Compare MSFS 2024 vs 2020 VR performance, OpenXR support, platform limits and hardware demands, with clear advice on which version to use.
Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 offers the stronger long-term VR platform, with better CPU utilisation in some scenes and planned PSVR2 support, but it is not automatically faster than MSFS 2020. On PC, both use OpenXR; smoothness depends on headset resolution, GPU, CPU, aircraft complexity, scenery, streaming and reprojection.
MSFS 2024 vs 2020 VR support
| Area | MSFS 2020 | MSFS 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| PC VR | Native OpenXR VR support | Native OpenXR VR support |
| Xbox VR | Not supported | Not supported |
| PlayStation VR | Not available; MSFS 2020 was never released for PlayStation | PS5 and PS5 Pro versions are due to gain PSVR2 support through a free 2026 update |
| Performance character | Mature and generally predictable after years of tuning | Better CPU scaling in some situations, offset by newer rendering and streaming demands |
| Best reason to choose it | An established VR installation, familiar add-ons and known settings | Newer simulator features, ongoing development and broader future VR support |
On PC, headset compatibility is governed mainly by OpenXR rather than a separate list of simulator-specific headsets. The headset's OpenXR runtime must be installed, active and recognised before either simulator can enter VR. If that part fails, follow our VR detection checklist for both simulator versions.
Neither Xbox Series version supports a VR headset. Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 launched on PS5 and PS5 Pro on 8 December 2025, with PSVR2 support assigned to a free update in 2026; the console edition should not be assumed to support PSVR2 until that update is installed.
Is MSFS 2024 faster in VR than MSFS 2020?
MSFS 2024 can run faster when MSFS 2020 is limited by its main thread, but there is no universal VR performance gain.
- CPU-limited systems: MSFS 2024 can distribute more simulation work across the processor, which may help around complex airports, traffic and glass-cockpit aircraft.
- GPU-limited systems: High headset resolution, render scaling, clouds, shadows and post-processing can erase that advantage. Lowering render scale and seeing an immediate improvement is a strong sign that the GPU is the limit.
- VRAM-limited systems: Detailed airports, high texture settings and complex aircraft can cause sharp frame-time spikes even when average frame rate appears acceptable.
- Streaming-limited flights: MSFS 2024 relies heavily on streamed world data. Bandwidth, server response and local cache behaviour can therefore produce hitches that are not caused by the headset or graphics card.
VR should be judged by frame pacing, not just the FPS counter. A stable cadence that works cleanly with the headset's refresh rate or motion reprojection normally feels better than a higher average frame rate accompanied by repeated spikes and synthetic-frame artefacts.
For a fair comparison, use the same headset resolution, airport, weather, time of day and default aircraft. Disable live traffic and demanding add-ons for the first test. Comparing a default Cessna in one simulator with a system-heavy airliner in the other reveals little about the underlying engine.
Can I copy my MSFS 2020 VR settings into MSFS 2024?
No. Similar setting names do not guarantee the same visual result or performance cost, so copying every value from MSFS 2020 is a mistake we see often.
- Keep one resolution control fixed. Set a sensible OpenXR headset resolution, then tune the simulator's VR render scale rather than changing both at once.
- Find the CPU limit. Reduce terrain level of detail, object level of detail and traffic. If frame time improves, raise them individually until the main-thread limit returns.
- Find the GPU limit. Adjust VR render scale, clouds, shadows, reflections and ambient occlusion while monitoring GPU frame time and VRAM use.
- Add reprojection last. Establish stable native performance first, then decide whether the smoother headset cadence outweighs visual artefacts around propellers, cockpit frames and moving scenery.
- Retest with the aircraft you fly. Avionics and add-on systems can shift the bottleneck from the GPU back to the CPU.
Our side-by-side starting points for VR settings in both sims explain which controls have the largest effect. For version-specific work, use the MSFS 2024 OpenXR and performance-tuning steps or the established PC VR set-up sequence for MSFS 2020.
Why can MSFS 2024 stutter when the FPS looks acceptable?
Short frame-time spikes can be hidden by an average FPS figure, yet they are immediately visible inside a headset.
- World-data streaming can pause the render pipeline while new scenery arrives.
- Exhausted VRAM can trigger texture swapping and severe head-movement stutter.
- Terrain detail and traffic can overload the CPU without fully loading the GPU.
- Changing both OpenXR resolution and in-simulator render scale can accidentally apply excessive supersampling.
- Shader or cache rebuilding after a simulator or graphics-driver change can make the first flight less representative.
- A complex aircraft can stutter at an airport where a default aircraft remains smooth.
Should VR users upgrade from MSFS 2020 to MSFS 2024?
Choose MSFS 2024 for the newer simulator platform, possible CPU-side gains and developing support such as PSVR2. Choose MSFS 2020 when your existing PC VR installation already delivers stable frame pacing and depends on aircraft, scenery or utilities that you have not yet validated in MSFS 2024.
A marginal PC will not necessarily be transformed by upgrading. Headset resolution and GPU load remain decisive, while complex aircraft and busy airports can still expose CPU limits. For many simmers, the best version is therefore the one that can hold a consistent VR cadence on their hardware rather than the one producing the highest occasional FPS.