Compare Microsoft Flight Simulator game modes in MSFS 2020 and 2024, including Free Flight, training, challenges, Career Mode and multiplayer.
Microsoft Flight Simulator offers Free Flight, flight training, landing challenges, Bush Trips and other structured activities. Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 also adds Career Mode, World Photographer and competitive Challenge League events. Multiplayer is available, but it is usually a way to fly within a mode rather than a separate campaign.
Which game modes are in MSFS 2020 and MSFS 2024?
The key difference is that MSFS 2020 concentrates on sandbox flying and self-contained activities, while MSFS 2024 adds formal progression, photography and competitive modes.
| Mode or activity | MSFS 2020 | MSFS 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Free Flight | Opened through the World Map, with control over the aircraft, route, weather and time. | Available as Free Flight, following the same unrestricted sandbox concept. |
| Flight Training | Guided lessons covering basic handling, take-off, landing and related flying skills. | Training activities are available, while Career licence tests form a separate progression system. |
| Landing and scored challenges | Includes Landing Challenges and other scored activities with leaderboards. | Challenge League and other activities provide scored events and competitive rankings. |
| Bush Trips and curated flights | Multi-leg Bush Trips, Discovery Flights and other activities, depending on installed content. | Uses a different activities catalogue rather than copying the MSFS 2020 menu item for item. |
| Career Mode | Not available. | Provides licences, missions, reputation, earnings, aircraft ownership and company progression. |
| World Photographer | Not available as a dedicated mode. | Photo assignments require specified subjects and listed photographic conditions. |
| Challenge League | No direct equivalent, although individual activities have scores and leaderboards. | A dedicated competitive mode built around ranked challenge events. |
Menu organisation and included activities differ between the two releases. Our breakdown of the activity and progression differences explains what changed beyond the mode names.
Which Microsoft Flight Simulator mode should I choose?
Choose Free Flight for unrestricted flying, Career Mode for progression, and challenges when you want a fixed objective or comparable score.
- Learning to fly: Start with Flight Training, then repeat the lesson in Free Flight without the instructor prompts.
- Exploring or practising procedures: Use Free Flight. You control the route, aircraft, weather, failures and assistance settings.
- Building a pilot career: Use MSFS 2024 Career Mode. Cargo work, flightseeing, medical flights and firefighting are mission types within Career rather than separate top-level modes. Our guide to Career licences, missions and companies covers how that progression works.
- Following a prepared route: Pick a Bush Trip or another curated flight. These may use fixed aircraft and conditions, and longer trips usually save progress by leg.
- Chasing scores: Use Landing Challenges or MSFS 2024's Challenge League. Scoring may consider accuracy, touchdown quality and aircraft control rather than merely completing the flight; see our instructions for accessing and completing landing challenges.
- Sightseeing with objectives: Discovery-style activities offer prepared locations, while World Photographer in MSFS 2024 turns sightseeing into specific photo assignments.
A common mistake is looking for MSFS 2024 modes such as Career or World Photographer inside MSFS 2020. They are separate simulator releases, not updates that add those modes to the older game.
Why is a game mode or activity missing?
A missing activity usually means the wrong simulator version is running, required content is unavailable, or the installation has not finished updating.
- Check the release: Confirm whether you launched Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 or Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024.
- Finish all updates: An incomplete simulator or content update can leave activity packages unavailable.
- Check installed or streamed content: Some activities depend on additional content packages, a particular edition or online data access.
- Allow for event changes: Rotating and competitive events do not necessarily remain available indefinitely.
Career progress does not unlock the whole simulator for Free Flight. Career licences govern Career missions; aircraft available in Free Flight depend on the simulator content and add-ons associated with the installation.
Does Microsoft Flight Simulator have a story mode?
Microsoft Flight Simulator has no traditional scripted story campaign. MSFS 2024 Career Mode supplies objectives, qualifications, finances and progression, but it remains an open-ended aviation career rather than a narrative with a fixed ending.
Is multiplayer a separate game mode?
Multiplayer is generally an online flying option used within Free Flight, not a separate campaign. Pilots can organise group flights or share the world with other traffic, but standard multiplayer normally places each pilot in a separate aircraft.
Leaderboards are also not the same as live multiplayer: many challenges compare recorded scores asynchronously. Two people occupying one aircraft is a distinct feature with its own limitations, covered in our shared-cockpit and multiplayer compatibility notes.