Configure the best Microsoft Flight Simulator settings for smooth FPS, sharp visuals and realistic handling in MSFS 2020 and 2024.
On PC, the best balanced Microsoft Flight Simulator setup starts with the High preset, native output resolution, TAA or Quality upscaling, terrain and object LOD at 100–150, High clouds and textures, and restrained traffic. Use the Modern flight model with intrusive assists off, then tune for stable frame times at a busy airport.
This is a practical baseline for Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 and 2024. Setting names and available options vary between versions, updates and hardware; console editions manage most graphics settings automatically.
What are the best balanced MSFS graphics settings?
The settings below preserve cockpit clarity and convincing scenery without spending performance on options that are difficult to notice during normal flying.
| Setting | Balanced starting point | When to change it |
|---|---|---|
| Output resolution | Monitor's native resolution | Keep the output native and adjust render scaling or upscaling instead. |
| Render scaling | 100 with TAA | Try 80–90 only when GPU-limited. Avoid lowering this and enabling aggressive upscaling at the same time. |
| Anti-aliasing or upscaling | TAA for maximum instrument clarity; Quality upscaling for extra GPU headroom | Return to TAA if glass displays, registrations or distant buildings look blurred or unstable. |
| Terrain level of detail | 100–150 | Use the lower end around detailed hubs or when the FPS display reports Limited by MainThread. |
| Object level of detail | 100–150 | Lower it when dense terminals and cities cause CPU-limited stutters. |
| Volumetric clouds | High | Clouds are a major GPU load in overcast weather. Ultra is best reserved for systems with spare GPU capacity. |
| Texture resolution | High | Use Ultra only when there is sufficient VRAM and no texture-loading stutter. Lower textures before reducing render resolution if VRAM is exhausted. |
| Anisotropic filtering | 16x | This usually has little performance cost and keeps runways and ground textures sharp at shallow angles. |
| Shadows, reflections and ambient occlusion | Medium or High | Reduce these before sacrificing cockpit resolution when GPU-limited. |
| Glass cockpit refresh rate | Medium | Lower it when a complex airliner is CPU-limited; simple analogue aircraft gain little from changing it. |
| Frame generation | Optional, where supported | Enable it only after achieving a stable base frame rate. It smooths presentation but does not cure main-thread stalls or control latency. |
For a wider comparison of individual options, use our tested starting values for MSFS graphics settings rather than copying an Ultra preset indiscriminately. These recommendations are for monitor use; VR needs a separate rendering and resolution budget.
How do I tune MSFS settings for my own PC?
The reliable method is to diagnose the limiting component and adjust only the settings that affect it.
- Create a repeatable test. Load the same complex aircraft at a detailed airport, with overcast weather and the camera facing the terminal. An empty rural runway hides the bottlenecks that appear during an actual flight.
- Establish a baseline. Start from High, disable frame generation temporarily and leave third-party scenery or aircraft out of the first test. On PC, the developer FPS display can identify
Limited by MainThreadand GPU limits. - Fix a main-thread limit. Reduce terrain LOD, object LOD, traffic, airport vehicles and glass-cockpit refresh rate. Lowering texture quality or render scaling rarely solves a true CPU bottleneck.
- Fix a GPU limit. Use Quality upscaling or slightly lower render scaling, then reduce clouds, reflections, shadows and ambient occlusion. Keep textures high unless VRAM pressure is causing pauses or texture swapping.
- Add traffic last. Aircraft traffic can consume substantial CPU time at hubs. Increase it until the airport looks active without producing long main-thread spikes.
- Retest the whole flight. Check taxiing, take-off, cloud entry, approach and arrival. A high average FPS is not useful if panning or final approach produces uneven frame times.
MSFS 2024 users facing persistent pauses can follow our repeatable method for separating CPU, GPU, memory and streaming problems. Blurry terrain or pauses while scenery loads can indicate bandwidth or cache trouble rather than an overly demanding graphics setting.
How much traffic should I use?
Traffic should be kept modest because aircraft simulation, ground movement and airport activity compete for the same main-thread time needed by the user's aircraft.
- Begin with low aircraft and ground-aircraft density at a major hub.
- Keep airport workers, road traffic, ships and fauna conservative; they add movement but little value from the cockpit.
- Do not run dense default traffic alongside a third-party traffic system unless its instructions explicitly require it.
- Reduce traffic before terrain LOD when performance collapses only at large airports.
The exact controls differ between MSFS 2020 and 2024, so our breakdown of which traffic settings cost the most FPS covers the relevant compromises without forcing one percentage onto every system.
Which realism settings should I use?
Use realistic flight physics and aircraft operation, but keep learning aids that do not interfere with the controls.
- Flight model: Select Modern. Legacy is intended for compatibility with older aircraft and should not be used as a general handling fix.
- Piloting assists: Disable assisted take-off, assisted landing, auto-rudder, AI piloting and control assists once the aircraft can be flown safely without them.
- Fuel and aircraft operation: Disable unlimited fuel and use the aircraft's normal checklists, engine procedures and weight limits.
- Weather: Use live weather for real-world operations or a realistic preset for repeatable practice. Realistic turbulence improves authenticity but can expose poor controller calibration.
- Damage and failures: Enable them only when the aircraft models them credibly. Support and behaviour vary significantly between default and add-on aircraft.
- Controller response: Use the smallest dead zone that prevents jitter. Sensitivity curves should suit the travel of the actual joystick, yoke or pedals rather than an online universal value.
- Learning aids: Instrument tooltips, taxi guidance and ATC assistance do not change the underlying flight model, so retaining them is a usability choice rather than a performance compromise.
Our beginner realism recommendations explain which assists can be removed gradually without turning every flight into systems management. Disabling assistance does not normally improve FPS; graphics, traffic and simulation complexity are the relevant performance controls.
What should console users change?
Console users should concentrate on traffic, online data, add-ons and realism because most graphics quality decisions are controlled by the simulator's hardware profile.
MSFS 2020 is available on Xbox but not PlayStation. MSFS 2024 is available on Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5, with each console exposing fewer graphics controls than the PC edition. Do not try to reproduce a PC settings table when the corresponding sliders are absent.
If performance deteriorates only at detailed airports, reduce traffic and airport activity first. If scenery loads slowly or appears incomplete, investigate the network connection, online data options and cache behaviour rather than changing flight-model settings.
Which settings mistakes cause the most problems?
The most common mistake is combining extreme LOD, dense traffic and a complex add-on airport, then trying to recover performance by making the entire image blurry.
- Do not tune over an empty countryside flight and assume the result will survive a large international airport.
- Do not set every option to Ultra simply because VRAM usage appears acceptable; terrain LOD and traffic can still overload the CPU.
- Do not use frame generation to conceal an unstable base frame rate. Main-thread stutters will remain visible.
- Do not change ten settings between tests. Adjust one related group, retest, and keep or reverse the change.
- Disable third-party packages temporarily when diagnosing a sudden regression. A demanding aircraft, airport or an overloaded
Communityfolder can change the bottleneck completely. - Prioritise consistent frame delivery over the highest FPS number. Stable approaches and smooth camera movement matter more than a brief peak while looking at the sky.