Use Instant Replay in FSX and Steam Edition: set replay length and speed, switch camera views, exit playback, and fix common replay problems.
To use Instant Replay in FSX or FSX: Steam Edition, finish the manoeuvre, press Alt to reveal the menu bar, choose Options > Instant Replay, set the look-back time and playback speed, then start the replay. Change camera views as needed and press Esc to return to the live flight.
How to start Instant Replay in FSX
FSX replays a selected period immediately preceding the moment you open the command; you do not need to enable recording beforehand.
- Complete the event you want to watch. Open Instant Replay promptly after a landing, take-off or manoeuvre so that you do not need an unnecessarily long look-back period.
- Open the FSX menu bar. Press
Altif the menus are hidden in full-screen mode, then select Options > Instant Replay. - Choose the replay length. Enter enough seconds to cover the event. This is recorded history from before you opened the command, not the length of a new recording.
- Select the playback speed. Use normal speed for an approach or complete manoeuvre, or a slower setting to inspect touchdown, rotation or control movement. Playback speed is separate from the simulator-rate control.
- Start the replay. FSX plays from the beginning of the selected look-back period towards the point at which you invoked Instant Replay.
- Change the camera if required. The Views menu remains available, while the default
SandAcommands cycle through view categories and views. Camera changes do not alter the recorded aircraft path. - Exit with
Esc. This ends playback and returns control to your flight.
If those keys have been customised or no longer respond, follow our instructions for checking and reassigning FSX controls.
How do I get a good landing replay?
For a useful landing replay, invoke the feature soon after slowing down and select enough history to include the final approach as well as touchdown.
- Use normal playback speed to judge the approach, then repeat the replay at a lower speed for the flare and wheel contact.
- Switch to Spot view for a camera that follows the aircraft, or Tower view for a fixed airport perspective. Tower view depends on the airport and may place the camera too far away.
- Avoid applying flight controls during playback; Instant Replay is showing a recorded path, not rerunning the flight interactively.
- If FSX has already reset or reloaded the flight after a crash, the earlier replay history may no longer be available.
Why is FSX Instant Replay missing or inaccurate?
Most Instant Replay problems come from insufficient recorded history or from the limitations of FSX's built-in playback system.
| Symptom | Likely cause and fix |
|---|---|
| The replay begins after the event | The selected look-back time was too short. Exit, reopen Instant Replay and request a longer period if that history is still available. |
| There is little to replay | The flight has only just loaded. FSX cannot replay time that elapsed before the active flight began. |
| Flight controls do not change the aircraft | This is normal. Only camera and playback controls affect what you see; the aircraft path is already recorded. |
| Gauges, sounds or add-on animations look wrong | FSX does not reconstruct every aircraft system perfectly. Complex add-ons may show incorrect gauge states, sounds, doors or animations during playback. |
| Movement is choppy | The built-in recorder can produce uneven motion even when the live flight was smooth. Our dedicated FSX replay-smoothing advice covers the practical fixes and the limitations that cannot be removed. |
Can FSX Instant Replay be saved?
No. Built-in Instant Replay is a temporary playback buffer, not a reusable replay file or an AVI or MP4 video.
To preserve exactly what appears on screen, record the replay with video-capture software while selecting the desired camera views. A normal saved flight stores the aircraft and flight situation, but it does not preserve the Instant Replay history.
For reusable flight-data recordings, longer playback and additional camera or AI playback options, consider the FSX Recorder Module and its extended replay tools. It is separate from Instant Replay, so read the package instructions and compatibility notes before installing it, particularly with FSX: Steam Edition.
Is Instant Replay different in FSX: Steam Edition?
The basic Instant Replay procedure is the same in boxed FSX and FSX: Steam Edition, and it does not require the Acceleration expansion.
The visible controls may differ if an add-on or custom control profile has reassigned keys, but the menu-based Options > Instant Replay route remains the dependable way to open it.