Star Citizen: PTU and PU explained - these are the differences

Star Citizen is still in the alpha phase. Those who participate in it or plan to do so will encounter the terms PTU and PU. Our guide explains what they mean and how the system works.

Clear case in Star Citizen: No PU without a PTU first.

The alpha phase of Star Citizen will probably continue for years. It is therefore all the more important to deal with terms such as PTU and PU.

Star Citizen: This is PTU and PU

The topic is quickly clarified:

• PTU stands for "Public Test Universe". This is the pre-live version of the current game: a version in the PTU is free to play, but still significantly more buggy than the live version. In return, you can test new content in the PTU earlier than in the live universe. Feedback from the community can help to fix bugs.
• PU is the "Persistent Universe", so the actual live universe according to the latest patch. Each update of Star Citizen lands only in the PU after it has been accessible for some time in the PTU.

In the PTU, therefore, the rough fine-tuning takes place before a new update goes to the live servers in the PU. To note: The PTU game requires its own launcher, a new installation can be bypassed by renaming the game files.