Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 is less than two months away from release. However, PC flight sim fans who want the best visual and performance experience might want to consider updating their rig with more RAM and possibly a faster internet connection.
Are you planning to fly on PC? Here are the minimum, recommended, and ideal system requirements for #MicrosoftFlightSimulator2024. 🖥️
— Microsoft Flight Simulator ✈️ (@MSFSofficial) September 19, 2024
🔗 https://t.co/pBmUKmFXgP pic.twitter.com/yDdsDaxutR
This week, the game"s official X account posted its PC hardware requirements in a minimal, recommended, and new "ideal" category. That higher level will need at least 64GB of RAM and a 100Mbps internet connection, according to Microsoft. Here"s what your PC will need to run the game at these settings:
Microsoft Flight Simulator PC Hardware Requirements
Minimum
- Minimal Operating system: Windows 10 (with latest updates)
- Direct X version: DX12
- CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 2600X / Intel Core i7-6800K
- GPU: Radeon RX 5700 / GeForce GTX 790
- VRAM: 4GB
- RAM: 16GB
- Storage: 50GB
- Bandwidth: 10 Mbps
Recommended
- Minimal Operating system: Windows 10 (with latest updates)
- Direct X version: DX12
- CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 2700X / Intel Core i7-10700K
- GPU: Radeon RX 5700 XT / GeForce RTX 2080
- VRAM: 8GB
- RAM: 32GB
- Storage: 50GB
- Bandwidth: 50 Mbps
Ideal
- Minimal Operating system: Windows 10 (with latest updates)
- Direct X version: DX12
- CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 7900X / Intel i7 14700K
- GPU: Radeon RX 7900 XT / GeForce RTX 4080
- VRAM: 12GB
- RAM: 64GB
- Storage: 50GB
- Bandwidth: 100 Mbps
Oddly, the game"s system requirements don"t mention any monitor resolution settings for any of the hardware speculation levels. They also don"t indicate if the game would benefit from an SSD. There"s also no mention of any support for ultrawide monitors or if it will support a multi-monitor setup.
Another interesting aspect of these specs is that the storage amounts are relatively low, at 50GB. On an FAQ page, Microsoft reveals that it will be using cloud servers to stream content to the PC.
When users load into the sim, only the textures, meshes, and map data that they need will be downloaded to avoid unnecessary bandwidth and disk space usage. This will keep the minimum specifications of the sim as low as it is now and will also reduce update and load times.
Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 will be released on November 17 for PC and Xbox Series X and S consoles. The Standard Edition will be a Day One release for PC Game Pass and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. Microsoft will offer four editions of the game, including an Aviator"s Edition with 125 planes and a cost of $199.99.