Discover the best free MSFS 2024 scenery add-ons for VFR, airports and cities, with PC installation, compatibility and conflict-fix advice.
The best free scenery add-ons for Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 are We Love VFR, Powerlines and Solar Farms, Project Lifts, Microsoft's free World and City Updates, and well-maintained airport or landmark replacements for the places you actually fly. On PC, this combination adds more useful detail than one oversized global package.
Best free MSFS 2024 scenery add-ons
Build the simulator in layers: improve its base world first, add useful VFR objects, and then install detailed scenery for selected airports or cities. For third-party packages, use a release whose description or documentation explicitly includes MSFS 2024.
| Add-on or scenery type | Best for | Why we recommend it | Main caveat |
|---|---|---|---|
| Microsoft World and City Updates | General world detail | These official free updates can improve terrain, photogrammetry, airports and points of interest in their covered regions. | MSFS 2024 streams some content rather than installing it conventionally. Availability and management can differ by account and platform. |
| We Love VFR | VFR navigation | Its regional packages add conspicuous structures such as masts, chimneys, cooling towers and other objects pilots actually use as references. | Install only the required regions and check for overlap with other global object packages. |
| Powerlines and Solar Farms | Low-level flying | Power infrastructure makes rural routes and visual approaches more convincing, particularly when following roads, valleys and utility corridors. | Dense object coverage can affect performance, and an old MSFS 2020 build should not be assumed compatible. |
| Project Lifts | Mountain and alpine flying | Chairlifts, gondolas and cable cars add recognisable detail around ski resorts and mountain valleys. | It offers little benefit away from regions containing lift infrastructure. |
| Freeware airport replacements | Airliner and local operations | A good replacement can correct terminals, gates, markings, lighting and apron clutter at an airport you use regularly. | Never run two packages covering the same ICAO airport unless their documentation says they are designed to work together. |
| City and landmark packs | Sightseeing and visual circuits | Focused packs can fix missing bridges, stadiums, towers, waterfronts and other conspicuous landmarks. | They can duplicate buildings already supplied by photogrammetry or official updates. |
For named airport, island and city packages, our shortlist of standout free MSFS scenery provides more focused examples. You can also browse our MSFS freeware scenery library by airport and region, but check every listing for simulator version, dependencies and update history before installing it.
Which free scenery should you install first?
The right first download depends on where and how you fly; scenery covering your normal routes is more valuable than a large collection you rarely see.
- Airliner flying: start with one detailed replacement for your home airport or most-used destination.
- Low-level VFR: choose We Love VFR and a compatible powerline package before adding decorative city scenery.
- Mountain operations: combine official regional improvements with Project Lifts and carefully verified terrain scenery.
- Sightseeing: use one landmark pack for the city concerned, then check whether official photogrammetry already covers the same objects.
- World touring: prioritise Microsoft's regional updates and install third-party scenery only where the streamed world has obvious gaps.
Airport quality varies widely, so search using both the airport name and ICAO code. Our method for finding and checking freeware airport scenery explains how to verify dependencies and avoid downloading the wrong simulator edition.
Do MSFS 2020 scenery add-ons work in MSFS 2024?
Many straightforward MSFS 2020 scenery packages work in MSFS 2024, but compatibility is not automatic. A package loading successfully does not prove that its terrain, parking positions or default-object exclusions still behave correctly.
- Object and landmark packs usually have the best chance of working because they place standard scenery objects without replacing large parts of the world.
- Airport replacements need closer inspection. Changes to the default airport can produce double buildings, sunken aprons, misplaced jetways or conflicting parking stands.
- Aerial imagery, mesh and terraforming carry greater risk because they interact directly with MSFS 2024's streamed terrain and elevation data.
- Global environment replacements should be installed one at a time. Two packages attempting to alter the same object class can cause duplication or heavy frame-rate loss.
Treat an explicit MSFS 2024 compatibility statement as the safest choice. If a package is marked only for MSFS 2020, test it by itself and inspect the affected area before keeping it in a permanent setup.
How do you install free scenery in MSFS 2024?
On PC, most manually downloaded scenery is extracted into the active MSFS 2024 Community folder. Its location varies according to the store edition and installation choices, so do not copy a path from an unrelated installation guide.
- Confirm the simulator version. Read the package description and any included documentation for MSFS 2024 support, required libraries and known conflicts.
- Extract the archive. Do not place the ZIP or another compressed file in
Community. - Find the package root. The folder placed in
Communityshould normally containmanifest.jsonandlayout.json. An extra nested folder is one of the most common reasons scenery fails to appear. - Install every stated dependency. Object libraries belong in
Communityas separate packages unless the scenery's instructions say otherwise. - Restart the simulator. Avoid moving packages while MSFS 2024 is running, then load directly at the affected airport or landmark.
- Test for conflicts. If buildings flicker, terrain spikes appear or the simulator crashes, remove other packages covering the same location and test again.
Can Xbox and PlayStation use free Community scenery?
Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5 and PS5 Pro cannot use PC-style manual Community folder downloads. Console users are limited to free scenery and official updates distributed through the simulator's in-sim Marketplace or content library, subject to platform availability.
This means a freeware airport advertised as a manual PC download cannot simply be copied to a console. Cross-platform ownership also does not guarantee that every package is available on every console.
Why does free scenery not appear or cause problems?
Most failures come from an incorrect folder structure, missing dependency or overlapping scenery rather than a defective simulator installation.
- Nothing appears: confirm that the package is in the active MSFS 2024
Communityfolder rather than the MSFS 2020 folder, and check for an extra directory abovemanifest.json. - Generic or missing objects: install the exact object libraries named by the scenery documentation. A library with a similar name may not contain the required models.
- Double terminals or flickering ground: remove duplicate packages for the same ICAO code, including older freeware editions and bundled airport fixes.
- Terrain holes or raised runways: suspect outdated terraforming, mesh or aerial-imagery scenery. Test the airport without those layers.
- Official detail is missing too: check online functionality, data allowances and the simulator's connection before blaming a local add-on; photogrammetry and streamed terrain depend on online data.
- The simulator crashes during loading: start with an empty
Communityfolder, then restore packages in small groups until the offender is isolated.
A mistake we see constantly is installing a dozen scenery packages before making the first test flight. Add one layer, verify it in the simulator, and keep a simple record of each package's version and dependencies.