How do I cap FPS in Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024?
On PC, cap FPS in Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 with its V-Sync and frame-rate-limit controls, or use a per-game limit in your NVIDIA or AMD driver for an exact value. Choose a cap the PC can maintain in demanding airports. Consoles do not provide an arbitrary user-set FPS limiter.
How do I set the in-game FPS limit?
The built-in limiter is the simplest option when Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 offers the target you want.
- Measure performance without a cap. Temporarily disable existing frame limiters and note your FPS in a demanding situation, such as a complex airliner parked at a large airport.
- Check the display refresh rate. Confirm that Windows is using the intended refresh rate before configuring V-Sync.
- Open the graphics settings. Go to the simulator’s General and Graphics settings, then find the display options.
- Enable V-Sync. Select the available Frame Rate Limit preset. On configurations where that control depends on V-Sync, it will not enforce a limit while V-Sync is disabled.
- Apply and test the setting. Revisit the demanding scenario. If FPS repeatedly drops below the target, choose a lower cap or reduce the settings responsible for the bottleneck.
An FPS cap is a ceiling, not a performance boost. A 60 FPS limit cannot produce 60 FPS when the CPU or GPU is only capable of rendering 42.
How do I set an exact FPS cap with NVIDIA or AMD?
Use a per-game driver limit when the simulator does not offer the exact target you need, such as 40, 45, 72 or 117 FPS.
NVIDIA Control Panel
- Open NVIDIA Control Panel and select Manage 3D settings.
- Open Program Settings and select the Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 application profile rather than changing the global profile.
- Set Max Frame Rate to the required value.
- Apply the setting and restart the simulator if it was already running.
For G-SYNC, V-Sync and per-game profile details, follow our detailed NVIDIA frame-limiting and G-SYNC settings.
AMD Software
- Open AMD Software and select the gaming profile for Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024.
- Enable the frame-rate control offered by the installed driver.
- If Radeon Chill is the available option, set its minimum and maximum to the same target for a fixed ceiling.
- Apply the profile and test it after relaunching the simulator.
Use only one primary frame limiter. Stacking the in-game limiter, a driver cap and another utility can produce uneven frame times or make it difficult to identify which setting is active. V-Sync or variable refresh remains a separate presentation choice.
What FPS cap should I choose for MSFS 2024?
The best FPS cap is one your system can sustain during take-off, approach and ground operations—not the higher figure seen during quiet cruise flight.
| Display and performance | Sensible target | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| 60 Hz without variable refresh | 60 FPS if sustainable; otherwise 30 FPS | Both provide an even cadence on a 60 Hz display. |
| 120 Hz without variable refresh | 60, 40 or 30 FPS | Each target divides evenly into 120 Hz. |
| G-SYNC or FreeSync display | A stable value within the VRR range | For a high target, cap two or three FPS below maximum refresh, such as 117 on 120 Hz or 141 on 144 Hz. |
| Heavy airliner or scenery workload | Often 30 or 40 FPS | A steady lower rate usually feels better than repeated swings towards and away from 60 FPS. |
Test the uncapped simulator first, then leave enough headroom for weather, traffic and complex airports. Our MSFS 2024 frame-rate and frame-pacing settings explain how to balance the cap with V-Sync, frame generation and graphics quality.
If the developer FPS display reports Limited by main thread, changing the cap will not remove the underlying CPU bottleneck. Reduce the main-thread load first using our main-thread bottleneck fixes, then establish a sustainable limit.
Why does FPS still stutter or exceed the cap?
A frame cap controls the maximum rate but cannot prevent every slow frame, timing spike or display tear.
- The cap has no effect: check that the correct game profile is selected and that the in-game Frame Rate Limit is active. Some in-game configurations require V-Sync to be enabled.
- The counter exceeds the cap by one FPS: brief one-frame differences can come from sampling intervals and rounding rather than a failed limiter.
- There is tearing below the cap: a limiter alone does not synchronise frames to the display. Use correctly configured V-Sync or variable refresh.
- FPS is capped but motion still stutters: scenery loading, traffic, shader compilation and main-thread spikes can create long frames below the ceiling.
- Frame pacing became worse: disable duplicate limiters and test the in-game and driver methods separately.
How do Frame Generation, VR and consoles affect the cap?
Frame Generation complicates FPS measurement because overlays and limiters may count different stages of the rendering pipeline. Establish acceptable base performance with Frame Generation disabled, enable it afterwards, then verify the displayed output and frame pacing rather than assuming a reported number represents native rendered frames.
In VR, match performance to the headset refresh rate and motion-reprojection fraction instead of using a flat-screen target blindly. A headset running at 90 Hz may use a 45 or 30 FPS reprojection target, while other refresh rates require different divisions; our MSFS 2024 VR tuning steps cover that setup.
On Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5 and PS5 Pro, users cannot enter an arbitrary FPS cap through a GPU driver. Select any graphics or performance mode offered by the simulator and configure VRR or 120 Hz output at console and display level where supported.