Is Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 worth buying yet?

Yes—Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 is worth buying for most newcomers and for MSFS 2020 owners who specifically want career mode, missions, richer world detail and newer default aircraft. It is not an automatic upgrade if your priorities are mature add-on compatibility, predictable online streaming and a stable MSFS 2020 installation.

Has Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 improved since launch?

Yes—post-launch Sim Updates have materially improved performance, stability, loading, VR and other parts of the simulator.

Launch-period reports no longer tell the whole story. Our summary of what Sim Update 3 changed in performance, loading, VR and ATC shows how far the platform has moved on from its rough release. Those updates do not eliminate every crash, streaming interruption or hardware-specific problem, but they change the buying verdict from “wait” to a qualified “buy” for many simmers.

Local conditions still matter. A weak connection, unsupported add-on or unstable graphics driver can produce problems that a simulator update cannot fix.

Should you buy MSFS 2024 or stay with MSFS 2020?

Buy MSFS 2024 when its career system and new activities will change how you fly; stay with MSFS 2020 when a mature add-on setup matters more than the new platform features.

Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 is a separate simulator, not an update that overwrites MSFS 2020. The two can remain installed together if storage permits. We recommend keeping 2020 until your essential aircraft, controls and utilities have been proved in 2024.

What do you gain over MSFS 2020?

The main upgrade is structure: career progression, certifications, contracts, mission-based flying and a stronger reason to use aircraft outside your usual favourites.

MSFS 2024 also adds revised world rendering, more detailed vegetation and terrain treatment, walkaround and pre-flight features, updated planning tools and a broader default fleet depending on the edition. These changes are most valuable to simmers who found MSFS 2020's open-ended free flight impressive but directionless.

The upgrade is less compelling if you spend nearly every session in one high-fidelity airliner, fly the same routes and rely on external planning or operations tools. Better visuals alone rarely justify rebuilding a stable simulator installation.

What problems can still spoil the purchase?

The main remaining risks are online streaming, uneven frame pacing, controller conflicts and add-on incompatibility.

• Streaming interruptions: Scenery can arrive late, loads can take longer and online-delivered content may behave inconsistently when either the connection or service is struggling. A server-side incident cannot be repaired by changing graphics settings.
• Performance at complex airports: Average FPS is only part of the story. Main-thread limits, traffic, terrain detail and glass-cockpit displays can cause stutters during the approach and landing phases where consistency matters most.
• Random crashes: Outdated add-ons, unstable overclocks, graphics drivers and damaged cached data are common suspects. Test a stock aircraft with an empty Community folder before blaming the base simulator.
• Controller profiles: Imported or automatically created bindings can assign the same axis to several devices. Check throttle, mixture, propeller, brakes and camera axes for duplicates before rebuilding the entire profile.
• Career-mode frustration: A fault that would merely interrupt a free flight can affect progression, reputation or a contract result. Simmers who dislike that consequence may prefer to let the mode mature further.

If frame rate or stuttering is your deciding concern, use our settings and hardware checks for improving MSFS 2024 frame pacing. Do not assume that lowering every option is the answer; CPU-heavy settings and GPU-heavy settings need different treatment.

Will MSFS 2020 add-ons work in MSFS 2024?

Many MSFS 2020 add-ons work in MSFS 2024, but compatibility is product-specific rather than guaranteed.

Simple scenery and liveries may transfer with little trouble, while complex aircraft, executable utilities and products tied to older simulator systems may require an update. Ownership and technical compatibility are separate issues: seeing an item in your library does not prove that every feature works in 2024.

1. Verify explicit support: Check that each essential product is identified as compatible with MSFS 2024.
2. Start clean: Do not copy a large MSFS 2020 Community folder into the new simulator in one operation.
3. Add products individually: Launch and test after each installation so a faulty add-on is easy to identify.
4. Keep MSFS 2020 available: Retain the older installation until the aircraft and utilities central to your flying work properly.

Xbox users have fewer file-level troubleshooting options than PC users, making verified Marketplace availability and peripheral support especially important.

Can your PC and internet connection handle it?

MSFS 2024 needs both adequate hardware and a reliable broadband connection; satisfying the published minimum hardware level only means the simulator can run, not that dense airports will be consistently smooth.

CPU limits often appear around busy airports and traffic, while resolution, render scaling, clouds and anti-aliasing place more load on the GPU. Consoles remove most driver and graphics-configuration variables, but they do not remove dependence on Microsoft’s online services or your local connection.

Before buying, judge the simulator against the flying you actually do. A rural sightseeing flight in a small aircraft is not a meaningful test if your normal session involves a complex airliner, a major hub, live traffic and poor weather.

Which MSFS 2024 edition is worth buying?

The Standard edition is the safest choice unless a higher tier contains specific aircraft or handcrafted airports you know you will use.

All editions share the same core simulator and updates, so paying more does not buy better performance or greater stability. Judge the extras by two or three must-have items rather than the total aircraft count. Our comparison of the MSFS 2024 editions and their useful extras explains when moving above Standard makes sense.

Can you try MSFS 2024 before buying it outright?

Subscription access is the lowest-risk way to test MSFS 2024 on your own hardware when it is available on your platform.

This is not permanent free ownership: access depends on the subscription and its catalogue. Our guide to subscription and trial-style access to Microsoft Flight Simulator explains the distinction.

Use the test period properly. Update the simulator, begin without third-party add-ons, bind your normal controls and fly a demanding route representative of your usual sessions. That reveals far more than judging performance from the first training flight.

What is our final buying verdict?

New to Microsoft Flight Simulator: buy MSFS 2024, usually the Standard edition. Already happy with MSFS 2020: upgrade for career mode, missions and the refreshed default experience—not because 2024 is guaranteed to replace every mature aircraft and utility immediately. Unsure about performance or streaming: test it through subscription access before committing.