Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 for PC: Guide, Tips & System Requirements

Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 is a flight simulation game for PC from Asobo Studio, available on Steam, the Microsoft Store, and Xbox Game Pass.

You take on real aviation jobs like cargo runs, search and rescue, and firefighting, while flying a huge range of aircraft over a planet rebuilt from real-world map and weather data. There is no single story to finish. You build a flying career at your own pace.

The career structure is what sets it apart from earlier entries in the series. You take on paid jobs that change your aircraft, your route, and the conditions you fly in. A cargo flight across mountains in a storm plays nothing like a calm sightseeing trip over a coastline.

Released November 19, 2024, and still updated by Asobo Studio with regular free updates that add fixes, aircraft, and new content. Runs on Windows 10 and 11. Supports mouse and keyboard, gamepad, and dedicated flight controllers like yokes and rudder pedals.

Already flying? Tell us which job type you enjoy most in the comments below. Got questions before you install? Reach out to us directly.

What You Need to Know

• You can buy it outright on Steam or the Microsoft Store, or play it through PC Game Pass and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate without owning it.
• It needs a fairly strong PC. The minimum specs alone call for 16GB of RAM and a graphics card from the late 2010s.
• Add-ons from Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 do not carry over. The 2024 version uses a different aircraft and world data system.

Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 is available on Steam and the Microsoft Store for Windows 10 and 11, and through PC Game Pass and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate if you would rather subscribe than buy it outright. Either purchased version installs and runs the same way. You need 50GB of free space for the base game before any extra aircraft or scenery downloads.

Install via Steam or Microsoft Store

1. Step 1. Go to the Steam page or the Microsoft Store page and select the edition you want.
2. Step 2. Sign in with your Steam account or your Microsoft account, or create one for free.
3. Step 3. Confirm the purchase, then wait for the 50GB download and install to finish. This takes a while on slower connections.
4. Step 4. Launch the game and let it finish downloading any first-run world and aircraft data before you take off.
5. Step 5. Open the main menu and choose Career, Free Flight, or the training section to get started.
6. Step 6. If you own a flight stick, yoke, or rudder pedals, plug them in before launch so the game can detect and map them automatically.

Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 is a flight simulation game (a game built to copy real-world flying as closely as possible, down to weather, instruments, and aircraft handling). Instead of just picking a plane and taking off, you build a flying career: you take paid jobs like cargo delivery, medical transport, search and rescue, and aerial firefighting, each with its own aircraft, route, and conditions.

The world itself is built from real satellite and map data, so cities, coastlines, and airports resemble their real-world counterparts. Weather, air traffic, and even wildlife behave dynamically rather than on a fixed script, which means the same route can feel completely different depending on the time of day or the storm rolling in.

🎮 Our Take

Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 is an ambitious step up from the 2020 version, and the career structure gives the genre something it has long needed: a reason to fly beyond just looking at scenery. The Living World system genuinely changes how routes feel depending on weather and traffic, and the aircraft roster covers a wide range of flying styles. The rough edge is the launch period itself. Reception was mixed at first due to performance issues and the loss of compatibility with older add-ons, though regular free updates have steadily improved stability since then.

If you already love flight sims and have a PC that meets the recommended specs, this is worth picking up, especially if working through paid jobs and building a career sounds fun to you. If your PC is closer to the minimum specs, or you are just curious whether the genre is for you, try it through Game Pass first before buying an edition outright.

FAQ

Support and Community

• 👥 r/MicrosoftFlightSim on Reddit
• 💬 Official community forums
• 📋 Sim Update notes on Steam