What are the PC requirements for MSFS 2020 vs 2024?

Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 has much steeper PC requirements than MSFS 2020: minimum RAM doubles from 8 GB to 16 GB, while the recommended target rises from 16 GB to 32 GB. MSFS 2024 installs in roughly 50 GB rather than 150 GB, but depends more heavily on fast, stable internet for streamed content.

Official MSFS 2020 vs 2024 system requirements

These are Microsoft's published minimum, recommended and ideal hardware targets. Both simulators run on 64-bit Windows 10 or Windows 11. MSFS 2020's original baseline is DirectX 11 and it also offers DirectX 12, while MSFS 2024 is designed around DirectX 12.

Minimum PC requirements

The minimum specification is a launch floor, not a promise of smooth performance at detailed airports, in complex airliners or in VR.

Recommended PC requirements

The recommended tier is the more sensible starting point for regular desktop flying, although demanding add-on aircraft, busy hubs and high traffic settings can exceed it.

Ideal PC requirements

The ideal tier is Microsoft's high-end target for heavier settings and workloads; it does not guarantee a particular frame rate at every airport or resolution.

If you are upgrading solely for the older simulator, our detailed MSFS 2020 hardware breakdown explains its three specification tiers separately.

Will a PC that runs MSFS 2020 run MSFS 2024?

Not necessarily: a PC comfortable with MSFS 2020 may only meet parts of the MSFS 2024 minimum specification. The newer simulator asks for more CPU capacity, twice as much minimum RAM and substantially faster internet, even though some GPU names overlap between the two lists.

A 16 GB system with a GTX 970 illustrates the problem. That configuration sits near MSFS 2020's recommended tier but only reaches the memory and NVIDIA graphics floor for MSFS 2024. It may run the newer simulator at restrained settings, but dense airports, live traffic and complex cockpits leave little headroom.

Do not treat the listed AMD and NVIDIA cards as perfectly equivalent. The unusual pairing of the GTX 970 and much newer Radeon RX 5700 comes from the published chart; actual performance also depends on resolution, drivers, VRAM and the rest of the PC.

Why does MSFS 2024 need less storage?

MSFS 2024 needs less local storage because it streams more aircraft, scenery and world data instead of installing all of that content permanently. Our explanation of MSFS 2024's smaller installation and cloud delivery covers how this change affects normal use.

The published 50 GB figure is not a safe partition size by itself. Leave extra room for updates, temporary unpacking, rolling cache, offline packages and add-ons. MSFS 2020 can likewise grow far beyond 150 GB after optional world content and third-party packages are installed; our practical storage-planning guidance covers that expansion.

Which requirement tier should you use?

Treat minimum as a compatibility floor, recommended as the practical baseline, and ideal as the better reference for 4K, VR and demanding add-ons.

• Minimum: suitable for reduced settings, lighter aircraft and less demanding locations. Expect to lower resolution, traffic, Terrain Level of Detail and Object Level of Detail when performance is limited.
• Recommended: the sensible target for mainstream 1080p or 1440p flying. Large handcrafted airports and detailed airliners can still become CPU- or memory-bound.
• Ideal: the appropriate shopping reference for 4K, high traffic, complex aircraft or VR, though no specification eliminates every main-thread bottleneck. For headset use, compare the VR performance and support differences between MSFS 2020 and 2024.

What compatibility mistakes should you avoid?

Most incorrect compatibility checks come from comparing one headline component while ignoring memory, storage and the internet connection.

• Check the exact GPU: a laptop GPU is not automatically equal to the desktop card with a similar name. Integrated graphics sharing system RAM also do not provide equivalent dedicated VRAM.
• Use an SSD: it is the sensible baseline for both simulators, even where the published tier lists only a capacity. A slow or nearly full drive can worsen loading and asset-streaming stalls.
• Keep the Windows page file enabled: disabling it can cause instability when a complex flight exhausts physical memory. A system-managed page file on an SSD is normally the safer choice.
• Read internet speeds correctly: Microsoft quotes megabits per second, written as Mbps, not megabytes per second. Stability, latency and data caps also matter for MSFS 2024's streaming model.
• Allow for the workload: resolution, live traffic, photogrammetry, glass-cockpit complexity and airport detail can change performance more than a simple minimum-versus-recommended label suggests.

What should you upgrade first for MSFS 2024?

Upgrade the component that is actually limiting the simulator rather than replacing parts from the published list blindly. Move beyond 16 GB RAM if memory is consistently full, prioritise the GPU when resolution or VRAM is the constraint, and prioritise the CPU when frame time collapses around traffic-heavy airports despite low GPU utilisation.

Storage and connectivity deserve equal attention when scenery remains blurry, assets arrive late or streaming pauses occur. A faster graphics card cannot fix a saturated internet connection, an undersized cache or a nearly full system drive.