Hello Captains, and welcome back!
Now that Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 has officially celebrated its first birthday, some might be wondering: is MSFS 2020 obsolete? My short answer — absolutely not. Or more accurately, it doesn’t have to be.
Let’s not forget, there are still die-hard simmers squeezing every last drop out of FSX, and yes, even FS9. While active development for those platforms has long ceased, they continue to fly because the experience still holds value — and MSFS 2020 is no different.
Sure, many third-party developers have shifted focus to MSFS 2024, which might give the impression that 2020 is fading. But for those not ready to make the leap, MSFS 2020 remains a robust, feature-rich platform. Most add-ons built for it are still available, and in some cases — like the upcoming BlueBird Simulations 757 — releases may even land on 2020 before 2024.
Now, if you’re coming from P3D, FSX, or X-Plane and looking to upgrade, I’d strongly recommend MSFS 2024. Since the SU3 update in August, it’s matured significantly, and early testers of SU4 are reporting even better performance gains.
Bottom line: MSFS 2020 is far from dead.
Personally, I still fly it almost daily — especially for my airliner ops — while I wait for ChasePlane to arrive on the 2024 platform. Yes, MSFS 2024 runs smoother on my system, but MSFS 2020 still checks all the boxes for my workflow and immersion.
Until next time…
Happy Flying!!!
Jerry