How do I set up VRAAS in MSFS 2024?

To set up VRAAS in Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024, use a VRAAS build whose release notes explicitly support MSFS 2024, install it by the method supplied with that build, select its audio output, then test it at a recognised airport. An MSFS 2020-only build may install but still fail to detect runways.

VRAAS is separate from the simulator's ATC and flight-planning systems. It reads aircraft position and runway data to generate advisories, so tuning a frequency or filing a flight plan is not required. If your VRAAS release does not support MSFS 2024, use our comparison of compatible RAAS options rather than forcing an old connector to work.

What do I need before installing VRAAS?

You need the Windows PC edition of Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024, a complete VRAAS download from its original publisher, and any connector or runtime named in that release's documentation.

• Check simulator support: MSFS 2020 compatibility alone does not guarantee MSFS 2024 compatibility, particularly for external applications and runway databases.
• Read the stated requirements: some releases connect directly through SimConnect, while others may require FSUIPC. Do not install both merely as a precaution.
• Remove older copies: avoid loading two VRAAS versions or sharing the same Community folder between MSFS 2020 and MSFS 2024.
• Use a clean test aircraft: an aircraft with its own built-in RAAS can produce duplicate or conflicting announcements.

A downloadable Windows VRAAS utility cannot be manually installed on Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5 or PS5 Pro. On those platforms, RAAS must be provided by the aircraft or another add-on distributed through the platform's supported system.

How do I install VRAAS in MSFS 2024?

The supplied files determine where VRAAS belongs; placing an external executable in the Community folder is a common setup mistake.

1. Close the simulator. This prevents MSFS 2024 from holding an old package or connector in memory.
2. Extract the entire download. Do not run a portable application from inside its compressed archive, and do not copy only the executable while leaving its sound or data folders behind.
3. Install it in the correct place. For a Community package, the folder containing manifest.json must sit directly inside the active MSFS 2024 Community folder. Our guide to finding and using the MSFS 2024 Community folder covers the different PC installation locations.
4. Install only the declared connector. If the VRAAS documentation specifically requires FSUIPC, complete our MSFS 2024 FSUIPC connection steps and confirm FSUIPC can see the simulator. A SimConnect-based release does not normally need FSUIPC as well.
5. Load a flight fully. Wait until the aircraft is active in the cockpit. For an external VRAAS build, start its application at the point specified by the publisher, usually after MSFS is running.
6. Select the audio device. Choose the actual speakers or headset you use, set the callout volume, and enable the advisory types you want. Save the profile if the application provides that option.

How do I configure and test the runway callouts?

The most reliable test starts from parking at a stock airport with a stock aircraft, not already positioned on the runway.

1. Check the connection status. The external application should show that the simulator is connected and provide plausible aircraft position data.
2. Enable basic advisories. Start with approaching-runway and on-runway announcements. Add taxiway take-off, runway remaining or other warnings only if that VRAAS build supports them.
3. Taxi from a parking stand. Approach a runway normally and cross the holding point. Starting directly on the runway can bypass the boundary transition used to trigger an advisory.
4. Line up and begin the take-off roll. The exact phrases vary between implementations, and some distance or speed-related calls occur only when their conditions are met.
5. Repeat at another stock airport. If one airport fails but another works, the cause is more likely runway data or scenery than the basic VRAAS connection.

Runway designators can change as magnetic variation shifts. A VRAAS database and an airport scenery package may therefore disagree about a runway number even though the aircraft position is correct. Updating the supported VRAAS data or correcting the scenery version is preferable to suppressing every runway advisory.

Why is VRAAS connected but silent?

A connected but silent VRAAS installation usually has an audio-routing, trigger or airport-data problem rather than a simulator connection failure.

• No sound at all: inspect the Windows volume mixer because a desktop VRAAS application has its own volume and output route. Re-select the headset or speakers and restart VRAAS if the device was connected after the application opened.
• No announcement while parked: this can be normal. RAAS callouts are event-driven; taxi towards a recognised runway instead of waiting at the gate.
• Only custom airports fail: test the same aircraft at a stock airport. Misaligned, renamed or outdated runway geometry can prevent the expected boundary trigger.
• The application remains disconnected: confirm the flight is fully loaded, the required SimConnect or FSUIPC method matches that VRAAS release, and the applications are running at the same Windows privilege level.
• Two voices make the same callout: disable either standalone VRAAS or the aircraft's integrated RAAS. Running both does not improve detection.
• The package is not detected: check for an extra nested folder. The correct structure is similar to Community/vraas/manifest.json, not Community/vraas/vraas/manifest.json.
• The wrong runway is announced: update the supported runway data and test without replacement airport scenery. This symptom commonly indicates a database-to-scenery mismatch.