Learn what flight simulator add-ons are, how add-on scenery works, what to install first, and why an installed package may not appear.
Flight simulator add-ons are optional packages that add or replace aircraft, airports, scenery, liveries, traffic, weather, sounds and tools. Across simulators, install one compatible aircraft or one airport first, test it on a repeatable flight, then add broader scenery, traffic and visual packages only after the simulator remains stable.
This is simulator-general guidance covering Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 and 2024, X-Plane, Prepar3D and FSX. The add-on categories are similar, but their package formats, installation folders and compatibility rules are not interchangeable.
What counts as a flight simulator add-on?
A flight simulator add-on is any optional package that adds content, replaces default content or extends the simulator's functions. The term includes freeware, commercial products, community mods, official downloadable content and supporting libraries.
| Add-on type | What it changes | What must come first |
|---|---|---|
| Aircraft | Adds a flyable model or modifies its cockpit, systems, handling, sounds or avionics. | A complete aircraft may stand alone; an enhancement requires the specified base aircraft. |
| Livery or repaint | Changes an aircraft's paint scheme without supplying the whole aircraft. | The exact aircraft model and variant named by the livery. |
| Airport or scenery | Adds airports, buildings, landmarks, terrain mesh, ground imagery or regional objects. | Any required object libraries, followed by correct scenery registration or layer priority. |
| Utility or plugin | Adds functions such as camera control, ground handling, failures, flight planning or avionics integration. | The supported simulator edition and any listed runtime or companion application. |
| Traffic, weather or visual package | Changes conditions or objects across many or all flights. | A stable stock simulator and enough processor, graphics and storage capacity. |
| Library or dependency | Provides shared models, textures or code used by another package. | Install it only when the chosen add-on lists it as required. |
Freeware and payware describe how content is distributed, not what it does or how reliable it will be. Compatibility, documentation and a clean uninstall method matter more than price or download size. You can browse our aircraft, scenery and utility downloads to see how these categories differ in practice.
Which flight simulator add-ons should you install first?
For most people, the best first add-on is one aircraft they want to learn or one airport they use regularly. Dependencies are the exception: a required base aircraft or object library must be installed before the package that relies on it.
- Establish a stock baseline. Confirm that the unmodified simulator starts, loads a flight and runs acceptably. Use an aircraft, airport, weather preset and route that you can repeat after each installation.
- Choose one specific improvement. Pick an aircraft for deeper cockpit operation, an airport for repeated departures and arrivals, or a utility that fixes a known limitation. Avoid an assorted bundle simply because it contains more files.
- Verify compatibility. Check the simulator, major edition, operating system and platform. Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 and 2024 packages are not automatically interchangeable, nor are X-Plane 11 and 12 or FSX and Prepar3D products.
- Read the requirements. Identify the base product, aircraft variant, supporting libraries, installation method and expected location before copying anything.
- Extract and inspect the download. Do not place a ZIP archive into an add-on folder unless its instructions explicitly require that format. Keep the original archive and readme; our guide to extracting and checking simulator ZIP packages covers nested folders and common archive mistakes.
- Install and test one package. Repeat the baseline flight, checking loading, cockpit functions, textures, sounds and frame pacing. If something breaks, the latest change is easy to identify.
- Add simulator-wide packages last. Traffic, weather, mesh and broad visual modifications affect more flights and are more likely to expose conflicts or performance limits.
Which add-on type suits the flying you do?
The right first add-on depends on the flights you actually intend to make, not on which package has the longest feature list.
- General aviation and VFR: start with a familiar light aircraft or detailed scenery around a home airfield. Regional landmarks are usually more useful than an unrelated airliner fleet.
- Airliner operations: choose one aircraft and learn it before adding traffic, ground-service tools and several complex airports.
- Bush flying: prioritise terrain, remote strips and a suitable light aircraft. Check for overlapping airport or terrain coverage before combining scenery packages.
- Screenshots and casual flying: a livery or local scenery package gives an immediate visual change. Add high-resolution textures and dense traffic cautiously if graphics memory is limited.
Microsoft Flight Simulator users can compare practical MSFS add-on priorities for different flying styles rather than installing every category at once.
What is add-on scenery, and where does the Addon Scenery folder go?
Add-on scenery is any package that changes an airport, terrain, ground imagery, landmark or placed object, while Addon Scenery is the name of a conventional FSX folder. There is no universal AddonScenery directory shared by every flight simulator.
The terms are often confused. Airport scenery supplies runways, taxiways and buildings; overlays add roads, vegetation or objects; aerial imagery changes ground coverage; terrain mesh changes the shape and elevation of the ground. Two packages can therefore cover the same location while changing different layers.
| Simulator | Typical PC installation model | Common mistake |
|---|---|---|
| Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 and 2024 | Manually installed packages normally go in the active Community folder; Marketplace and installer-managed content may be stored elsewhere. | Copying an outer download folder into Community, leaving the actual package one level too deep. |
| X-Plane | Scenery uses Custom Scenery, aircraft use the aircraft directory, and plugins normally have their own plugin location. | Putting every add-on in one folder or allowing an incorrect scenery_packs.ini order. |
| FSX | Scenery can be placed under Addon Scenery and registered through the Scenery Library; aircraft and other add-on types use different locations. | Copying scenery into the folder without registering its scenery area, or putting aircraft there. |
| Prepar3D | Packages may use the simulator's add-on registration system, a dedicated installer or legacy scenery-library methods. | Assuming an FSX package is compatible or manually moving files installed through a registered package. |
A mistake we see constantly is treating every extracted folder as if it belongs in a directory called Addons. Follow the package's own structure instead. FSX users can consult our breakdown of the correct locations for different FSX add-on types.
How should add-on scenery layers be ordered?
Where a simulator uses scenery priority, specific airports and their exclusions normally sit above broad regional coverage, while terrain mesh usually belongs below overlays and airport scenery. The package documentation takes precedence because some products include several coordinated layers.
Do not install two full airport replacements for the same location unless one explicitly supports the other. Our guide to scenery types, overlaps and layer order explains the distinction between mesh, ground coverage, overlays and airports.
Why is an installed add-on not appearing?
An installed add-on usually fails to appear because it is still compressed, nested one folder too deep, placed in the wrong location, missing a dependency or built for another simulator edition.
- Confirm what should appear. An object library may add no menu entry of its own, scenery is visible only in its covered area, and a livery appears under the compatible aircraft rather than as a separate aircraft.
- Restart the simulator. Close it before moving package files, then start it again so content can be indexed or registered correctly.
- Inspect the folder level. In a typical MSFS package, files such as
manifest.jsonandlayout.jsonshould be near the package root, not buried beneath an extra folder created during extraction. - Check the exact target. Match the simulator edition, platform, aircraft model and variant. A repaint for one engine, cabin or developer's aircraft may not appear on another version with a similar name.
- Install listed dependencies. Missing object libraries can leave an airport present but empty, while a missing base aircraft prevents a livery or enhancement from loading properly.
- Verify activation and priority. Make sure scenery is registered, enabled and ordered correctly where the simulator requires it. Installer-managed or in-simulator content may also need to be downloaded and enabled through its own content interface.
- Test for conflicts. Temporarily disable the newest package first. With a large collection, disable half the add-ons, test, and repeat with the affected half until the conflicting package is isolated.
If the add-on appears but causes stutters or long loading times, the installation may be correct. Dense traffic and complex aircraft often increase processor load, while high-resolution scenery and textures put more pressure on graphics memory, storage and download bandwidth. Reduce or disable the newest system-wide package before lowering every simulator setting.
Can flight simulator add-ons be installed on consoles?
Console add-ons must normally be obtained through the simulator's approved in-game catalogue or Marketplace; PC ZIP packages and Community-folder mods cannot be copied directly to Xbox or PlayStation.
Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 is available on PC and Xbox and was never released on PlayStation. Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 is available on PC, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5 and PS5 Pro. Add-on availability can differ by platform because external executables, unsupported code and some licensing arrangements cannot be carried across unchanged.