How do I buy Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 and which edition should I choose?
To buy Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024, purchase the digital edition available for your platform through the simulator’s official storefront, then install it from your library. For most simmers, the Standard edition is the best value; choose Deluxe or Premium only if you specifically want their extra aircraft and handcrafted airports.
How do I buy Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024?
The buying process is simple, but there are two things we always tell people to check first: your platform and your storage. Microsoft Flight Simulator is a large install, and buying it on the wrong account or storefront can be an expensive nuisance.
- Choose your platform. Decide whether you are buying for PC or console. Buy it on the platform where you actually plan to play, under the account you intend to keep using.
- Check your PC or console storage. Make sure you have enough free space for the base installation plus updates, rolling cache and any future add-ons. An SSD is strongly preferable on PC.
- Open the official storefront. Use the simulator’s official storefront for your platform rather than a code reseller. That keeps ownership, updates and reinstalling much cleaner.
- Compare the editions. Look at the included aircraft and handcrafted airports, not just the price. The difference between editions is bundled content, not a different flight model or better graphics.
- Decide between ownership and subscription access. Some players may see the base sim included through a game subscription. That can be a good way to try it, but it is not the same as permanently owning a higher edition.
- Buy and start the download. After purchase, install the launcher from your library. On first run, Microsoft Flight Simulator usually downloads a substantial amount of additional content inside the sim itself, so allow time for that.
- Check the install location on PC. If you are on PC, pay attention to where the main content packages are being installed. Picking the right drive at the start avoids a messy move later.
Which Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 edition should you choose?
This is the part that matters. Most people do not need the most expensive edition. We usually suggest choosing the edition by one question: will you genuinely use the extra bundled aircraft and airports, or do you just like the idea of having them?
| Edition | Best for | What you are really paying for | Our view |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | Most simmers | The core simulator and base content | Best value for new, casual and add-on focused users |
| Deluxe | Buyers who specifically want its extra bundled content | A smaller set of additional aircraft and handcrafted airports | Only worth it if those particular extras matter to you |
| Premium Deluxe | Long-term simmers who know they will use the extra content | The broadest standard bundle of first-party aircraft and airports | Good if you already know the included extras are on your must-have list |
| Higher bundle, if offered | Collectors and content completists | An expanded entitlement beyond the usual core editions | Niche choice; we would not recommend it for most buyers |
Should I buy Standard, Deluxe or Premium Deluxe?
For most people, Standard is the right answer. You get the actual simulator experience, and you keep your upfront cost down. That matters because many simmers eventually spend more on controls, scenery and favourite aircraft than they do on the base sim.
Deluxe and Premium Deluxe only make sense if the included extras are aircraft and airports you already know you will use regularly. Not “might try once”. Regularly. If you mainly fly one or two airliners, or you plan to use community freeware and selected add-ons, the higher editions are often poor value.
- Choose Standard if you are new to Microsoft Flight Simulator, returning after a long break, or unsure what type of flying you will settle into.
- Choose Deluxe if one or more of its added aircraft or airports genuinely fills a gap in what you want to fly from day one.
- Choose Premium Deluxe if you already know you want the widest built-in content bundle and would otherwise miss those extra airports and aircraft.
What are you actually getting with a more expensive edition?
The simulator engine, visuals, weather systems and core platform are not better just because you paid for a higher edition. What changes is the bundle of included content. In plain terms, you are paying for extra aircraft and extra handcrafted airports.
That is why edition choice is more about your flying habits than your budget alone. If you spend nearly all your time in one aircraft type, or fly with third-party scenery, the higher bundle can sit there unused. We see this a lot.
Should you buy MSFS 2024 outright or use subscription access?
If you simply want to try the sim, subscription access can be a sensible low-risk option when available. It lets you test performance, controls and whether the sim suits the sort of flying you enjoy.
If you want permanent access, intend to play for years, or specifically want a higher edition’s bundled content, buying outright is the cleaner route. Subscription catalogues and entitlements can change; owned purchases are much simpler to manage over the long term.
What if you already own Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020?
Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 is a separate product, so owning 2020 does not usually mean you automatically own 2024. If you are happy with 2020 and your current add-ons, there is no rule that says you must switch immediately.
If you do plan to move to 2024, the same edition advice still applies: buy the content bundle you will actually use, not the one that looks most impressive on a store page.
Common buying mistakes to avoid
- Buying on the wrong account. Make sure it is the account you will continue using for updates, cloud saves and any linked entitlements.
- Assuming higher editions improve performance. They do not. Performance depends on your hardware and settings, not the edition tier.
- Paying for bundled aircraft you will not fly. This is the biggest waste of money we see.
- Ignoring storage needs. The install is large, and future world updates, caches and add-ons only increase that footprint.
- Confusing subscription access with ownership. Access through a subscription is useful, but it is not the same as owning the product permanently.
Our recommendation
If you are asking this question before purchase, we would start with Standard unless you can point to specific extra aircraft or airports in a higher edition that you know you want. That keeps your cost sensible and leaves room for the content you will actually use later.
On PC especially, Standard plus a few carefully chosen add-ons is often the smarter spend than buying the most expensive edition on day one. If you want to expand your sim later, you can also browse freeware and add-ons in our downloads library.