How does VR compare in MSFS 2024 and MSFS 2020?

Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 is not inherently faster in VR than MSFS 2020. It can improve CPU-limited scenes, but GPU, VRAM or streaming bottlenecks may deliver similar or worse performance until tuned. Both support PC VR through OpenXR; Xbox VR is unsupported, and MSFS 2024’s PSVR2 support arrives through a free 2026 update.

MSFS 2020 vs 2024 VR performance: is MSFS 2024 faster?

No. MSFS 2024 can improve performance where MSFS 2020 is limited by its main simulation thread, but it offers no universal VR frame-rate increase.

• CPU-limited scenes: MSFS 2024 can distribute simulation work more effectively in some situations. This may help around complex airports, dense traffic and aircraft with demanding avionics, although gains vary by processor and aircraft.
• GPU-limited systems: Headset resolution, VR render scaling, clouds, shadows, reflections and ambient occlusion can consume any CPU-side gain. A clear improvement after lowering VR render scale points towards a GPU limit.
• VRAM-limited systems: High-resolution render targets, detailed airports, high texture settings and complex aircraft can produce sudden frame-time spikes or texture swapping. MSFS 2024 may place more pressure on graphics memory in demanding scenes.
• Streaming-limited flights: MSFS 2024 depends heavily on streamed world data. Connection quality, server response, cache behaviour and rapid movement into new scenery can create hitches unrelated to the headset’s rendering performance.

Judge VR by frame time and frame pacing, not average FPS alone. A 90 Hz headset needs a frame roughly every 11.1 milliseconds for native refresh; a locked half-rate 45 FPS mode allows about 22.2 milliseconds per rendered frame. Missing that cadence repeatedly feels worse than a lower but stable rate.

For a fair comparison, use the same headset resolution, airport, runway, weather, time of day and aircraft. Disable live traffic and demanding add-ons for the baseline. Comparing a default light aircraft in one simulator with a system-heavy airliner in the other does not measure the underlying engines.

Conservative starting settings for MSFS 2020 and MSFS 2024 VR

These settings are starting points designed to establish stable frame times before visual quality is increased.

The table assumes that the headset application or OpenXR runtime remains at its recommended or 100% resolution and that only the simulator’s VR render scale is being adjusted. A 100% setting does not represent the same pixel count on every headset.

Do not treat these values as performance guarantees. Start with the lower figure, fly a repeatable test and raise one control at a time. Our setting-by-setting VR tuning guide explains which options to change for CPU, GPU and frame-pacing problems.

Can I copy my MSFS 2020 VR settings into MSFS 2024?

No. Similar setting names do not guarantee the same visual result, memory use or frame-time cost. Establish a fresh MSFS 2024 baseline rather than copying every value from MSFS 2020.

A mistake we see constantly is stacking resolution multipliers: the headset software is raised above 100%, then the simulator’s render scale is increased as well. This can produce a much larger pixel workload than either percentage suggests.

RTX 3060: what VR performance should I expect in MSFS 2020 and MSFS 2024?

An RTX 3060 can provide usable VR in both simulators, but it should be tuned for reduced resolution and stable frame pacing rather than full native resolution on a high-pixel headset.

Start near 70% in-simulator VR render scale while leaving the headset application at its recommended resolution. An older or lower-resolution headset may tolerate 80–100%, while a high-resolution model may need 60–80%. Increase in small steps and watch GPU frame time rather than assuming that 100% is a required quality level.

• RTX 3060 8 GB: Use Medium texture resolution initially and be cautious with detailed airports, large scenery packages and high render scales. The 8 GB desktop card also has a narrower memory configuration than the original 12 GB model, so the two versions should not be treated as equivalent.
• RTX 3060 12 GB: The extra VRAM reduces the risk of texture swapping and gives more room for detailed airports or High textures. It does not provide high-end rendering power, so clouds, resolution and effects may still need the same reductions as on the 8 GB card.

In light aircraft over rural scenery, native rendering without reprojection may be practical at reduced resolution. At a large hub in a complex airliner, especially with heavy clouds and traffic, expect to lower resolution further or use a stable reprojection cadence. Holding full headset refresh in every scenario is not a realistic target for this GPU class.

Exact FPS varies with the headset’s pixel count and refresh rate, airport complexity, aircraft systems, weather, traffic, add-ons, world-data streaming and the chosen reprojection mode. Laptop RTX 3060 GPUs also have different power and memory configurations, so the model name alone does not predict desktop performance. For memory-specific symptoms, see our comparison of VRAM behaviour in MSFS 2020 and 2024.

How do I troubleshoot poor MSFS 2024 VR performance?

Use a controlled test to identify the limiting component before changing settings; random preset changes often hide the real problem.

1. Create a repeatable baseline. Use a default aircraft, fixed clear weather, the same runway and the same cockpit position. Turn off live traffic and temporarily remove demanding aircraft or scenery add-ons.
2. Compare CPU and GPU frame times. Use the simulator’s frame-time display or an available OpenXR runtime overlay. The side taking longer generally controls the cadence. A Limited by MainThread indication points towards the CPU; a large improvement after lowering render scale points towards the GPU.
3. Use only one resolution multiplier. Leave the headset application or OpenXR resolution at its recommended value and adjust the simulator’s VR render scale. Do not tune both simultaneously.
4. Reduce CPU-heavy settings in order. Remove live, AI and airport traffic first, then lower Terrain Level of Detail, followed by Object Level of Detail. Retest with a simpler aircraft if avionics or aircraft systems remain the main-thread bottleneck.
5. Reduce GPU-heavy settings in order. Lower VR render scale first, then volumetric clouds, shadows, reflections and ambient occlusion. Lower texture resolution when VRAM use is producing spikes; texture quality alone may not help a pure GPU-compute limit.
6. Separate rendering from streaming problems. Repeat the same flight over the same area. If the second run is smoother or spikes appear only as new scenery loads, investigate streaming, cache behaviour and add-on scenery rather than continuing to lower every graphics option.
7. Retest before enabling reprojection. Complete the same flight with stable native frame times, then enable motion reprojection if required. Check for artefacts around propellers, cockpit frames, glass displays and fast-moving ground detail.

Why does MSFS 2024 stutter when average FPS looks acceptable?

Average FPS can conceal individual frames that take far too long to render, and those spikes are particularly obvious during head movement in VR.

• VRAM exhaustion can trigger texture swapping and severe head-turn stutter.
• Terrain detail, traffic and complex avionics can overload the CPU without fully loading the GPU.
• World-data streaming may interrupt otherwise stable rendering as new scenery arrives.
• Double supersampling through both OpenXR and the simulator can create an unexpectedly high GPU workload.
• Shader or cache rebuilding after a simulator or graphics-driver change can make the first flight unrepresentative.
• Reprojection can report a stable output rate while still showing wobble or doubling around moving objects.

MSFS 2024 vs 2020 VR support

MSFS 2024 and MSFS 2020 both use OpenXR for PC VR, while neither simulator supports VR on Xbox consoles.

On PC, the headset’s OpenXR runtime must be installed, selected and recognised before either simulator can enter VR. Connection method, runtime support and controller compatibility vary by headset; our PC headset and OpenXR compatibility guide covers those differences.

What about VR? A decision checklist before upgrading

Check the platform, headset runtime, hardware limit and add-on compatibility before replacing a stable MSFS 2020 VR installation.

• PC headset: Confirm that the headset works on PC through an active OpenXR runtime and that its wired or wireless connection is stable.
• Xbox: Do not buy or configure a headset for either simulator on Xbox Series X|S; Xbox VR is unsupported.
• PS5 or PS5 Pro: MSFS 2024 is available, but PSVR2 support comes through the stated free 2026 update. Confirm that the update containing VR support is installed rather than assuming it is part of the original console release.
• Stable MSFS 2020 user: Keep the working installation while validating essential aircraft, avionics, scenery and utilities in MSFS 2024. Do not assume an add-on can be copied across unchanged.
• GPU- or VRAM-limited PC: Moving to MSFS 2024 will not remove a resolution or memory bottleneck. Expect similar performance, or temporarily worse performance, until settings and add-ons are tuned.
• CPU-limited PC: MSFS 2024 is the more promising upgrade when main-thread load is the established problem, but test the aircraft and airports you actually use before retiring MSFS 2020.

If MSFS 2020 already delivers reliable frame pacing, there is no VR-specific need to replace it immediately. Preserve that baseline with our known-good MSFS 2020 VR set-up and optimisation sequence, then move once MSFS 2024 supports the aircraft, add-ons and performance targets that matter to you.