changed.
Menu names can vary by operating-system version, but the principle is constant: verify the exact SSD and folder that the launcher will use.
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What should I do if the launcher says there is not enough space?
First verify the selected drive and its real free space. A launcher error can reflect a genuinely full SSD, a different installation location than expected, or the launcher’s limited storage validation.
- Pause or cancel the installation if it is still running.
- Check free space on the drive named in the launcher, not another drive with more capacity.
- Remove or move nonessential files only if you can do so safely, then empty the operating system’s recycle or trash area if appropriate.
- Restart the launcher and confirm that its installation path still points to the intended SSD.
- If the drive has room but verification or installation continues to fail, consult RSI’s current launcher troubleshooting guidance rather than repeatedly starting the same operation.
Do not infer from one failed attempt that the game has a precisely measured size larger than 150+ GB. RSI’s pages do not publish that measurement.
Can deleting data.p4k fix an installation?
It can be a repair step in a specific Windows 11 troubleshooting procedure, but deleting data.p4k is not a way to calculate the whole game’s size. RSI’s Windows 11 installation troubleshooting article describes deleting and redownloading that file as part of repairing a damaged or incomplete installation.
Use the complete RSI instructions for your situation and make sure you have enough free SSD space for the redownload. The size of one large package file should not be presented as the installed size of Star Citizen.
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It may. RSI says that the game is still in development and that its minimum and recommended system specifications may change in the future. New builds, content, technology changes and packaging can all alter the amount of storage needed.
For that reason, recheck the official minimum-requirements page when planning a new installation or major hardware change. A figure copied from an older forum post or an older RSI support article may no longer represent the current minimum.
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What is the safest way to plan disk space?
Use a simple three-part rule: start with the current 150+ GB SSD requirement, reserve additional free space because the launcher may not validate it fully, and keep the game on an SSD rather than an HDD.
If the intended SSD is almost full, reclaim space or select a larger SSD before installing. If you share the drive with several large games, consider their combined growth rather than allocating exactly the amount Star Citizen lists today. If you have only just reached 150 GB free, installation may be possible in theory but leaves little tolerance for temporary files or future patches.
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Do not treat the older 100 GB troubleshooting figure as permission to install on a smaller drive. The newer 150+ GB minimum page is the appropriate current reference, and RSI’s own warning about incomplete launcher checks makes extra headroom prudent.
What is the bottom line for Star Citizen storage?
Plan for at least 150+ GB of free space on an SSD, with additional room beyond that minimum whenever practical. The exact live-build download and installed size are not established by RSI’s cited pages, and no official numeric update buffer is provided. Check the drive selected in the RSI Launcher yourself, because RSI warns that the launcher does not fully verify available storage.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is 100 GB enough to install Star Citizen?
Do not use 100 GB as the current target. That figure appears in older or troubleshooting-oriented RSI guidance, while the newer minimum-requirements page lists 150+ GB SSD required.
Why can an installation fail when Windows shows free space?
The RSI Launcher says it does not fully verify available and required storage against the selected drive. You may also be checking a different drive from the one selected in the launcher, or the installation may need temporary working room.
Does the 10 GB pagefile recommendation make the requirement 160 GB?
No. The 10 GB SSD pagefile note appears in an older general requirements article alongside its own recommendations. It should not be added mechanically to the newer 150+ GB minimum as though RSI published a current 160 GB requirement.
Is the size of data.p4k the size of Star Citizen?
No. RSI’s Windows 11 troubleshooting article treats data.p4k as one file that may be deleted and redownloaded during repair. Its size does not establish the total download or installed-folder size of the game.
