Can I Run Microsoft Flight Simulator?
Microsoft Flight Simulator is a simulation game from Asobo Studio, released in 2024. Xbox Game Studios published it. The game supports a single player campaign and competitive multiplayer. It is localised into 18 languages according to the store listing. There are 27 achievements to chase. Over 20 thousand players have left a Steam review, so this is a title whose performance is widely reported. A pad covers most of the game, though parts of it still expect a keyboard. The game ships for Windows alone.
Can your PC run it? →System requirements
Minimum requirements
| CPU | AMD Ryzen 5 2600X or Intel Core i7-6800K |
|---|---|
| GPU | Radeon RX 5700 or GeForce GTX 970 |
| RAM | 16 GB |
| Storage | 50 GB |
| OS | Windows 10 |
| DirectX | 12 |
Recommended requirements
| CPU | AMD Ryzen 7 2700X or Intel Core i7-10700K |
|---|---|
| GPU | Radeon RX 5700 XT or GeForce RTX 2080 |
| RAM | 32 GB |
| Storage | 50 GB |
| OS | Windows 10 |
| DirectX | 12 |
Verified from Steam · 9 Jul 2026 source
Scores are deterministic, computed by fixed rules and benchmark tables, not written by an AI. How we score. Maintained by Farhad Ali. Spotted a wrong specification? Tell us.
Setting and environment
Players spend their time in an open sandbox, moving through open airspace. The publisher supplies 16 storefront screenshots of these environments.
Why Microsoft Flight Simulator is demanding
The ask Microsoft Flight Simulator makes is moderate. Radeon RX 5700 XT or GeForce RTX 2080 lands near our RTX 3060 reference, so a typical gaming PC is the right yardstick. Microsoft Flight Simulator asks for 32 GB of system RAM, which is above what most machines ship with today. DirectX 12 is named, so Microsoft Flight Simulator expects a graphics driver and card from the modern era rather than merely a fast one. Minimum and recommended sit far apart here, which usually means Microsoft Flight Simulator scales hard with the hardware you give it. Microsoft Flight Simulator takes about 50 GB of disk space.
This reading comes from the published requirements and our own benchmark tables, not from the store listing.
Can you run Microsoft Flight Simulator?
Microsoft Flight Simulator is memory-hungry: it wants 16 GB of system RAM, above the 8 GB many machines still ship with. Graphically it is undemanding, Radeon RX 5700 or GeForce GTX 970 clears the minimum, so more RAM, not a new GPU, is the upgrade most players need.
Bottleneck: RAM
Projected by resolution
| Resolution | Projection | Headroom |
|---|---|---|
| 1080p | Borderline | 0.97x |
| 1440p | Below the bar | 0.55x |
| 4K | Below the bar | 0.24x |
A projection, not a measurement. We scale the published GPU requirement by pixel count, since 1440p draws 1.78 times the pixels of 1080p and 4K draws 4 times as many, then compare against RTX 3060 / Ryzen 5 build. The publisher did not state a target resolution, so 1080p is assumed as the baseline. We hold no frame rate data, so no FPS figure is claimed. Headroom above 1 means the reference machine has room to spare at that resolution.
Common GPUs
| Graphics card | Verdict |
|---|---|
| GTX 1060 6 GB | Playable |
| GTX 1060 Laptop | Below minimum |
| GTX 1650 4 GB | Below minimum |
| GTX 1650 Laptop | Below minimum |
| RTX 2060 6 GB | Runs well |
| RTX 2060 Laptop | Playable |
| RTX 3060 12 GB | Runs great |
| RTX 3060 Laptop | Runs well |
| RTX 4060 8 GB | Runs great |
| RTX 4060 Laptop | Runs well |
| RTX 3070 8 GB | Runs great |
| RTX 3070 Laptop | Runs well |
| RTX 4070 12 GB | Runs great |
| RTX 4070 Laptop | Runs great |
| RX 6600 8 GB | Runs well |
Each card is compared against Microsoft Flight Simulator's published GPU requirement, assuming an otherwise-capable PC. Laptop rows use the real mobile chip's benchmark, a mobile GPU is always slower than its desktop namesake.
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Frequently asked questions
Can my PC run Microsoft Flight Simulator?
Upload your DxDiag file to Idxdiag's free checker and get a component by component compatibility verdict for Microsoft Flight Simulator in seconds. No install required.
What are the minimum system requirements for Microsoft Flight Simulator?
The minimum requirements are CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 2600X or Intel Core i7-6800K; GPU: Radeon RX 5700 or GeForce GTX 970; 16 GB RAM; OS: Windows 10.
How much storage does Microsoft Flight Simulator need?
Microsoft Flight Simulator needs about 50 GB of available storage.
Can an RTX 3060 run Microsoft Flight Simulator?
The RTX 3060 runs Microsoft Flight Simulator comfortably, clearing the title's GPU requirement with room to spare.
What is the bottleneck for Microsoft Flight Simulator?
On a typical modern PC (Ryzen 5 5600, RTX 3060, 16 GB RAM), the tightest component for Microsoft Flight Simulator is the RAM.