See which languages Microsoft Flight Simulator supports and how menu text, subtitles, ATC and spoken-audio coverage differ.
Microsoft Flight Simulator supports English, French, German, Italian, Spanish (Spain and Latin America), Polish, Brazilian Portuguese, Russian, Turkish, Japanese, Korean, Simplified Chinese and Traditional Chinese across its main releases. Some builds also list Dutch, Arabic, Czech, Finnish, Greek, Hungarian, Norwegian and Swedish. Menu text, subtitles and spoken audio do not always have identical coverage.
Which languages are available in MSFS 2020 and 2024?
The precise language selection depends on the simulator version, platform and type of content being translated. These are the language groups found across the official releases:
| Coverage | Languages or limitations |
|---|---|
| Core interface and text localisations | English, French, German, Italian, Spanish (Spain), Spanish (Latin America), Polish, Portuguese (Brazil), Russian, Turkish, Japanese, Korean, Simplified Chinese and Traditional Chinese |
| Additional release or platform listings | Arabic, Czech, Dutch, Finnish, Greek, Hungarian, Norwegian Bokmål and Swedish may appear only in particular versions, platform builds or content categories |
| Spoken audio | Available in fewer languages than interface text; support varies between training, career dialogue and other narrated content |
Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 is available on PC and Xbox, while Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 is also available on PlayStation 5. The 2020 release was never issued for PlayStation, so a PS5 language listing always refers to MSFS 2024.
For a particular installation, the language selector and the platform store's language table are more authoritative than a list covering the whole series. Store tables normally separate interface, subtitles and full audio; a tick in one column does not imply support in the others.
Does language support include ATC and spoken audio?
No: changing the interface language does not guarantee that ATC, training narration or career dialogue will be dubbed into that language. Subtitles and menu text usually have broader localisation than recorded or generated speech.
ATC also retains aviation terminology and may continue using English phraseology. This is not necessarily a failed language change. Aircraft abbreviations, avionics labels and airport identifiers generally remain in their standard aviation form as well.
How do I check and change the simulator language?
The quickest method is to open the simulator's general settings and search for Language. Our instructions for changing the MSFS language and fixing a missing option cover the differences between in-game selection and system-controlled language settings.
- Confirm the simulator version. MSFS 2020 and MSFS 2024 do not always expose the same localisation choices.
- Open the general settings. Search for the language option rather than relying on a menu path, because its location can move between releases and platforms.
- Select and apply the language. Fully restart the simulator if menus do not change immediately.
- Check the device language. On consoles, some localisation choices follow the Xbox or PlayStation system language and region.
A common mistake is changing the Windows speech language and expecting the simulator interface to follow it. Display language, speech services and the language chosen inside MSFS are separate settings.
Why is part of Microsoft Flight Simulator still in English?
English text after a successful language change usually comes from content that has its own localisation rather than from the main simulator interface.
- Third-party aircraft and scenery: developers supply their own manuals, cockpit tablets, menus and translations. Files in our Microsoft Flight Simulator add-ons library can therefore have different language coverage from the base simulator.
- Aircraft textures and cockpit labels: text painted into an instrument or texture cannot be translated by changing the interface language.
- Marketplace descriptions: product copy may be provided only in the language chosen by its publisher.
- New or updated content: a translation can be absent even though the surrounding interface is localised.
If core menus remain in the old language, restart MSFS completely and verify both the simulator setting and the platform's system language. Reinstalling the whole simulator should be a last resort; mismatched settings or untranslated add-on content are far more common causes.