How does multiplayer work in Microsoft Flight Simulator?
Microsoft Flight Simulator multiplayer places online pilots in the same streamed world, either as nearby public traffic or invited group members. Enable online and multiplayer data, select a compatible player-visibility mode, match the server region and departure point, then invite friends through the simulator’s social panel and start the flight.
How Microsoft Flight Simulator multiplayer works
Microsoft Flight Simulator sends each player’s position, aircraft and basic movement data to other nearby players in the same multiplayer instance. Everyone still runs an independent aircraft simulation, so cockpit controls, failures, flight plans and most ATC interactions are not shared.
Public multiplayer can show pilots you have never added as friends. A group makes it easier to keep known players together, but it does not turn the simulator into a conventional private server or synchronise both pilots inside one cockpit.
Multiplayer aircraft and real-world live traffic are different systems. Live traffic represents actual aviation data, while multiplayer traffic represents people flying the simulator. A busy airport therefore does not necessarily mean other human pilots are present.
Which multiplayer mode should you choose?
Choose the mode according to whom you want to see and whether everyone will use live conditions. Names and menu locations can vary between Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 and 2024, but the underlying choices are broadly the same.
| Mode | Best used for | Main restriction |
|---|---|---|
| Live players | Flying in the shared world with live time and weather | Friends may need matching live-condition settings to appear |
| All players | Seeing public pilots while using custom time or weather | Other aircraft may be operating in conditions different from yours |
| Group or friends | Organised flights with invited pilots | Everyone must accept the invitation and remain in the same group or instance |
| Multiplayer off | Solo flying, testing or troubleshooting duplicate traffic | No human-controlled aircraft are displayed |
Live-player modes usually impose the strictest matching requirements. If a friend disappears after one of you changes the time or weather, switch both pilots to matching conditions or use the broader all-players option.
How do you start a multiplayer flight with friends?
The most reliable method is to form the group before loading into the aircraft and agree on every important flight setting.
- Update and sign in: Ensure everyone has launched the intended simulator release, completed mandatory updates and signed into the online account used by the simulator.
- Enable online services: In the general online or data settings, turn on Online Functionality and Multiplayer. The wording and location differ slightly between MSFS 2020 and MSFS 2024.
- Check platform permissions: Console privacy controls must allow multiplayer. A console platform may also require an appropriate online multiplayer subscription.
- Create a group: Open the simulator’s social or friends panel, find the other pilot and send a group invitation. Confirm that every invitation has been accepted.
- Match the server region: Select the same regional server where this option is exposed. Automatic server selection can place friends in different instances, especially when they are geographically far apart.
- Agree on flight conditions: Use the same player mode, time and weather. Live Players normally works best when everyone selects live time and live weather.
- Choose the departure: Select the same airport but use adjacent parking stands rather than occupying one gate. Avoid spawning directly on an active runway while another player is taking off.
- Load the flight: Start once everyone is ready, then use player nameplates or the map to locate the group. Each pilot should verify their own route, fuel, radios and aircraft state.
Add-on scenery can place gates and taxiways differently, so two pilots using different airport packages may appear offset or inside buildings. For the first connection test, use an airport and parking area that everyone has in common.
Can PC, Xbox and PlayStation pilots fly together?
Cross-platform multiplayer is supported across the platforms available to each simulator generation. Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 covers PC and Xbox and was never released on PlayStation; Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 covers PC, Xbox Series X|S, PS5 and PS5 Pro.
For an organised flight, using the same simulator release and update level reduces compatibility problems. Platform support alone does not override account restrictions, mismatched multiplayer modes, regional server selection or temporarily incompatible builds.
Why can’t I see my friend in multiplayer?
Missing players are usually caused by mismatched settings or server instances rather than the aircraft itself. Check these points in order:
- Online Functionality and Multiplayer are enabled for both pilots.
- Both players are signed in and their platform privacy settings permit online play.
- The group invitation was accepted rather than left pending.
- Both pilots use the same server region where manual selection is available.
- The player mode, weather and time settings are compatible.
- Both aircraft have fully loaded at the same airport and are close enough to be displayed.
- Neither pilot is confusing real-world live traffic with multiplayer traffic.
- Both simulators have completed required updates.
If those checks pass, leave the group, return to the main menu and create it again. Restarting the simulator can clear a stale online session. A missing custom aircraft model may produce a generic substitute, while incompatible scenery is more likely to cause positional differences than complete invisibility.
Player density limits and server instancing also mean the simulator does not necessarily render every person flying near a major airport. Network interpolation can make formation aircraft drift or jump, so leave more separation than you would in tightly controlled offline formation flying.
Do both players need the same aircraft or add-ons?
No, each player can fly a different aircraft, and ownership of the other pilot’s add-on is not normally required. If your installation lacks their aircraft or livery, Microsoft Flight Simulator may display a generic or substituted model instead.
Ordinary multiplayer always gives each pilot a separate aircraft. If the aim is to operate one aeroplane as pilot and co-pilot, read how shared-cockpit flying differs and what setup it needs; that is a separate function rather than standard group multiplayer.
Are weather, ATC and voice communication shared?
Weather and time are shared only when the selected multiplayer mode requires matching live conditions. In broader modes, another pilot can occupy the same airspace while seeing different visibility, wind or daylight.
Built-in ATC runs separately for each pilot and does not provide a fully coordinated group clearance. Our guide to built-in ATC procedures and limitations explains how clearances, frequencies and assistance settings work. Voice communication also depends on the simulator version and platform tools rather than merely joining a group.
VATSIM is a separate online flying and human-ATC network, not another Microsoft Flight Simulator player mode. When using it, built-in multiplayer traffic may need to be disabled to prevent duplicate aircraft; follow our instructions for setting up VATSIM with Microsoft Flight Simulator.