Uninstall Star Citizen: Full Removal Guide

If you want to completely remove Star Citizen from your PC, you need to uninstall the game launcher, delete the leftover folders, and clear the registry entries—just running the built-in uninstaller leaves gigabytes behind. This guide walks you through every step for Windows 10 and 11, including how to remove the Live, PTU, and launcher data so no traces remain.

What Star Citizen Installs on Your PC

Star Citizen is not a single program. It installs two main components:

• RSI Launcher – the app that downloads, updates, and starts the game. It installs to %LocalAppData%\RSI Launcher by default.
• Game files – the actual game data, stored in a folder you choose during setup. The default is C:\Program Files\Roberts Space Industries, but many players change it to a secondary drive.

On top of that, the launcher creates cache and log folders in %AppData%\rsilauncher and %LocalAppData%\Star Citizen. If you installed the PTU (Public Test Universe) or used the EPTU environment, those add separate subfolders that the standard uninstaller often misses.

Why a Simple Uninstall Isn’t Enough

The built-in uninstaller (via Windows Settings or the launcher itself) only removes the launcher executable and some core files. It leaves behind:

• The game folder with tens of gigabytes of packed files.
• The shader cache, which can be several gigabytes.
• Registry entries that store settings and login tokens.
• Crash logs and GPU shader caches that can cause issues if you reinstall later.

If you’re uninstalling to fix a corrupted install, leaving these remnants can make the problem come back. If you’re freeing up space, those leftovers can be 20–100 GB depending on how many environments you’ve downloaded.

Step-by-Step: Full Uninstall on Windows

Follow these steps in order. If you only want to remove the game but keep the launcher, skip step 2 and step 4.

1. Close the launcher completely. Right-click the RSI Launcher icon in the system tray and select Exit. Also check Task Manager (Ctrl+Shift+Esc) for any RSI Launcher.exe or StarCitizen.exe processes and end them.
2. Uninstall via Windows Settings. Go to Settings > Apps > Installed apps, find “RSI Launcher”, click the three-dot menu, and choose Uninstall. Confirm any prompts.
3. Delete the launcher folder. Press Win+R, type %LocalAppData%, and press Enter. Delete the folder named RSI Launcher if it still exists.
4. Delete the game folder. Navigate to wherever you installed the game (default: C:\Program Files\Roberts Space Industries). Delete the entire Roberts Space Industries folder. If you installed to a custom path, delete that folder instead.
5. Clear AppData folders. Press Win+R, type %AppData%, and delete rsilauncher. Then press Win+R, type %LocalAppData%, and delete Star Citizen if present.
6. Remove registry entries (optional but recommended). Press Win+R, type regedit, and navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Roberts Space Industries. Right-click and delete that key. Also check HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Cloud Imperium Games and delete it if present. Be careful—only delete keys you are certain belong to Star Citizen.
7. Empty the Recycle Bin to actually free the space.

How to Uninstall the PTU or EPTU Builds

If you’ve used the PTU (Public Test Universe) or EPTU (Experimental), those builds are stored in subfolders inside your game directory, often named PTU or EPTU. The launcher’s uninstaller usually ignores them. Deleting the entire Roberts Space Industries folder (step 4 above) removes them all. If you only want to remove a specific test build while keeping the live game, delete just that subfolder and then run the launcher’s “Verify” option to clean up references.

Common Problems After Uninstalling

Even after following the steps, you might encounter:

• “Installation in progress” error on reinstall. This happens when a leftover registry key or a locked file remains. Restart your PC, then try again.
• Disk space not freed. Check if the game folder is still present—Windows sometimes holds files if the launcher was running. Also check %LocalAppData%\Star Citizen for shader caches.
• Launcher won’t reinstall. Delete the RSI Launcher folder and the registry keys again, then download a fresh installer from the official site.

Should You Uninstall or Just Repair?

If you’re uninstalling because of crashes or performance issues, consider repairing first. The launcher has a “Verify” button in Settings that checks and re-downloads corrupted files. That fixes many issues without a full removal. Full uninstall is best when:

• You’re freeing up disk space and won’t play for a while.
• You’re moving the game to a new drive (though you can just move the folder and update the launcher path).
• The launcher itself is corrupted and won’t update.

What About the Game on Other Drives?

If you installed the game on a secondary drive (e.g., D:\StarCitizen), the uninstaller in Windows will remove the launcher but not the game files on that drive. You must manually delete the folder you chose during installation. Also check for a hidden ProgramData folder on that drive—some users report leftover logs there, though it’s not standard. To be thorough, search the drive for folders named “Roberts Space Industries” or “Star Citizen”.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will uninstalling delete my account or ships? No. Your account, ships, and progress are saved on the game servers. Uninstalling only removes local files. You can log back in later and everything will be there.

Do I need to uninstall the launcher to uninstall the game? Yes, the launcher is the main program. The game files alone are not enough—the launcher manages updates and login. Uninstall the launcher first, then delete the game folder.

Can I just delete the game folder without uninstalling? You can, but it will leave registry entries and the launcher will still think the game is installed. If you later reinstall, you may get errors. Use the full steps above for a clean removal.

How much space will I free up? The live game is roughly 100 GB, plus the launcher and shader caches can add 5–15 GB. If you have PTU builds, add another 50–100 GB per build. Check your game folder size before deleting to know exactly.

Is it safe to delete the registry keys? Yes, if you only delete the keys under HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Roberts Space Industries and HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Cloud Imperium Games. These are specific to Star Citizen. Do not delete other keys. If unsure, skip this step—it’s optional.

What if I want to reinstall later? Just download the launcher installer from the official RSI website and install it. It will re-create the folders. You’ll need to re-download the game files, so make sure you have a stable internet connection and enough disk space.

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