Learn how to use the MSFS 2020 Marketplace on Xbox: buy compatible add-ons, install purchases, find content and fix common problems.
To use the MSFS 2020 Marketplace on Xbox, open Marketplace from the simulator's main menu, choose an Xbox-compatible add-on, select Buy & Download, and approve the purchase through your Microsoft account. After downloading, confirm installation in Content Manager. Aircraft appear in the aircraft selector; scenery loads automatically when you fly in its covered area.
How do I buy and install an add-on?
- Update and sign in: Launch Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 with the Xbox gamertag that will own the purchase. The Marketplace requires an internet connection, Online Functionality and any mandatory simulator update.
- Open Marketplace: Select Marketplace from the main menu, then browse by category or use search to find a specific aircraft, airport, livery or scenery package.
- Read the product page: Check Xbox support, simulator compatibility, required aircraft or edition, download size and the package contents. Do not assume that a product made for MSFS 2024 also works in MSFS 2020.
- Complete the purchase: Select Buy & Download and approve the Xbox checkout. The payment flow may express the price as FlightSim Credits before showing the Microsoft account purchase confirmation.
- Finish the in-sim download: Most products begin downloading after payment. If the product instead shows Download or Install, select that control and leave the simulator open until it finishes.
- Confirm installation: Open Content Manager and search for the product. It should be marked as installed rather than merely owned. Our MSFS 2020 Content Manager walkthrough explains its filters, updates and removal controls.
Marketplace packages are managed inside the simulator, not as separate games in the Xbox dashboard. Deleting one from Content Manager normally removes its files but preserves ownership, allowing it to be downloaded again later with the purchasing account.
What should I check before buying?
The product page must match your console, simulator and existing content. The Xbox catalogue normally hides incompatible PC-only products, but checking the details prevents the most common purchasing mistakes.
- Required base aircraft: A livery or enhancement package may require an aircraft sold separately or supplied only with a particular MSFS 2020 edition.
- Xbox compatibility: Availability on PC does not guarantee an Xbox release. This matters especially for complex aircraft and products that depend on external software.
- Package contents: Compare bundles carefully so that you do not buy an airport or aircraft already included in another pack.
- Storage space: The displayed download size may not represent all related packages or later updates, so retain some free console storage.
- Correct account: Marketplace ownership is associated with the Microsoft or Xbox account used for the transaction. Do not assume that another gamertag will receive the same entitlement.
Where do Marketplace purchases appear?
Installed content appears in the part of MSFS 2020 that uses that content; there is no separate Xbox application to launch.
- Aircraft: Open the World Map and use the aircraft selector.
- Liveries: Select the matching aircraft, then choose the livery through its customisation controls.
- Airports and scenery: Search for the airport by name or ICAO code and start a flight there. Installed scenery loads automatically.
- Activities: Bush trips, landing challenges and similar packages appear in the relevant Activities section.
If an installed aircraft is absent, check whether its base aircraft and dependency packages are also installed, then fully quit and restart the simulator. Quick Resume can retain an older content session.
Can I install non-Marketplace add-ons on Xbox?
No. Xbox cannot use PC ZIP packages, the Community folder or add-ons copied from USB storage. Console users must obtain compatible add-ons through the in-sim Marketplace; our guide to Xbox add-on restrictions explains why PC freeware cannot be installed manually.
What if the Marketplace or purchase is missing?
A greyed-out Marketplace usually indicates an account, connectivity, data setting or update problem rather than a damaged installation. Check that Online Functionality is enabled under the simulator's Data options, confirm the correct gamertag is signed in, install pending updates and fully quit the game instead of returning through Quick Resume. See our Marketplace availability troubleshooting steps for the full sequence.
If payment completed but the add-on is absent, do not purchase it again immediately. Verify the transaction under the purchasing Microsoft account, restart MSFS 2020, then search Content Manager with both installed and not-installed filters. Also check free storage and remove any active search filter that could hide the package.
When the Xbox payment was charged but FlightSim Credits or ownership did not appear, preserve the transaction details and follow our failed Marketplace purchase recovery procedure. Avoid clearing reserved space or reinstalling the entire simulator as a first response, because either can create a much larger download without fixing an account-side entitlement.