X-Plane 12 vs MSFS 2020 graphics compared: see which looks better by default, offline and with add-ons, plus the settings that change the result.
Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 has better graphics overall than X-Plane 12, especially with default scenery. Its streamed aerial imagery, photogrammetry, detailed cities and global lighting produce a more convincing world from altitude. X-Plane 12 can look excellent around upgraded airports and with orthophotos, but it needs more manual work.
X-Plane 12 vs MSFS 2020 graphics at a glance
Across an unmodified global installation, MSFS 2020 wins most visual categories; airport and aircraft quality depends more heavily on the specific content being compared.
| Visual category | Better choice | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| Default terrain | MSFS 2020 | Streamed aerial imagery gives the ground recognisable fields, roads, coastlines and urban detail. |
| Cities and landmarks | MSFS 2020 | Photogrammetry and handcrafted points of interest provide far more local identity in supported areas. |
| Weather and atmosphere | MSFS 2020 overall | Clouds, haze, lighting and distant views usually produce a more convincing final image. |
| Airports | Content-dependent | Handcrafted and third-party airports can look superb in either simulator; generic airports vary. |
| Aircraft and cockpits | Aircraft-dependent | Model, texture and material quality come from the individual aircraft rather than the simulator alone. |
| Offline consistency | X-Plane 12 | Its installed scenery remains available without relying on streamed world data. |
Why does MSFS 2020 usually look better?
MSFS 2020 starts with a much richer representation of the real world. Aerial imagery supplies recognisable ground detail, while photogrammetry reconstructs three-dimensional buildings in selected cities. Outside those areas, generated buildings and vegetation still follow the underlying map data more closely than X-Plane 12's largely procedural default scenery.
Lighting, volumetric clouds, water and atmospheric haze strengthen that advantage. From normal circuit height or during cross-country flying, MSFS usually creates the more photographic image. Our closer examination of MSFS 2020's world, airports and skies shows where that visual lead comes from.
Photogrammetry is not flawless. Buildings can appear melted or lumpy at close range, especially before all data has streamed in. In those locations, disabling photogrammetry may replace recognisable but distorted structures with cleaner generic buildings.
Can X-Plane 12 match MSFS 2020 with add-ons?
X-Plane 12 can match or beat MSFS 2020 in a carefully upgraded local area, but not with the same effortless worldwide coverage. High-resolution orthophotos improve the ground, while custom airports, overlays, vegetation and aircraft can transform the final image.
The trade-off is installation work, storage use and inconsistent coverage. Orthophotos can have colour differences between tiles, seasonal mismatches or limited three-dimensional city detail. Our X-Plane scenery and add-on library is useful when improving the airports and regions where you fly most often.
A common mistake is expecting X-Plane's texture-quality control to turn default terrain into aerial photography. It cannot add detail that is not present in the scenery package. If custom scenery has been installed but does not appear, check its position in scenery_packs.ini: airports normally sit above overlays, with orthophoto or mesh packages lower in the order.
Why does MSFS 2020 sometimes look blurry?
Blurry MSFS 2020 scenery is often caused by disabled or delayed world-data streaming rather than weak graphics hardware. Check these items before lowering every graphics option:
- Verify online world data. Online functionality and Bing world graphics must be enabled for the full aerial-imagery experience. Photogrammetry is a separate option.
- Check the connection and data limits. Slow streaming, bandwidth restrictions or background downloads can leave terrain temporarily soft.
- Inspect the rolling cache. A stale or corrupted cache can cause local visual problems; rebuilding it may help when one area repeatedly loads incorrectly.
- Install the relevant regional content. The guide to MSFS 2020 World Updates explains how selected regions gain improved airports, landmarks and city detail.
- Tune resolution before decorative effects. Render scaling, terrain detail and object detail affect image clarity more directly than pushing every shadow or reflection option to maximum.
If the cockpit is blurry but the scenery is sharp, aggressive upscaling or low render scaling is the likely cause. If only distant terrain is soft, examine terrain detail and streaming instead. Texture resolution alone does not fix either problem.
Which looks better on a slower PC or without internet?
X-Plane 12 can provide the more consistent image on a modest system or an unreliable connection, even though MSFS 2020 has the higher visual ceiling. MSFS loses much of its world-detail advantage when aerial imagery is unavailable, while X-Plane's installed scenery does not depend on continuous streaming.
Neither simulator should be judged with every setting forced to maximum. Compare them at the same output resolution and a stable frame rate, using similar weather, time of day and aircraft quality. Screenshots comparing a premium aircraft and custom airport in one simulator with default content in the other say little about the graphics engines themselves.
Which simulator should you choose for graphics?
Choose MSFS 2020 for graphics if you want the best-looking worldwide scenery with minimal setup, particularly for sightseeing, airliner routes and visual flying over recognisable places. Choose X-Plane 12 if you favour predictable offline scenery or enjoy building highly customised flying areas.
For pure visual quality, MSFS 2020 is the clear overall winner. Graphics are only one part of the decision, so our broader comparison of X-Plane 12 and MSFS 2020 covers flight modelling, aircraft, performance and add-ons.