Microsoft Flight Simulator
From light planes to wide-body jets, fly highly detailed and accurate aircraft in the next generation of Microsoft Flight Simulator. Test your piloting skills against the challenges of night flying, real-time atmospheric simulation and live weather in a dynamic and living world. Create your flight plan to anywhere on the planet. Microsoft Flight Simulator includes 20 highly detailed planes with unique flight models and 30 hand-crafted airports. Vivid and Detailed Landscapes – Immerse yourself in the vast and beautiful world that is our planet with over 37 thousand airports, 1.5 billion buildings, 2 trillion trees, mountains, roads, rivers and more. Living World – Earth is vibrant and ever-changing and so is the world of Microsoft Flight Simulator which includes live traffic, real-time weather and animals.
Game Discussion
Steam User 838
The game challenges my mental abilities. I believe it is a meaningful tool to help seniors keep alert.
I am 87 years old and I am still trying to improve my ability to land a variety of aircraft. I've been told that learning a new language....doing crossword puzzles are also meaningful methods.....I have chosen FLIGHT SIMULATOR !
Steam User 153
All the comments saying that you have to download the game whilst its running are correct. You will not be able to play the game until multiple hours of downloads are completed (that count towards your playtime) preventing you from a refund.
This should be changed, its scummy and promotes disgusting business practices.
That being said, if you look past it's major flaw (the download system) it is the premier and most advanced flight simulator on the market. Everything except the download system is absolutely amazing. I would also recommend installing the MFS2020 map enhancement mod. It enables you to overlay google maps/different data rather than the default Bing map that is integrated into the game.
Steam User 133
The game recreates the whole Earth using satellite maps and AI. You can take off from your local airport and fly over your own house.
The graphics, especially the clouds, lighting, and weather effects, are stunning and make you feel like you're actually flying.
You can turn on real-time weather, so if it's raining somewhere in the world, it's raining in the game. You can also see real flights happening around you.
The 40th Anniversary edition adds many new aircraft for free, including helicopters, gliders, and famous historical planes like the Wright Flyer and the Spirit of St. Louis.
You can make it as easy or as hard as you want. Turn on all the help to just enjoy the view, or turn it all off for a super-realistic challenge.
Many major airports are handcrafted to look just like their real-life counterparts, and the cockpits of the planes are incredibly detailed and functional.
The developers regularly release free "World Updates" that make different parts of the world look even better.
Steam User 120
Be aware, the launcher is 1.5~ GB to download, although, after you run the game for the first time, you must download 130 GB of content (which is the actual game, these dummies), and depending of your Download speed, you might find yourself wasting your Steam 2 hours window to refund the game if you didn't like it...
I like these games, it's quite fun to fly, travel through my local area, discover new places, and so on.
just be aware of the download times...
This review is timed at 1.5 hours and I have just been able to download 66.55GB
Steam User 88
>bought this game
>downloaed it
>thought to myself "wow only a gigabyte?"
>launched it
>prompted me to install 500 gigs worth of stuff
>started install
>10 hours later still installing
10/10 perfect game, microsoft download simulator
Steam User 51
Played quite a bit of this using gamepass, figured I'd wait for a sale and then buy it here on Steam.
It runs almost twice as fast as the 2024 version on my 5700x3D (32gb ram) + RX 6700, I have it capped at 90fps, 1440p ultra settings. The performance alone is reason enough to buy this over the new version, it's not even close.
Did an almost 5 hour long flight in the DA62 over Europe to test stability with live traffic and weather on. Zero issues. The ATC seems to be working fine too, but only time will tell.
WHY 2020 over 2024?:
I've played a lot of MSFS2024 as well on gamepass to compare the two, and unfortunately the newer version is still a buggy mess. I have a 300mbps connection and textures do not stream correctly and I get constant microstutter. I'd rather have a one-time download in the form of MSFS 2020 that doesn't require me to be online to play and also has all the terrain data stored on my SSD. Oh and by the way, in 2024 if the connection drops for whatever reason (like the servers pooping themselves), its a GG for your flight with a crash to the main menu. Which also makes the much desired Career mode almost useless, because every flight is a gamble.
TL;DR
If you are on a mid-ranged PC, and value your sanity I would recommend FS2020 over 2024 any day of the week. It is more feature complete, and above all, actually gets you up in the air and flying your favourite planes which is why we're even here. It just works. One can only hope someday 2024 will actually be in a state worth buying, but that day isn't today and likely won't be for another 3-4 years, if at all.
Steam User 48
My first 10 hours was trying to figure out how to get past the game crashing once i booted up the 1gb launcher to actually download the 110gb. I spent days trying to figure it out and it was something stupid like needing to install a english (US) language pack.
After i finally got to play the game it was amazing other than a few small bugs with the autopilot and the atc not doing what its told. totally recommend this game for those interested in aviation.
if you're having the same problem as me:
Install the English (US) language pack for windows. The game requires it for air traffic control. Fixed the closing to desktop for me.
Instructions here: