Star Citizen is a space-living simulator that combines features from space simulator, first-person shooter, and massively multiplayer online genres. Created by Chris Robert and published by Cloud Imperium Games, it comes with four playable modes, providing different experiences for the players.

Star Citizen has two main components: first-person space combat and trading in an MMO-style persistent universe and an optionally-cooperative private server known as Squadron 42. Both are set in a 30th century Milky Way centered around the fictional United Empire of Earth. The game will focus on player interaction. However, it will be influenced by a dynamic economic system.

What is Star Citizen?

Star Citizen features gameplay similar to Robert's other space sims. It abandons the traditional click-to-click system in favor of skill-based, space shooter mechanics. Here, ship upgrades will factor heavily into combat. However, player skills will ultimately decide the game's performance. As mentioned, it will have multiple game types, from a permanent, persistent world like contemporary MMO to an offline, single-player campaign. It also includes options for private servers.

The game will be mainly about ship combat that relies on piloting skills and ship balance. Players can choose between optional assisted flight and manual flight. Whenever two ships enter combat, they will be instanced into a battleground. The battleground can hold up more than 100 ships, which you can leave and join dynamically. However, the game will spread the ships into instanced battles to reduce server load.

The gameplay uses a buy-once-play forever model. With this, you will only need to purchase the base game to play all the available content. Moreover, there will be no monthly subscription fee or in-game add-ons that players need to purchase. However, since the game comes with massive features, it requires a high-performing gaming computer. Additionally, expect the game to take up a lot of your storage space.

Should you download it?

Overall, Star Citizen is a game that elevates the space shooter genre. It provides action-packed gameplay with multiple playable modes. Moreover, it has both massively multiplayer and solo campaigns. Even better, you can access all content through a one-time payment scheme. The game also offers state-of-the-art visuals and features virtual reality support. However, remember that for titles like this to run smoothly, you need a high-end machine.