Enable AMD FSR 4 in Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 with the right Radeon driver, in-game upscaler, quality mode and activation checks.
To enable AMD FSR 4 in Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024, install an AMD driver that supports FSR 4 for your Radeon GPU, select AMD FSR in the simulator’s anti-aliasing setting, then enable the FSR 4 upgrade in its per-game AMD Software profile. Restart the sim and confirm activation in AMD Software.
The simulator may continue to label its in-game option AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution 3. That is normal when the driver upgrades a compatible FSR 3.1 path to FSR 4; the driver does not necessarily rename the game’s menu entry. If the simulator offers FSR 4 directly, use that native option instead of forcing both methods.
How do you turn on FSR 4 step by step?
Use the native in-game option when available; otherwise, activate AMD’s driver-level FSR 4 upgrade for the Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 profile.
- Confirm hardware and platform support. FSR 4 requires Windows PC and a Radeon GPU supported by the installed AMD driver. Official support began with the Radeon RX 9000 series, although later driver packages may support additional hardware. The decisive check is whether AMD Software exposes FSR 4 for your card and this game.
- Update the simulator and Radeon driver. Install a driver package that specifically includes FSR 4 support, then apply all simulator updates. Our MSFS 2024 update checklist covers the game-side process.
- Create or locate the game profile. Launch Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 once, close it, then open AMD Software and find the simulator under
GamingandGames. Run its game scan if the profile is absent. - Enable the driver upgrade. Inside the simulator’s individual graphics profile, enable the control labelled
AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution 4orFSR 4 Upgrade. Names can vary between driver releases. Make this change while the simulator is closed. - Select AMD FSR in MSFS 2024. Open the simulator’s graphics settings and choose the AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution option under anti-aliasing or upscaling. For the driver-upgrade route, this will normally be labelled FSR 3 or FSR 3.1. Do not select TAA, DLSS or XeSS.
- Start with Quality mode. Keep the display output at the monitor’s native resolution and choose the highest-quality FSR preset that delivers acceptable performance. Apply the settings and restart the simulator.
- Verify activation. Check the MSFS 2024 game profile or AMD’s in-game overlay for an active FSR 4 status. The simulator still displaying “FSR 3” is not evidence that the driver upgrade failed.
Why is AMD FSR 4 missing?
The FSR 4 switch is usually missing because the GPU, driver or Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 profile is not eligible for the feature.
- Unsupported Radeon GPU: being able to run FSR 2 or FSR 3 does not automatically mean the card supports FSR 4.
- Old or unsuitable driver: install a supported AMD driver that includes an MSFS 2024 FSR 4 profile. A driver update can also reset individual game settings, so check the toggle afterwards.
- Wrong graphics adapter: on a laptop, ensure the simulator runs on the supported discrete Radeon GPU rather than its integrated graphics processor.
- Missing game detection: launch the simulator once and rescan for games in AMD Software. Check that you are changing the MSFS 2024 profile, not a similarly named launcher or a global profile.
- Wrong in-game upscaler: the driver cannot replace the compatible FSR path while MSFS is using TAA, DLSS, XeSS or another anti-aliasing method.
- Console installation: Xbox Series X|S, PS5 and PS5 Pro do not expose the Windows AMD Software driver override, despite using AMD-based hardware.
If AMD Software does not offer FSR 4 for that GPU and game profile after both are updated, there is no supported settings-file switch that can add it. Do not confuse Radeon Super Resolution with FSR 4: RSR is a different driver-level spatial scaler and lacks the game data used by FSR.
Which FSR 4 quality mode should you use?
Start with Quality, particularly when cockpit display text and distant runway markings matter.
| Mode | Choose it when | Main compromise |
|---|---|---|
| Native AA, if offered | You have sufficient GPU performance and want maximum instrument clarity | Little or no upscaling performance gain |
| Quality | You want the best balance for normal flying at 1440p or 4K output | Smaller frame-rate gain than lower presets |
| Balanced | The GPU remains heavily loaded in clouds, complex aircraft or dense scenery | Fine cockpit text and distant detail become less stable |
| Performance | You need substantial GPU headroom at a high output resolution | Visible softness, shimmering and reduced small-detail clarity |
Upscaling only helps substantially when the GPU is the limiting component. If lowering the FSR preset barely changes performance at a busy airport, the main thread, traffic, avionics or scenery streaming is probably the constraint; use our method to identify GPU and main-thread limits in MSFS 2024 before sacrificing more image quality.
FSR is only one part of the graphics configuration. Our recommended MSFS graphics-setting balance explains how render scaling, terrain detail and other demanding options interact. If instruments or ground textures become unacceptably soft, follow our cockpit and scenery blur checks before dropping to a more aggressive preset.
Is FSR 4 the same as frame generation?
No. FSR 4 handles upscaling and image reconstruction; frame generation inserts additional presented frames and remains a separate setting.
You can enable compatible frame generation alongside FSR 4, but first establish a stable base frame rate without it. Frame generation can make camera movement look smoother, yet it does not remove main-thread stutters and may introduce latency or artefacts around cockpit displays, propellers and rapidly moving controls. AMD Fluid Motion Frames is also a separate driver feature, not proof that FSR 4 is active.