Microsoft Flight Simulator (2020) 40th Anniversary Edition: Complete Guide

A practical guide to MSFS 2020 for new and returning pilots: setup, assists, your first flights, navigation, the aircraft worth learning, World Updates, the Marketplace, and performance tuning.

Researched September 2026 — current as of the 40th Anniversary Edition with World Update 21: Australia (May 5, 2026). Live games change; check the linked sources if something differs.

Which sim is this? This guide covers Microsoft Flight Simulator (2020), which launched in August 2020 and received the free 40th Anniversary Edition update in November 2022. Its successor, Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024, released in November 2024 as a separate product. MSFS 2020 is still sold, still receives World and City Updates, and has an enormous add-on library.

Quick Start

1. Run the Flight Training first. The built-in lessons teach attitude, trim, turns, landing patterns, and radio basics. They're the fastest way to stop crashing.
2. Start with the Cessna 172 Skyhawk. It's forgiving, well documented, and every real-world tutorial applies to it.
3. Pick your assist level. The Assistance Options menu has presets ranging from full assistance to True to Life, and you can customize each setting individually. Turn on crash damage and realistic torque later.
4. Map a few controls before your first flight. Throttle, flaps, trim, brakes, and a camera hat are the essentials.
5. Use the checklist system. Interactive checklists highlight the switch you need and can even do steps for you.
6. Install content via the Content Manager. World Updates and City Updates must be downloaded there; some updates (City Update 13) require you to manually update older World Updates too.
7. Fly in live weather once you're comfortable. It's realistic, which also means crosswinds, low clouds, and storms.
8. Lower rolling cache or clear it if the world looks wrong, and use the Data options if your connection is limited.
9. Save flights before tricky approaches so you can retry landings without re-flying the route.

Editions and What's Included

The 40th Anniversary Edition content is included for all owners. The current Steam listing describes 37 airplanes, gliders, and helicopters, 25 handcrafted airports, 4 classic commercial airports, 14 heliports, and 15 glider airports in Standard.

40th Anniversary highlights

• Airbus A310 airliner.
• Two helicopters and 14 heliports (helicopters were new to MSFS 2020 with this update).
• Two gliders and 15 glider airports, with thermals and ridge lift.
• Seven historical aircraft, including the Hughes H-4 Hercules ("Spruce Goose").
• Four classic commercial airports and 24 classic missions from the franchise's history.

Controls: The Essentials

Exact bindings depend on your device; these are the functions you must map.

Hardware: A cheap joystick with a throttle lever is a huge upgrade over keyboard and mouse. Rudder pedals are nice but optional; a twist-grip stick covers rudder. MSFS 2020 supports VR (OpenXR and SteamVR headsets, added as a free update on December 22, 2020) and Xbox controllers.

Your First Flights

Flight 1: Pattern work in a Cessna 172

1. Pick a small airport with a long runway and set clear weather.
2. Line up, full throttle, rotate around 55 knots indicated airspeed, climb at a gentle pitch.
3. Fly a rectangular traffic pattern: crosswind, downwind, base, final.
4. On downwind, reduce power, add a notch of flaps, and trim for a steady descent.
5. On final, aim for the runway numbers, keep the speed stable, and flare gently just above the runway.

Repeat until landings stop being a coin flip. This single skill carries over to every aircraft.

Flight 2: A short cross-country

• Plan in the World Map: choose departure, arrival, and "VOR to VOR" or "Low Altitude Airways" for a route.
• Use the G1000 or steam gauge navigation, or fly visually by following roads, rivers, and coastlines.
• Tune ATC to request flight following and landing clearance.

Navigation and ATC

• VFR (visual flight rules): fly by looking outside. Good for scenic flights and bush flying.
• IFR (instrument flight rules): fly by instruments and flight plan. Needed for airliners and bad weather.
• Garmin G1000 and G3000 glass cockpits handle flight plans, autopilot, and approaches. Learn the Flight Plan (FPL) and Direct-To buttons first.
• Autopilot modes: HDG (heading), ALT (altitude hold), VS (vertical speed), NAV (follow flight plan), APR (approach).
• In-game ATC handles clearances and handoffs. It's simplified but useful; community tools like third-party ATC add more realism.

Aircraft to Learn, in Order

Helicopters are a separate skill: collective, cyclic, and anti-torque pedals need practice. Start by hovering in a large open space with assists enabled.

World Updates, City Updates, and the Marketplace

• World Updates are free regional improvements (photogrammetry, points of interest, handcrafted airports). Recent ones include World Update 20: Japan (September 2025) and World Update 21: Australia (May 5, 2026), which added 40 areas of interest across all six Australian states and two main territories.
• City Updates add photogrammetry cities, such as City Update 13: California (January 28, 2026) with 18 urban areas from Sacramento to San Diego.
• Marketplace sells third-party aircraft, airports, and scenery; frequent sales (e.g., the April 2026 Spring Sale) can cut prices heavily.
• Freeware add-ons (via community sites) go into your Community folder. Keep it tidy; conflicting add-ons cause crashes and missing scenery.

Performance Tuning

• Rendering scaling and terrain level of detail are the biggest performance levers. Lower terrain LOD before touching anything else.
• DirectX 12 vs DirectX 11: DX12 is available; test both on your system.
• Bandwidth: the sim streams Bing Maps photogrammetry via Azure. Wikipedia (citing Windows Central) lists 5 Mbps minimum, 20 Mbps recommended, and 50 Mbps ideal. You can fly offline with a rolling or manual cache.
• Photogrammetry is heavy. If cities stutter, lower object LOD or disable photogrammetry for a smoother experience.
• Frame generation and upscaling options depend on your GPU; test DLSS/FSR with your target frame rate.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Flying without trim. Constant stick pressure means constant oscillations.
• Landing too fast. Most bad landings come from excess speed. Use flaps and the published approach speeds.
• Ignoring mixture at altitude in piston aircraft (leading to rough engines and poor performance).
• Overloading the Community folder with outdated add-ons after a sim update.
• Forgetting to update World Updates in the Content Manager when a newer City Update requires them.
• Starting with the airliners. Airliners are fun but assume you know autopilot and FMS logic.
• Using the keyboard for rudder in crosswinds. An axis makes this much easier.

Advanced Tips

• Learn real-world charts: approach plates (from official sources) make IFR flying in the sim much more rewarding.
• Use a flight planner (such as SimBrief) to build realistic routes and import them.
• Bush trips and landing challenges are the best structured practice after Flight Training.
• Gliders: read the sky for cumulus clouds and ridges; the 40th Anniversary gliders model thermals and ridge lift.
• Replay and save points: save the flight before approach so you can practice the same landing repeatedly.
• Multiplayer: live players show up in the world; turn on "All Players" for shared skies or group flights with friends.

FAQ

Should I buy MSFS 2020 or MSFS 2024? They're separate products. MSFS 2020 has a mature add-on library and runs on many systems; MSFS 2024 is the newer sim with new features. Check whether the add-ons you care about support your choice.

Do I get the 40th Anniversary content for free? Yes, it's part of MSFS 2020 for all owners.

Can I play offline? Yes, using caches, though you lose live photogrammetry, weather, and traffic.

Does it support VR? Yes, via OpenXR and SteamVR headsets.

Where do I install mods? Put freeware add-ons into the Community folder; Marketplace items install through the in-sim Marketplace.

What's the easiest aircraft for beginners? The Cessna 172 Skyhawk.

Sources

• Microsoft Flight Simulator (2020) 40th Anniversary Edition on Steam
• Steam news feed: World Update 21, City Update 13, Marketplace sales
• Microsoft Flight Simulator (2020) — Wikipedia