How do I update Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024?
To update Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024, close the simulator, install the latest game update through your platform’s launcher or console update queue, then restart it and let any in-sim content updates finish. On PC, check the Xbox app, Microsoft Store or Steam; on Xbox and PlayStation 5, use the console’s update controls.
How do I install the latest MSFS 2024 update?
The main simulator update must be installed through the platform that supplied your copy; there is no universal update button inside Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024.
- Close the simulator completely. On PC, wait for its process to finish. On Xbox, choose Quit rather than leaving the old session in Quick Resume. Close the game normally on PlayStation 5.
- Check the correct platform for updates.
- Xbox app or Microsoft Store on PC: run pending updates in the Microsoft Store Library, then open the Xbox app, find Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 in your library and accept any offered download. This route applies to Microsoft Store and Game Pass installations.
- Steam on PC: open Steam’s Downloads page or your Library and resume any scheduled Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 update.
- Xbox Series X|S: open My games & apps, go to the management and Updates area, then install the available simulator update.
- PlayStation 5 or PS5 Pro: highlight the game on the home screen, press the Options button and select Check for Update.
- Let the download and installation finish. Keep the launcher open, prevent the PC or console from sleeping and allow extra free storage for temporary unpacking files.
- Launch the simulator once. Leave it at the loading screen while it performs post-update checks, account synchronisation and any required content processing.
- Check installed content. Open the in-sim Marketplace or library area and install any separate updates offered for aircraft, airports or other packages.
If the Xbox app and Microsoft Store disagree about the installed version, work through our PC account, storage and first-launch checks. Xbox users can also review the console download-queue and installation checks.
Which parts of Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 update separately?
The core simulator, locally installed content and Community add-ons do not necessarily update together.
| Component | Where its update comes from | What to expect |
|---|---|---|
| Core simulator | Xbox app, Microsoft Store, Steam, Xbox or PlayStation | Usually required before the simulator can use online services |
| Official and Marketplace packages | Marketplace or in-sim content library | Updates may appear separately from the core patch |
| Community add-ons | The add-on’s installer or a manual replacement | The simulator does not update files in the Community folder |
| Cloud-streamed scenery and assets | Microsoft’s online content service | Delivered while required rather than as one conventional local update |
A Marketplace aircraft or airport may receive its compatible package later than the main simulator patch. Our explanation of how Marketplace ownership and content updates work covers this distinction in more detail.
Outdated Community add-ons are a common reason MSFS 2024 starts crashing or hanging only after an otherwise successful update. Close the simulator, temporarily rename the Community folder and test with a clean start before blaming the core download.
Why is the MSFS 2024 update missing or stuck?
A missing or stalled update is usually caused by a stale launcher session, insufficient temporary storage, an account mismatch or an incomplete platform-service update.
- Restart the platform, not just the simulator. Exit Steam or the Xbox app fully, or restart the console. This refreshes cached update information.
- Update the supporting software. On a Microsoft Store installation, check for updates to the Store, Xbox app and Gaming Services. Steam and console system software should also be allowed to update.
- Confirm the licence account. Use the Store or launcher account that owns the game or provides its subscription entitlement. An account mismatch can make an installed copy appear up to date while the required update remains unavailable.
- Check free space and network limits. An update may need considerably more temporary room than its final installed size. If the download is unexpectedly large, use our guide to estimate MSFS 2024 bandwidth and data use before restarting it on a capped connection.
- Check for a preview-build mismatch. If you enrolled in a beta or preview programme, its build may differ from the public release. Leave the preview channel before trying to repair the normal installation.
- Repair before reinstalling. Use Steam’s file verification or the Xbox app’s repair and verification facility. Avoid a Windows Reset option until local files and settings are backed up, because resetting an app can remove local data.
Why does MSFS 2024 keep requesting a mandatory update?
A repeated mandatory-update message means the running game build and the version expected by its online services do not match. Fully quit the game, refresh the platform’s update queue and restart the device; resuming an old Xbox Quick Resume session is a particularly common cause.
If the launcher offers no download, confirm that it is online and signed into the correct account. When online functions are also unavailable, the problem may be with the service rather than the local installation, and reinstalling the simulator will not correct that.
Do I need to reinstall Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024?
No; reinstalling should be the final step after restarting, checking storage, removing incompatible add-ons and running the platform’s repair or verification tool.
Before reinstalling, back up the Community folder and any local settings you cannot recreate. Do not delete large package directories at random, as the launcher may respond by downloading their entire contents again.
Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 is also a separate simulator from Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020. Updating or reinstalling the 2020 installation cannot turn it into MSFS 2024, and files should not be copied between their package directories in an attempt to avoid the download.
How do I know MSFS 2024 is fully updated?
Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 is fully updated when the platform queue is empty, no mandatory-update prompt appears, the simulator reaches the main menu and its content library shows no required package updates.
- The Standard, Deluxe, Premium Deluxe and Aviator editions use the same core update procedure; edition differences concern content entitlements.
- The platform’s version format may differ from the build string displayed inside the simulator.
- Sim Update 5 was released in April 2026, but subsequent hotfixes can change the full build number without changing the named Sim Update label.
- A Community add-on reporting an older version does not mean the core simulator update failed; that add-on must be updated separately.