Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 PC Requirements: Minimum, Recommended and Ideal Specs

The official tiers at a glance​

Microsoft publishes the usual minimum and recommended requirements, plus an "ideal" tier. Its support FAQ, which was last updated August 17, 2026, lists Windows 10 with the latest update and DirectX 12 in all three tiers. Each tier gives an AMD option and an Intel/NVIDIA option, and you only need one of them.

Steam's store page independently matches the minimum and recommended tiers for CPU, GPU, RAM, 50 GB of storage, DirectX 12 and the 10 and 50 Mbps network figures. Steam does not list the ideal tier, so Microsoft's FAQ is the only first-party source for the full three-tier comparison.

One oddity: Microsoft's FAQ prints the ideal Intel CPU as "Intel it-14700K". That is almost certainly a typo for the Core i7-14700K, which Steam-adjacent coverage and other publishers list.

Windows 10 or Windows 11?​

The sources word the OS requirement differently:

• Microsoft's support FAQ says Windows 10 with the latest update.
• Steam says Windows 10 and requires a 64-bit processor and operating system.
• Microsoft's Xbox product page lists Windows 10/11 with updates.

In practice, Windows 11 is the sensible choice on a new build. One third-party guide says 64-bit Windows 10 or 11 is enough. I wouldn't read that as an official Microsoft statement, though. The support FAQ only names Windows 10, so check the Xbox page wording if the distinction matters to you.

What each jump actually costs you​

The gaps between tiers are bigger than they look:

• Minimum to recommended: RAM doubles from 16 GB to 32 GB. VRAM goes from 4 GB to 8 GB, and bandwidth jumps from 10 to 50 Mbps.
• Recommended to ideal: RAM doubles again to 64 GB, and VRAM rises to 12 GB. Bandwidth reaches 100 Mbps, and the CPUs move to current-generation parts.
• Storage: 50 GB in every tier.

That 50 GB is the base requirement, not a promise about your total footprint. One simulation-focused guide says it shouldn't be treated as the space needed for the rolling cache, updates and add-ons. Microsoft's FAQ says the sim uses cloud streaming so that only the textures, meshes and map data you need are downloaded. That is why the baseline stays small, but your cache and add-ons will still take space.

Specs are thresholds, not performance promises​

None of Microsoft's pages promise a frame rate, resolution or preset for any tier. The Xbox page's only caveat is that performance scales with higher-end systems.

Other publishers add their own interpretation, which is useful but unofficial:

• Flyaway Simulation says meeting the minimum means the sim should run with compromises, with no guaranteed resolution, preset or frame rate.
• Chillblast says the ideal tier targets 4K with Ultra settings. I couldn't find that in Microsoft's own FAQ text, so treat it as an outside characterisation.
• The MSFS Addons article describes the ideal tier as the one for high settings, 4K, VR or heavy add-ons. That is a reasonable reading of the table, but it is the publisher's interpretation and not a Microsoft guarantee.

Practical buying advice​

This part is analysis rather than Microsoft guidance, though other guides reach similar conclusions.

1. Aim for recommended, not minimum. Minimum is a compatibility floor. Dense airports, complex airliners and heavy weather can overwhelm it.
2. Balance the build. A recommended-level GPU cannot make up for a processor below minimum, and extra RAM cannot repair weak graphics.
3. Prioritise the CPU. MSFS Addons argues that a recent CPU with strong single-core performance is a safer spend than the top graphics card. That is plausible for a sim that does a lot of simulation work on the processor, but it is not an official Microsoft statement.
4. Buy VRAM with headroom. Twelve gigabytes is Microsoft's ideal figure. More helps at 4K, in VR and with big add-ons, according to MSFS Addons.
5. Use 32 GB of RAM as the practical target. Flyaway Simulation suggests 32 GB RAM, an 8–12 GB dedicated GPU and an NVMe SSD for a sensible MSFS 2024 target. Microsoft doesn't require an SSD in its published specs, but putting the sim on one is widely recommended.
6. Check your connection. The sim streams world data, so 10, 50 and 100 Mbps are real requirements and not decoration.

If the sim runs badly on a capable PC​

MSFS Addons offers these troubleshooting steps. They come from the publisher, and I haven't verified them against Microsoft's release notes.

• Clear out old add-ons. Move outdated Community folder packages out, relaunch, then add them back one at a time.
• Reinstall the graphics driver cleanly. Uninstall the old driver first, and on laptops make sure the sim uses the dedicated GPU.
• Watch VRAM. If stutters appear after long flights or at big airports, lower texture resolution first.

Claims to treat with caution​

MSFS Addons' piece also cites specific details I couldn't corroborate against Microsoft or Steam. They include Sim Update 6 and 7 features, DLSS 4.5 and FSR behaviour, Resizable BAR findings, a Navigraph survey and a developer-mode timing tool. Check them against Microsoft's release notes before changing settings or buying hardware on that basis.

Bottom line​

Microsoft's published targets are simple: 16 GB and a GTX 970-class card to get in, 32 GB and an RTX 2080-class card for the recommended tier, and 64 GB with a 12 GB card for ideal. Treat them as hardware reference points and not performance guarantees. For a new PC, aim for the recommended tier or better, balance the CPU, GPU and RAM, and plan for the add-on and cache space the 50 GB figure leaves out.