See the complete MSFS 2020 World Updates list from I to XXII, the regions covered, which packages are optional and where to install them.
Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 has 22 free World Updates, numbered I through XXII. They cover Japan, the United States, the UK and Ireland, Europe, the Nordics, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Oceania, the Caribbean and parts of South America, with several regions revisited. These are optional Marketplace downloads, not mandatory Sim Updates.
Complete MSFS 2020 World Updates list
The released MSFS 2020 catalogue runs from World Update I to World Update XXII. Microsoft normally displays the update number as a Roman numeral, although searches and package descriptions may use ordinary numbers.
| Update | Region or coverage |
|---|---|
| World Update I | Japan |
| World Update II | United States |
| World Update III | United Kingdom and Ireland |
| World Update IV | France and Benelux |
| World Update V | Nordics: Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden |
| World Update VI | Germany, Austria and Switzerland |
| World Update VII | Australia |
| World Update VIII | Iberia: Spain, Portugal, Gibraltar and Andorra |
| World Update IX | Italy and Malta |
| World Update X | United States, revisited |
| World Update XI | Canada |
| World Update XII | New Zealand |
| World Update XIII | Oceania and Pacific islands |
| World Update XIV | Central Eastern Europe |
| World Update XV | Nordics and Greenland |
| World Update XVI | Caribbean |
| World Update XVII | United Kingdom and Ireland, revisited |
| World Update XVIII | Germany, Austria and Switzerland, revisited |
| World Update XIX | Brazil, Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana |
| World Update XX | Japan, revisited |
| World Update XXI | Regional scenery, airports and activities included in World Update 21 |
| World Update XXII | World Update 22 package contents and installation details |
A repeated region does not make its earlier update irrelevant. Later releases may add newer imagery, airports, photogrammetry, points of interest or activities while the older package still has separate components. Let Content Manager handle those dependencies rather than manually deleting an earlier update just because the region appears twice.
Do I need to install every World Update?
No. World Updates are optional, so install the regions in which you fly and leave the others uninstalled if storage is limited. Each package can contain several gigabytes of scenery, and installing every region can make simulator maintenance and update downloads considerably larger.
World Updates improve selected airports, elevation data, landmarks, aerial imagery and activities, but they do not raise aircraft fidelity or improve every location in the named region. Our guidance on choosing which regional packages are worth installing explains the practical trade-off between scenery coverage and storage use.
Where are World Updates installed in MSFS 2020?
World Updates are acquired through the in-simulator Marketplace and managed through Content Manager. Buying or claiming a free package does not always download every component, which is why an update can show as owned while its scenery remains absent.
- Update the base simulator first. Launch MSFS 2020 and allow any mandatory core update to finish.
- Open Marketplace. Search for the World Update by its number or regional name and acquire the free package.
- Open Content Manager. Find the update and install any components marked as not installed.
- Check for component updates. An older World Update may already be installed but still have individual packages waiting for an update.
- Restart the simulator. This ensures newly installed scenery packages are loaded cleanly.
For the full package-management process, including filters and partially installed updates, follow our steps for updating World Updates and scenery packages.
Why is a World Update missing from Marketplace or Content Manager?
A missing World Update is usually caused by an account, filter, connectivity or base-version problem rather than the package being withdrawn.
- Marketplace is unavailable: confirm Online Functionality and Marketplace access are enabled, then restart the simulator.
- The wrong account is signed in: use the Microsoft or Xbox account that owns the simulator and claimed the package.
- Content Manager filters hide it: clear the filters and check both owned and not-installed content.
- The core simulator is outdated: complete the mandatory launcher or in-simulator update before searching again.
- The package was claimed but not downloaded: open its Content Manager entry and inspect the individual components.
- There is insufficient storage: remove an unused optional region or free space before retrying the download.
World Updates are not the same as Sim Updates or City Updates. Sim Updates change the core simulator and may be mandatory; City Updates are smaller scenery releases concentrated on particular urban areas. MSFS 2020 and its World Updates are available on PC and Xbox Series X|S, but MSFS 2020 was never released for PlayStation.