Star Citizen CCU Guide: Applying Upgrades
How to buy and apply Upgrades
Buy the CCU
First buy the CCU you want from the upgrades section and wait for delivery through the RSI gifting system.
Locate it in your hangar
After purchase, go to the My Hangar section on the RSI website and locate the CCU in your hangar list.
Apply the upgrade
Expand the CCU details, click Apply Upgrade, confirm the details, and finalize the upgrade.
How to buy and apply upgrades
Keep your order details beside you while you check the ship names. A variant, edition or generation suffix can make the difference between a matching upgrade and one you cannot use.
Purchase the CCU
Before anything else, you must first buy the CCU you want.
- ✓Head over to our upgrades section.
- ✓Find the upgrade to the ship you want to upgrade to and choose the correct source ship from the drop down menu.
- ✓Complete the purchase.
- ✓Wait for the delivery via RSI gifting system. In most cases you should receive an email with the gift link in a few minutes.
- ✓Claim the upgrade by logging in on the RSI website and then clicking the gift link.
Locate your CCU in your hangar
After purchasing, your CCU will be sent to your online hangar.
- ✓Go to the My Hangar section on the RSI website.
- ✓Browse through your hangar's list until you find the CCU you just purchased.
Apply the upgrade
Now that you've located the CCU, the next step is to apply it to your ship.
- ✓Click on the arrow located next to your CCU to expand its details.
- ✓Find the Apply Upgrade button and click on it.
- ✓You'll be taken to a page that will show both your current ship and the ship you want to upgrade to. Confirm that the details are accurate.
- ✓Click Next to move on to the final step.
- ✓Check the selected pledge and target model. Complete the password confirmation to apply the upgrade, then check the updated pledge and its upgrade history in My Hangar.
Important notes
Always make sure to confirm all details before finalizing any upgrade to avoid potential issues.
- ✓Melt Value: the melt value remains based on the original ship's cost plus the cost of the CCU.
- ✓Permanent change: an applied upgrade cannot simply be removed. Reclaiming is not an undo button: it strips applied upgrades, and buyback eligibility is not guaranteed. Stop and ask for help before reclaiming a pledge to fix an upgrade problem.
- ✓Insurance: existing pledge benefits remain. Extra insurance, paint or other items must be explicitly included in the upgrade; a separate standalone offer for the target ship does not add its extras to your CCU.
- ✓Chaining CCUs: each step must start from the exact ship your pledge contains at that point. Apply the chain in order, checking every source and target model before confirming.
Check the ship after applying
The pledge should now show the target ship and the applied upgrade. If that ship is not flight ready, the craft available in-game can be a loaner instead. Check our Loaner Matrix before assuming delivery failed. See the loaner matrix.
CCU missing or not applying?
First separate delivery from application. An upgrade sitting in My Hangar has arrived, but it has not yet changed a ship. A missing gift and an upgrade with no eligible source ship are different problems.
- No upgrade in the web hangar: check which account accepted the gift. If delivery is missing, contact the sender with your order details. Do not buy another upgrade just to troubleshoot the first.
- No matching ship to select: compare the CCU’s source model with the ship actually in your pledge, including its variant and generation. A similar name is not enough.
- A chain stops partway: inspect the current pledge after the last applied step. An unapplied earlier step cannot supply the starting ship for a later one.
- The pledge is greyed out and marked Fulfilled: it may be locked. Locked pledges cannot be upgraded or reclaimed by the player.
- The extra craft only appears in-game: a loaner or parent-linked snub is not an independently upgradeable pledge. Check the web hangar before choosing a CCU for it.
A named paint is another item altogether. Owning a paint for the target ship does not supply the starting ship an upgrade requires. Our store terminology guide explains the listing types.
If your exact source ship is present and eligible but application still fails, keep the error message and contact support. There is no reason to reclaim a working game package while you investigate.
Ready to upgrade your ship?
Choose the correct source ship, wait for delivery, locate the CCU in your hangar, and confirm every detail before applying the upgrade.
Source check: RSI Knowledge Base, Ship Upgrades (CCUs), Where Is the Ship That I Pledged For?, and Included Vessels — Snub Fighters and Rovers; checked 16 October 2026. Interface labels and account eligibility can change. Artwork remains from the existing Impound guide.