Can I Run Microsoft Flight Simulator on My PC / Laptop?

The official minimum is an i5-4460 or Ryzen 3 1200 processor, a GTX 770 2GB or RX 570 graphics card, 8 GB of RAM, DirectX 11, 150 GB of storage, and a 5 Mbps internet connection. It will run, but expect low settings and an unstable frame rate.

For a smoother experience the recommended tier is an i5-8400 or Ryzen 5 1500X processor, a GTX 970 4GB or RX 590 graphics card, 16 GB of RAM, and a 20 Mbps connection. That is enough for 1080p high settings outside dense cities.

Beyond minimum and recommended, Asobo also publishes an Ideal tier for the best experience: an i7-9800X or Ryzen 7 PRO 2700X processor, an RTX 2080 8GB or Radeon VII graphics card, 32 GB of RAM, and a 50 Mbps connection. This is the tier aimed at 1440p and up, and at VR.

Yes, and in an unusual way. It is genuinely CPU-bound and internet-bound as well as GPU-bound, because it streams real-world scenery from the cloud as you fly. A strong graphics card alone will not fix low frame rate if your CPU or your connection is the actual bottleneck.

For the full experience, yes. It streams live scenery, buildings, and often live weather and traffic from the cloud. There is a rolling cache that stores recently visited areas, but that is not a true offline mode, just a way to reduce how much it needs to re-download.

Only in a limited way. Without an internet connection it falls back to generic, lower-detail scenery built from the rolling cache and base data rather than the real streamed world, so it is playable but noticeably less accurate and less detailed.

16 GB covers the recommended tier and is fine for most flying at 1080p and 1440p. 32 GB is the official Ideal tier and helps more with add-ons, complex third-party aircraft, and heavier scenery mods, rather than being a hard requirement for the base game.

8 GB is workable at 1080p and most of 1440p. 12 GB or more is where you stop worrying about texture streaming stutter, especially at ultra settings, high traffic density, or over detailed, photogrammetry-heavy cities.

It is not officially required, but it is strongly recommended. The game is constantly streaming and caching data in the background, and a hard drive noticeably worsens stutter and load times compared to an SSD.

The listed install is 150 GB, but that is really a starting point. Once you add Asobo's free World Updates, real usage commonly lands around 185 to 195 GB, and a large rolling cache can push it higher still.

Yes, both were added in the Sim Update 10 patch in July 2022, after the official system requirements were published. The listed specs assume native resolution with no upscaling, so turning on DLSS or FSR Quality mode gives you real extra headroom, especially at 1440p and 4K.

Yes, through OpenXR, covering Meta/Oculus headsets, Valve Index, HP Reverb G2, Windows Mixed Reality headsets, and HTC Vive. It is demanding even by this game's standards, and a comfortable experience realistically wants an RTX 3070 or RTX 3080-class card or better.

30 fps is a reasonable floor for smooth-feeling flight, and 60 fps is the target most PC players aim for outside of dense cities. You can turn on the built-in FPS counter from the Options menu under General, then Developer Tools, or via the developer mode overlay.

Start with the CPU-side settings: lower AI traffic density, object and terrain level-of-detail, and turn off live weather if you don't need it. Then use DLSS or FSR if your card supports it, and make sure the game is installed on an SSD, since streaming stutter can look like low FPS even when it isn't.

No, they are separate games. This page covers the original 2020 title, sometimes called MSFS or FS2020. Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 is a newer, separate release with its own system requirements and its own page.

Yes, comfortably. The RTX 3050 sits at or above Microsoft Flight Simulator's recommended card, so 1080p on high is smooth and 1440p is well within reach. About 35-45 fps at high settings, with DLSS giving a useful boost since Sim Update 10.

Fine for a lighter setup. The GTX 1650 clears Microsoft Flight Simulator's minimum, so target 1080p low to medium and adjust down for a steady rate. Around 25-30 fps at low to medium settings. Its 4GB of VRAM is tight once you raise texture and object detail.

You are well set. The GTX 1060 6GB exceeds Microsoft Flight Simulator's recommended card, so 1080p high is easy and 1440p is realistic. Around 30-40 fps at medium to high settings outside cities, dropping to the low 20s over dense downtown areas.

No trouble at all. The RX 580 meets or beats what Microsoft Flight Simulator recommends, so 1080p high runs well and 1440p is realistic. A step above the official minimum, around 28-35 fps at medium settings in open countryside.

You are well set. The RTX 4060 exceeds Microsoft Flight Simulator's recommended card, so 1080p high is easy and 1440p is realistic. Around 55-65 fps at 1080p high and 45-52 fps at 1440p with DLSS Quality helping.

For sure. The RTX 3060 outpaces Microsoft Flight Simulator's recommended card, leaving you high 1080p now and 1440p whenever you like. About 50-60 fps at 1080p high and 40-48 fps at 1440p, with the CPU capping how much resolution actually costs you.

Comfortably, yes. The RTX 2060 clears Microsoft Flight Simulator's recommended bar, which puts high 1080p and 1440p both in reach. Around 45-55 fps at high settings in open countryside, though city flying still pulls it well below that.

Yes, with room to spare. Microsoft Flight Simulator recommends less than the GTX 1660 offers, so expect smooth 1080p high and a playable 1440p. Roughly 35-45 fps at high settings in open flying.

That is more than enough. The GTX 1660 Super clears Microsoft Flight Simulator's recommended requirement, so aim for high at 1080p or step up to 1440p. About 38-48 fps at high settings, a modest step up from the base 1660.

Yes. On the RX 6600, Microsoft Flight Simulator runs at high settings in 1080p and scales up to 1440p without much fuss.

Yes. The GTX 1660 Ti has headroom over Microsoft Flight Simulator's recommended card, so you can push 1080p high and move to 1440p when you want. Around 40-50 fps at high settings outside cities.

Yes, with room to spare. Microsoft Flight Simulator recommends less than the RTX 3060 Ti offers, so expect smooth 1080p high and a playable 1440p. About 60-68 fps at 1080p high, closer to 40-45 fps over a big city.

You are well set. The RTX 4050 exceeds Microsoft Flight Simulator's recommended card, so 1080p high is easy and 1440p is realistic. About 40-48 fps at 1080p high on a laptop, thermal limits permitting.

That card falls short. The GTX 1050 Ti is under Microsoft Flight Simulator's minimum, which leaves you very low settings and a shaky frame rate. Below a comfortable experience. Around 20-25 fps at low settings in open areas, lower over cities.

You are well set. The RTX 4070 exceeds Microsoft Flight Simulator's recommended card, so 1080p high is easy and 1440p is realistic. About 72-85 fps at 1440p ultra with headroom to spare in open sky, 55-65 fps at 4K.

Microsoft never brought Flight Simulator to macOS, so a MacBook is out of luck running it directly. Xbox Cloud Gaming under a Game Pass Ultimate subscription is one realistic workaround, and running Windows through virtualization or a Boot Camp-style setup is the other, though between the CPU load and streaming demands, expect that second path to feel rough.

Asobo has never shipped a Linux build. A subset of players run it through Proton or Wine anyway, with results that swing from playable to broken depending on the setup, and none of it carries any official support.

Not comfortably. Integrated graphics sit below the official minimum, and since the game is also CPU-heavy, the shared CPU and graphics resources on an integrated setup get overwhelmed fast. Expect very low settings and choppy frame rates at best.

It runs, but it is not officially supported or Steam Deck Verified, and the community consensus is that it's marginal: roughly 24-30 fps at low settings with noticeable stutter over cities, and battery life around two hours given how hard it works the hardware. It is playable for short flights rather than a smooth handheld experience.

Yes, with the Ideal tier hardware or better, an RTX 2080-class card and up. VRAM and CPU speed matter as much as raw GPU power at these resolutions, and DLSS or FSR at Quality mode makes a real difference in getting there smoothly.

An RTX 3060 Ti or similar handles 60 fps at 1080p high settings in open countryside, but count on it dropping into the 40s over dense cities regardless of GPU, since that scenario is CPU-bound, not GPU-bound.

Both are supported and the official specs list Windows 10 as the baseline. Windows 11 works fine and most players see no meaningful difference either way, as long as drivers are current.

Three things cause nearly all of it: a hard drive doing an SSD's job, a CPU that can't keep up with the streaming and simulation workload, or a connection that's slow or unstable. Because all three are CPU-side costs rather than GPU ones, the fix is lowering AI traffic density, object and terrain level-of-detail, and turning off live weather.

Not natively on a Chromebook's own hardware, but it is available through Xbox Cloud Gaming with a Game Pass Ultimate subscription, which streams the game rather than running it locally. A stable, fast internet connection matters even more in that case.

Yes, it released on Xbox Series X and S in 2021, well after the original PC launch. This page covers the PC version, which offers more graphics settings and higher ceilings than the console release.

No. It only supports Xbox Series X and S, not the older Xbox One generation.

No, there is no PlayStation version of this title. It is available on PC and Xbox Series X/S only.

No, there is no Switch version. The streaming and CPU demands of this game are far beyond what the Switch hardware could handle.

A GTX 770 or RX 570 with an i5-4460 or Ryzen 3 1200 and 8 GB of RAM gets the sim running, though you're signing up for low settings, an unstable frame rate, and real trouble the moment you fly over a dense city. Few games punish a slow CPU or a weak internet connection as much as this one does alongside a weak GPU.

A Ryzen 3 1200 is the official minimum, so it will run, but only just, and it will be the bottleneck almost everywhere, especially over cities and airports. A modern i3 in the same performance range faces the same limits. Upgrading the CPU helps this game more than most.

Xbox Cloud Gaming supports it with a Game Pass Ultimate subscription, streaming the game to weaker hardware including some Macs, Chromebooks, and mobile devices. It is not listed on GeForce Now. Either way, a strong, stable internet connection matters even more than for the local PC version.