The most ambitious RPG ever made is free to download right now

Star Citizen is currently free to play til the end of the month thanks to an in-game aerospace expo where you're able to fly almost all of the spiffy ships at no extra cost.

Earlier this year, it was revealed that the game has gained $500 million from supporters over ten years of development, and its single-player spinoff Squadron 42 is seemingly nowhere closer to a release today than it was back when it was announced. It's got a star studded cast, though, with Mark Hamill, Gillian Anderson, Liam Cunningham, Andy Serkis, Ben Mendelsohn and more. Would love to see them in the game one day.

Watch the announcement for the IAE 2952 expo inside Star Citizen below, with a host that definitely isn't Jeremy Clarkson:

Reportedly, Cloud Imperium Games spent approximately $320 million on development costs on Star Citizen in 2019, and I'm no business person, but I'm assuming its idea is to recoup those losses. The IAE 2952 expo lets players "explore the digital event as they would any convention, from strolling through fully interactive expo halls and seeing the latest ships on display each day in incredible detail, to meeting up with friends to explore and partake in exciting activities, or chance encounters with strangers that launch new friendships."

Each day of this in-game aerospace expo features a different manufacturer, so if you've been dying to try alien ships from Aopoa, Banu Souli, Esperia or Gatac Manufacture, hop to it.

From 27 November, the Best in Show event will start, allowing players to test drive the final four vehicles from the summer's Ship Showdown, and those who own either Anvil Carrack, Anvil Pisces, RSI Scorpius or Crusader Mercury will get a limited-edition ship livery and in-game challenge coin. Backers will receive an in-game model of the Anvil Carrack to boot. If this is ticking a lot of boxes for the curious players in the audience, all you need to do is create an account with Cloud Imperium Games and download the game.