Find the best free MSFS 2020 add-ons for aircraft, traffic, scenery and VFR flying, with clear installation steps and fixes.
The best free MSFS 2020 add-ons include FlyByWire’s A32NX for airliner systems, the Van’s RV-7/RV-7A for light-aircraft flying, FSLTL for live traffic, Global AI Ship Traffic for shipping, We Love VFR for landmarks, and well-reviewed freeware airports. On PC, most install by extracting one package folder into the Community folder.
For Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020, the right first installs depend on what and where you fly. A detailed airliner is wasted if you mainly tour coastlines, while a large traffic package can consume performance without adding much at quiet rural airfields.
Which free MSFS 2020 add-ons should you install first?
| Add-on | Best for | Main consideration |
|---|---|---|
| FlyByWire A32NX | Realistic Airbus airline operations | Use its supplied installer and allow time to learn the aircraft’s systems; it is not merely a repaint of the default Airbus. |
| FlyByWire A380X | Long-haul flying and four-engine operations | More demanding than a narrow-body and developed on an ongoing basis, so check release notes before updating. Our downloadable FlyByWire A380 complete package includes the files and installation information. |
| Van’s RV-7/RV-7A | VFR touring, short trips and hand flying | A better first choice than a complex jet when you want quick starts and good outside visibility. |
| FSLTL | Airline traffic with appropriate models and liveries | It uses a separate injector. Reduce injected traffic if busy hubs become main-thread limited or departures queue excessively. |
| Global AI Ship Traffic | Coastal, island and maritime flights | Most valuable along established shipping routes; it adds little to inland flying. |
| We Love VFR | Masts, towers, chimneys and other VFR reference points | Install the region covering your flying area and check for duplicated objects near detailed airports. |
| Freeware airport scenery | Improving a home base or frequently used destination | Keep only one third-party rendition of each airport to avoid doubled terminals, broken taxiways and conflicting elevation data. |
Start with one aircraft, one local airport and one world-enhancement package. This makes performance changes and conflicts easy to identify. Our shortlist of worthwhile free MSFS mods provides more aircraft, scenery and utility suggestions without requiring everything to be installed at once.
Check what a download actually contains. A livery needs its named base aircraft, an enhancement mod modifies another product, and a complete aircraft should appear as a separate flyable model. Treating a livery as a complete aeroplane is a common reason for an empty hangar.
How do you install free add-ons in MSFS 2020?
Manual MSFS 2020 add-ons are installed by extracting their package folders into the PC installation’s Community folder while the simulator is closed.
- Confirm compatibility. Make sure the package is for MSFS 2020 rather than MSFS 2024 or an older simulator. Read its dependency list and check whether it uses a dedicated installer.
- Extract the archive. Do not place the ZIP, RAR or other compressed archive directly in
Community. Extract it to a temporary location first. - Identify the real package folder. A normal package has
manifest.jsonandlayout.jsonnear its top level. Some downloads contain several separate packages inside one outer folder; copy the individual package folders, not the wrapper. - Find the active Community folder. Its location varies with the PC edition and any custom packages path. In MSFS 2020, enable Developer Mode and inspect the virtual file system’s watched bases, or read the
InstalledPackagesPathentry inUserCfg.opt. The activeCommunitydirectory sits under that packages location. - Move the package into Community. The finished structure should resemble
Community/package-name/manifest.json, notCommunity/package-name/package-name/manifest.json. - Restart and test it. Check aircraft in the hangar, liveries under the correct base model and scenery at the relevant location. Test a new add-on before installing several more.
Packages supplied with their own installer should normally be installed and updated through that tool. Marketplace content is handled inside the simulator rather than copied manually. For edition-specific folder guidance, use our step-by-step MSFS 2020 Community-folder instructions.
Why is an MSFS 2020 add-on not appearing?
An add-on that does not appear is usually nested one folder too deeply, installed in the wrong Community directory or missing a required base package.
- Wrong folder: PC installations can retain an old or unused Community directory after the packages location changes. Verify the active path rather than relying on a remembered location.
- Extra wrapper folder: Open the installed directory and locate
manifest.json. If it is another folder or two levels down, move the actual package up. - Missing dependency: Read the included documentation. Aircraft enhancements, cockpit mods and liveries often require another aircraft or library.
- Outdated package: A simulator update can expose old gauges, flight-model code or scenery data. Remove the package and obtain a version explicitly supporting MSFS 2020.
- Duplicate scenery: Two versions of the same airport can produce sunken runways, overlapping buildings or misplaced jetways. Retain one and restart the simulator.
- Broader conflict: Temporarily empty
Community, test the suspect package by itself, then restore the others in small batches. This is faster than guessing among hundreds of files.
Clearing the rolling cache may help with stale terrain or photogrammetry, but it does not repair an incorrectly nested aircraft package. Before running an unfamiliar executable or replacing working files, follow our checks for safe and compatible MSFS freeware.
Can free MSFS 2020 add-ons be installed on Xbox?
Xbox cannot use manually downloaded Community-folder add-ons. Console users are limited to content distributed through the in-simulator Marketplace, including any items offered there free of charge.
Manual freeware, external injectors and utilities such as FSLTL require a PC. Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 was not released for PlayStation, so Community-folder instructions do not apply to that platform either.