Learn which MSFS 2020 World Updates to install, what they add, how much space they use, and how to fix missing scenery, conflicts and stutters.
Yes — for most Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 users, World Updates are worth installing, but install only the regions you fly in or plan to visit. They are free, optional scenery packages that add regional airports, landmarks and activities. They are not required to run MSFS 2020, and each one uses extra storage.
What do Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 World Updates add?
World Updates improve selected regions with official scenery and location-specific content layered over the base simulator.
Depending on the region, an update may include:
- Hand-crafted airports and airport improvements
- Landmarks and points of interest such as bridges, castles and stadiums
- Improved elevation, aerial imagery or city detail
- Photogrammetry for selected cities
- Discovery flights, landing challenges and bush trips
Coverage is selective rather than uniform. A package may transform several cities and airports while leaving surrounding areas close to their standard appearance. MSFS 2020 still provides its normal global scenery without these packages.
Some underlying aerial imagery, elevation and photogrammetry can be streamed or delivered as part of the simulator's broader world data. The optional Marketplace bundle generally supplies the downloadable airports, landmarks and activities, so removing it may not return every part of the region to its pre-update state.
World Updates do not normally change aircraft systems, flight models, weather, ATC or the simulator's core engine.
Should you install every MSFS 2020 World Update?
Most simmers should install World Updates selectively rather than keeping every regional package on the drive.
| Choice | Best for | Trade-off |
|---|---|---|
| Install every update | World tours, frequent VFR sightseeing and users with ample storage | Maximum regional content, but the largest installation and more packages to troubleshoot |
| Install selected regions | Most MSFS 2020 users | Retains useful scenery while limiting storage use and potential conflicts |
| Skip all World Updates | Very restricted storage or a temporary clean installation | The sim still works, but many free airports, landmarks and activities are absent |
Low-level VFR, general aviation, helicopter and bush flying gain the most. Better terrain shapes, recognisable landmarks and custom airports make visual navigation more convincing.
For airline IFR flying, concentrate on regions containing your regular hubs, departure routes and destinations. The difference is most visible during taxi, departure, approach and landing rather than at cruise altitude.
Are Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 World Updates mandatory?
No, World Updates are optional even though core simulator updates may be required before MSFS 2020 will launch normally.
This distinction causes confusion. The mandatory simulator update keeps the platform and online services compatible; the regional World Update package is additional content acquired through the in-sim Marketplace. Skipping or uninstalling that optional package will not remove the base world or prevent normal flights.
Removing a World Update does remove its downloadable hand-crafted scenery and bundled activities until you install it again. Our explanation of how official Marketplace downloads are installed, updated and managed covers the difference between owned, downloaded and installed content.
How much storage do World Updates use?
Storage use varies substantially between World Updates, so the package size shown inside MSFS 2020 is the best guide for your particular installation.
Do not assume a free scenery pack is a small download. Airports, landmark models and activities accumulate quickly when many regions are installed, and the download size can differ from the final installed footprint. Packages may also be revised after release.
Leave free space for the simulator to download and unpack future updates. If the drive is nearly full, remove regions you no longer use rather than leaving no working space for update staging, the rolling cache and Community add-ons.
Will World Updates reduce frame rate or cause stutters?
A World Update does not reduce performance everywhere, but its detailed airports, cities and photogrammetry can make specific locations more demanding.
A dense city approach may increase CPU, GPU, memory or streaming load compared with the default version. Photogrammetry also depends on online data delivery and cache behaviour, so poor loading is not always caused by the installed package itself.
If performance changed after an update, repeat the same flight with the regional package removed and third-party scenery disabled. Test one variable at a time; otherwise an airport add-on, traffic setting or scenery overlap can easily be mistaken for a World Update problem. Our guide to diagnosing stutters and micro-pauses in MSFS 2020 covers the wider performance checks.
How do you install or remove a World Update?
Install World Updates through the in-sim Marketplace, then verify their package status in Content Manager.
- Finish the core update: let MSFS 2020 complete any mandatory simulator update before adding optional content.
- Open Marketplace: find the required World Update and use the free acquire or download control. Button wording can vary between platform builds.
- Allow the download to finish: avoid closing the simulator and check that the destination drive has enough free space.
- Verify the package: open Profile, then Content Manager, and search for the update. Install or update any components still marked as available rather than installed.
- Restart MSFS: do this if the scenery or activities do not appear immediately.
To remove an optional World Update, find it in Content Manager, select its installed components and use the delete or uninstall command. Its bundled airports, landmarks and activities will disappear, while streamed or core regional data may remain.
Why does a World Update show as installed but not work?
An installed World Update usually appears ineffective because the expected location is not covered, a component is missing, online scenery is disabled or another package is overriding it.
- Check the actual coverage: World Updates enhance named airports, cities and landmarks rather than rebuilding every square mile of a country or continent.
- Inspect Content Manager: search for the World Update and confirm that its components are installed and do not have pending updates.
- Restart the simulator: newly installed content does not always appear correctly in the same session.
- Check online scenery settings: streamed imagery and photogrammetry require online functionality and the corresponding data options to be enabled. A data limit can also stop streaming.
- Disable overlapping scenery: on PC, temporarily remove or disable Community-folder airports and landmark packs affecting the same location.
- Refresh the rolling cache: if streamed ground imagery is stale or corrupted, delete and recreate the rolling cache from the simulator's data settings.
- Reinstall last: remove and reacquire the World Update only after the coverage, settings and conflicts have been checked.
If a particular airport is absent rather than merely looking different, follow our checks for tracing an airport missing from the World Map or simulator.
Can World Updates conflict with scenery add-ons?
Yes, an official World Update and a third-party package can conflict when both modify the same airport, terrain or landmark area.
Typical symptoms include:
- Duplicate terminals, jetways, towers or landmarks
- Buildings floating above or buried beneath the ground
- Terrain humps, trenches or sharp cliffs around an airport
- Overlapping ground markings and taxiway objects
- Missing structures because another package has taken priority
A mistake we see constantly is keeping two complete renditions of the same airport active. Unless an add-on explicitly provides compatibility or exclusions for the official version, disable one package and restart the simulator before testing again.
World Updates belong to the official content system, not the Community folder. If that distinction is unclear, our instructions for identifying, disabling and removing Community-folder scenery will help isolate the overlap without deleting unrelated content.
When should you skip or uninstall a World Update?
Skip or remove a regional package when its storage cost, performance impact or scenery conflicts outweigh its value for the places you fly.
- Storage is tight: retain your home region, regular routes and next planned destination.
- You mainly fly airline routes: install regions around the hubs and airports you use rather than every sightseeing package.
- You own replacement scenery: remove the official rendition if the add-on developer recommends doing so or the two versions conflict.
- You are troubleshooting: a smaller set of active packages makes scenery faults much easier to isolate.
- You no longer visit the region: optional content can be reinstalled later without rebuilding the whole simulator.
For most users, the best policy is to install the MSFS 2020 World Updates covering places flown regularly, then add the next region before a tour. Install them all only if worldwide coverage matters to you and the extra storage and package management are acceptable.