What are the best camera and drone mods for MSFS 2024 and 2020?
Best MSFS camera mods for 2024 and 2020 compared: ChasePlane, FSRealistic, free camera packs and the built-in Drone Camera, plus compatibility.
The best MSFS camera mod for repeatable views and cinematic work is ChasePlane, provided its release supports your exact simulator edition. FSRealistic is better for restrained head movement, aircraft camera packs add free ready-made interior and wing views, and Microsoft Flight Simulator’s built-in Drone Camera remains the best no-install option for unrestricted positioning.
Which MSFS camera add-on should you choose?
Choose the tool by the job: ChasePlane for repeatable camera work, FSRealistic for physical movement effects, a camera pack for one aircraft, or the native Drone Camera for free positioning.
| Option | Best for | What it provides | Main limitation |
|---|---|---|---|
| ChasePlane | Best complete camera manager | Saved aircraft views, Smart Views, cinematic sequences and fly-by tools | Third-party PC application; the release must support your exact simulator edition |
| Built-in Drone or Free Camera | Screenshots, inspection and unrestricted exterior movement | Translation, rotation, zoom, focus, follow and lock controls | No reusable camera-management or replay workflow on its own |
| Aircraft-specific camera packs | Best free ready-made views | Pilot, overhead, pedestal, cabin, wing and exterior positions | Must match the aircraft developer and variant; competing packs can conflict |
| FSRealistic | Head movement and vibration | Motion associated with engines, taxiing, turbulence and landing | Does not manage precise saved viewpoints |
| Replay tools | Refilming a landing or flight from several angles | Playback while the camera is repositioned for each shot | Not a complete camera-position manager |
A replay utility such as FlightControlReplay or Sky Dolly is the right category when you need to reproduce the same event from several angles. A camera add-on can move the viewpoint, but it does not necessarily record or replay the aircraft.
What does third-party camera mod mean?
A third-party camera mod is an add-on made outside the base Microsoft Flight Simulator package. ChasePlane, FSRealistic and community camera packs are third-party products; the built-in Drone Camera is not.
On PC, a third-party add-on may be a conventional Community package or a separate Windows application communicating with the simulator. Do not place an application executable in the Community folder unless its supplied instructions specifically require a companion package there.
CameraPositionX belongs to a narrower category of specialist utilities for editing and organising camera definitions or automated playlists. It is useful when you deliberately want file-level control, but it is not our default recommendation. Confirm support for MSFS 2020 or 2024 and back up every file before editing it.
Is ChasePlane the best MSFS 2024 camera mod?
On a compatible PC installation, ChasePlane is the best MSFS 2024 camera mod for saved, repeatable views and planned cinematic camera work. It is less useful if all you need is an occasional screenshot or one extra cockpit position.
Do not buy or install it on the strength of the ChasePlane name alone. Confirm that the release explicitly supports MSFS 2024 rather than only MSFS 2020, FSX or Prepar3D. Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 reached Sim Update 5 in April 2026, so launch-build compatibility by itself is not confirmation for later simulator updates.
The same rule applies to MSFS 2020: use the build intended for that simulator. A licence, installer or configuration left over from another Flight Simulator edition should not be assumed to transfer. Console users also cannot run the Windows companion application.
If you do not need sequences or a large preset library, our guide to free ways to replace the main ChasePlane functions covers native custom views, the Drone Camera and replay options.
When is FSRealistic the better camera add-on?
FSRealistic is the better choice when the goal is believable head movement rather than precise camera positioning. It adds motion linked to engine operation, ground roll, turbulence and flight events, but it does not replace a camera manager.
Start with restrained effect levels. A mistake we see constantly is combining strong FSRealistic movement with aircraft-specific or native camera effects, creating exaggerated shaking and oscillation. This is especially uncomfortable in VR; reduce or disable one layer rather than allowing several systems to reproduce the same motion.
Do you need a mod for the MSFS drone or free camera?
No camera mod is required for ordinary screenshots, aircraft walkarounds or free exterior filming in MSFS 2020 or 2024. The simulator already supplies a movable camera independent of the normal cockpit and external views.
The interface may refer to Drone, Showcase or Free Camera depending on the simulator edition and context. These names are often used loosely by simmers, but they all concern free camera positioning rather than a fixed pilot viewpoint. Our practical guide explains how to move, orbit and control the free camera in MSFS 2020 and 2024.
Add a dedicated camera manager only when you need reusable positions, rapid switching, programmed transitions or fly-by behaviour. For smooth manual footage, analogue controller axes are usually easier to control than full-speed keyboard inputs.
Why is the Drone or Showcase Camera frozen?
A frozen MSFS camera is usually caused by the wrong camera mode, an inactive controller profile, a movement speed set near zero or a lock setting that constrains the view.
- Select the free camera mode. Cockpit and normal external cameras use different movement commands from the Drone, Showcase or Free Camera.
- Check the active input profile. Search the Controls settings for camera or drone functions and confirm that movement and rotation are assigned on the profile actually in use.
- Raise translation and rotation speeds. A camera with movement speed reduced almost to zero can appear completely unresponsive.
- Disable lock and follow modes temporarily. These settings can make rotation or movement appear restricted because the camera is tracking the aircraft or a target.
- Test for binding conflicts. Disconnect an unnecessary secondary controller or test with a fresh default profile before rebuilding custom assignments.
The available functions include movement, rotation, zoom, follow, lock, focus and depth of field. Our camera and drone command reference is useful when rebuilding a keyboard or controller profile.
Are free aircraft camera packs worth installing?
Free camera packs are worthwhile when one aircraft has poor default viewpoints or lacks convenient overhead, cabin, wing or passenger views. They are not universal: every aircraft has its own geometry, reference points and internal identifiers.
- Match the simulator edition. The description should explicitly name MSFS 2020, MSFS 2024 or both.
- Match the exact aircraft. A pack made for one developer’s A320, or even another variant from the same family, can place the camera inside a seat, panel or bulkhead.
- Check the package depth. In a conventional Community package, files such as
manifest.jsonandlayout.jsonshould be at the package level rather than buried inside an extra duplicate folder. - Use the correct Community folder. Its location depends on the installation and any customised Packages path. Never overwrite the Official folder simply because a guessed Community path does not work.
- Install one pack per aircraft. Two packages replacing the same definitions can load unpredictably even when both appear enabled.
- Retest after aircraft updates. Revised cockpit geometry can leave an old position clipping through the seat, fuselage or instrument panel.
A camera pack only moves the eye point. It cannot create a modelled interior, passenger cabin or detailed wing geometry that the aircraft itself does not contain. Protected Marketplace aircraft may also block direct file-editing methods used by some older packs.
Can you save extra cockpit views without an add-on?
Yes. Native custom cockpit views are the cleanest free choice when you only need a few additional pilot, overhead or pedestal positions. Assign the simulator’s save and load custom camera functions in Controls settings, then store the views separately for each aircraft.
Native cockpit presets are not a substitute for a fully free exterior camera, and they do not provide ChasePlane-style sequencing. They do avoid package conflicts and are less likely to be affected by an aircraft update.
Do MSFS 2020 camera mods work in MSFS 2024?
MSFS 2020 camera mods do not automatically work in MSFS 2024 unless their developer explicitly labels them as compatible. The native camera concepts are similar, but aircraft identifiers, package structures, bindings and external application support can differ.
If both simulators are installed on one PC, each has its own active package location. Copying a pack into the MSFS 2020 Community folder does not install it for MSFS 2024. Recheck saved controls as well; a camera binding or profile should not be assumed to migrate unchanged.
Do camera mods work on Xbox and PlayStation?
Normal Community-folder camera packs and Windows desktop camera utilities are effectively PC-only. Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5 and PS5 Pro users must use the native camera system or an add-on explicitly distributed as compatible through the in-simulator Marketplace.
Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 is available on PC, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5 and PS5 Pro; its PlayStation release arrived on 8 December 2025. Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 remains limited to PC and Xbox and was never released on PlayStation.
A Marketplace aircraft may include improved viewpoints, but a camera utility that requires a background Windows application cannot operate on a console. The built-in Drone or Free Camera is therefore the practical choice for unrestricted console photography and filming.
Will an FSX camera add-on work in MSFS 2020 or 2024?
No. An FSX camera add-on cannot be copied into MSFS 2020 or 2024 because the simulators use different integration methods, package structures and camera definitions.
This remains true when the same product name exists for several simulators. Use the ChasePlane or camera utility release made specifically for FSX, MSFS 2020 or MSFS 2024, and keep each installer and configuration in its intended simulator. Copying FSX camera configuration files or modules into an MSFS Community folder will not convert them.