Star Citizen Loading Error 41013 | “Shard Lock” or “Infinite Loading”

This Star Citizen error 41013 usually indicates a “Shard Lock” or “Infinite Loading” issue. Essentially, your character is stuck trying to connect to a specific game server (shard) that is either down, full, or unresponsive, and the game isn’t smart enough to route you to a new one automatically.

Here are the known fixes for Error 41013, ordered from easiest to most drastic.

Method 1: The Arena Commander Workaround (Most Successful)

This method forces the game to update your character’s state by loading it into a different module first.

1. Open Star Citizen and select Arena Commander (instead of the Persistent Universe).

2. Select Free Fly mode and launch it.

3. Pick any ship and load into the map.

4. Fly around for about 1–2 minutes to ensure your session is registered.

5. Crash your ship or land, then Exit to Menu.

6. Try loading into the Persistent Universe again.

Method 2: Force a Region Change

If your character is locked to a “Best” server that is broken, manually selecting a different region can force the game to place you on a new shard.

1. On the Persistent Universe menu, look at the Region dropdown (usually set to “BEST”).

2. Change this to a specific region that is not your local one (e.g., if you are in the US, choose EU or AUS).

3. Attempt to launch.

4. Note: If this works, you can try switching back to “Best” or your local region after one successful login.

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Method 3: The “Join a Friend” Bypass

This works by bypassing the standard matchmaking queue that is trying to put you back in the broken shard.

1. Launch the game and stay in the main menu.

2. Have a friend launch into the Persistent Universe and land in a station.

3. Once they are in, join their party or right-click their name in your friends list and select Join Game.

4. This forces your client to handshake with their server instead of the one you are locked to.

Method 4: Character Repair (Last Resort)

If the above fail, your character state might be corrupted on the backend. You will need to use the repair tool on the website.

1. Close the game and the RSI Launcher completely.

2. Go to the RSI Website and log in.

3. Go to Account > Settings > Character Repair.

4. Initiate the repair request.

   • Warning: This will keep your money and reputation but will reset your spawn point and re-stock your ammo/medpens.

5. Wait at least 15–60 minutes before trying to log in again to ensure the database update is complete.

Why is this happening?

Star Citizen uses “Entity Graph” technology to persist your character. Error 41013 happens when the graph thinks you are still “logged in” to a server instance that no longer exists or has crashed, preventing a new connection.