What are the best weather add-ons for MSFS 2020?
The best weather add-on for Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 depends on the job: ActiveSky FS for a full PC weather engine, REX Weather Force 2020 for METAR-led injection, Weather Preset Pro for curated scenarios, and our free Weather Presets Pack for repeatable offline practice. Xbox users are largely limited to in-sim weather options.
Before adding anything, try the simulator’s built-in Live Weather. It remains the best no-cost choice for straightforward real-world flying, particularly when you want weather spread across an entire route rather than centred on airport reports. Our explanation of Live Weather, presets and custom conditions covers how those modes differ.
Which MSFS 2020 weather add-on should you choose?
| Add-on | Best for | Main limitation |
|---|---|---|
| ActiveSky FS | A full external weather engine, weather briefings and greater control on PC | Paid PC companion application; must use its required weather mode and should not run beside another injector |
| REX Weather Force 2020 | Real-world, METAR-led weather around airports | PC only; station-based reports can produce noticeable changes where observations are sparse |
| Weather Preset Pro | Hand-crafted weather scenarios for training, screenshots and planned challenges | Presets do not follow real-world conditions |
| MSFS Weather Presets Pack | Free fog, snow, thunderstorms, gusts and other repeatable scenarios | Manual PC installation; it is a preset collection rather than a live engine |
Which is the best full weather engine for MSFS 2020?
ActiveSky FS is our first choice for PC pilots who want more operational control than the stock weather system provides. It combines weather injection with briefing and planning functions, making it the strongest fit for structured IFR operations and pilots who want to inspect conditions before departure.
REX Weather Force 2020 is the alternative for pilots who prefer a METAR-centred approach. That can be useful when matching reported surface wind, pressure and conditions near an airport is the priority. The trade-off is that individual observing stations describe specific locations and times, so transitions may be more obvious than with model-led global weather.
Do not run ActiveSky FS and REX Weather Force together. Both are attempting to control the same weather environment, and using two injectors can cause resets, abrupt changes or one application overriding the other. Simulator updates can also affect weather injection, so confirm support for your installed MSFS 2020 build before buying either product.
Are weather presets better than Live Weather?
Weather presets are better for repeatable situations; Live Weather is better for reproducing real conditions. Use a preset when practising a low-visibility approach, testing crosswind technique, learning de-icing procedures or recreating the same conditions with different aircraft.
Weather Preset Pro supplies more than 40 selectable scenarios; our overview of its preset selection and other MSFS add-ons gives more detail. For a no-cost option, you can download our freeware fog, snow, storm and wind scenarios.
A preset does not download observations or track an actual weather system. Clouds still move and the simulator continues modelling atmospheric effects, but the scenario will not follow real-world changes along the route as a live source does.
Do weather add-ons improve MSFS clouds?
Weather engines change the conditions used to generate clouds, but they do not replace MSFS 2020’s volumetric cloud renderer. They can control or influence cloud layers, coverage, wind, pressure and visibility, yet Microsoft Flight Simulator still draws the result.
This distinction matters when judging promotional screenshots. An injector may produce a more convincing weather situation, but it cannot install an entirely new set of traditional cloud textures. If dense cloud causes stuttering or a large frame-rate drop, adjust Volumetric Clouds and related graphics options using our MSFS graphics-setting guidance for GPU-limited systems.
Do MSFS 2020 weather add-ons work on Xbox?
External weather engines such as ActiveSky FS and REX Weather Force 2020 require Windows companion applications and do not run on Xbox. Console pilots can use the built-in Live Weather, standard presets and add-ons specifically marked as Xbox compatible inside the simulator’s Marketplace.
Manually downloaded preset packages also require access to the PC Community folder, so our freeware pack cannot be installed on Xbox. Never assume that a preset sold for PC supports console; check the platform shown in its in-sim listing.
Why is my MSFS weather add-on not working?
- Use one weather source. Close other injectors and select the weather mode required by the product. Leaving Live Weather active when an add-on expects custom or preset control is a common cause of resets.
- Confirm the connection. A companion application should report that it has connected to Microsoft Flight Simulator before it can inject anything. Follow that product’s startup order and check that Windows security software has not blocked it.
- Check build compatibility. Weather injection can be affected by simulator updates. An older add-on build may launch normally yet fail to control the atmosphere.
- Fix nested preset folders. For manually installed packages, the folder containing
manifest.jsonandlayout.jsonshould sit directly insideCommunity, not beneath an extra identically named folder. - Test with an obvious condition. Load a dense-fog or thunderstorm preset at a familiar airport. A subtle wind or pressure change is a poor installation test.