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ISSUERSI LauncherLauncher updatesUpdate manifestLauncher cache

RSI Launcher stuck checking for updates

Tracked since 19 Sept 2026 · Last researched 19 Sept 2026

Problem

The RSI Launcher is stuck on Checking for Updates and never finishes downloading the manifest, checking the files, or installing the Star Citizen update.

This page covers that stall when no more specific launcher error identifies the failure. Alpha 4.10.1 LIVE and RSI Launcher 2.17.0 are current, but CIG does not publish a cause or success rate for these steps.

Applies to Star Citizen Alpha 4.10.1 LIVE 12650677; RSI Launcher 2.17.0 · Current

Best current action

Clear the launcher cache, then retry once

Open the RSI Launcher settings, select Clear Launcher Cache, and retry the update once. CIG lists this first for the exact stall, but does not publish a success rate. If the launcher stops again, use only the next route that matches something you can see.

CIG lists cache clearing first for this exact Checking for Updates stall. It is the lowest-impact broad step, but there is no published success rate or independent Alpha 4.10.1 result.

What to do

  1. Open the RSI Launcher.
  2. Open the menu beside the RSI logo and select Settings.
  3. Under Application settings, select Clear Launcher Cache.
  4. Run the launcher again and retry the update.
Limited SupportLow riskCurrent CIG launcher guidance; no exact current-build success result is available

Another option

If more than one RSI Launcher icon or process is visible

Close every extra Launcher instance

Closing the launcher window can leave it running in the system tray. CIG lists extra instances as a possible reason the update remains stuck.

What to do

  1. Check the Windows system tray for more than one RSI Launcher icon.
  2. Right-click extra icons and select Quit, or end only the extra RSI Launcher instances in Task Manager.
  3. Open one launcher instance and retry.
Limited SupportLow riskCurrent CIG launcher guidance; no exact current-build success result is available

If About shows an RSI Launcher version older than 2.17.0

Update the RSI Launcher to 2.17.0

Launcher 2.17.0 separates download phases and retries network errors. CIG does not say it fixes this exact stall, so update only when About shows an older version.

What to do

  1. Check the launcher's About section for its version.
  2. If it is older than 2.17.0, obtain the current installer from the official RSI download page and install it.
  3. Open the updated launcher and retry.
Limited SupportLow riskRSI Launcher versions older than 2.17.0

If the download is slow, unstable, or repeatedly interrupted

Reduce simultaneous downloads and download speed

CIG reserves these settings for a slower or interrupted connection. They are not a general replacement for clearing the cache first.

What to do

  1. Open Settings in the RSI Launcher.
  2. Set Concurrent downloads to 15 or 10.
  3. Set Download speed limit to a midrange or lower MB/s value rather than the lowest KB/s values.
  4. Retry the update.
Limited SupportLow riskCurrent CIG launcher guidance for interrupted or slower networks

Diagnostic checks

These checks can identify the affected state, but they are not fixes.

If free space on the configured install drive is low or unknown

Check free space on the install drive

CIG says the launcher does not fully check available disk space. Confirm the configured drive has room before repeating a large update.

What to check

  1. Identify the drive that contains the configured Star Citizen install location.
  2. Confirm that drive has enough free space for the update before retrying.
Limited SupportLow riskCurrent CIG launcher guidance; CIG does not publish a required free-space margin for this stall

Send Launcher logs to RSI Support

A support ticket will not finish the update immediately, but the logs give RSI Support the detail needed when the current steps do not resolve the stall.

What to check

  1. Open the launcher settings and select Get Logs.
  2. Create an RSI Support ticket and attach the collected logs.
Limited SupportLow riskPersistent current RSI Launcher stalls after the matching recovery steps do not work

Other options

Temporarily move a nested game folder

If Star Citizen is installed inside the RSI Launcher folder and each update stalls near the same point

One current player with the game inside the RSI Launcher folder reported that this sequence completed a repeatable stall near 30 percent. No second report confirms it, and the exact manifest state was not shown.

Steps

  1. Move the Star Citizen game folder outside the RSI Launcher installation folder.
  2. End the stuck updating process and reopen the launcher.
  3. Let the update complete.
  4. Move the game folder back to its prior launcher-folder location.

The only reporter had to repeat the folder move for later updates. No independent repeat confirms this route.

Limited SupportLow To Medium riskOne Alpha 4.10-era player report without an exact hotfix or independent repeat

Boundaries and evidence

Use this page only while the launcher remains on Checking for Updates without a named error that better identifies the failure. Error 5014 during Install or Verify is a different incident.

CIG does not publish the root cause, affected hotfix range, prevalence, or a success rate for any of these steps.

No independent report confirms an official step for this exact Alpha 4.10.1 manifest stall.

The current report that stalls near 30 percent does not show the manifest state, launcher log, or exact game hotfix, so its folder-move result remains a narrow fallback.

Issue Council details and exact public results from closed or weakly indexed social platforms were not available.

These steps were not independently tested.

A numbered failure needs its own route; use the Error 5014 install or Verify steps when that exact code appears.

Data sources

RSI Known Issues · RSI Support · Spectrum · Reddit