Microsoft Flight Simulator system requirements revealed

Humza

Posts: 1,026   +171
Staff member
Highly anticipated: Microsoft has revealed the system requirements for Flight Simulator, indicating that the game's release isn't too far off and the wait should give players enough time to prepare their PCs before taking to the skies.

The release of Microsoft's Flight Simulator would no doubt excite many a joystick at home, as the game will let players take off from any one of the 37,000 real-world airports and fly across beautiful uninhabited vistas in the daytime with real-time air traffic, only to be further blown away by thousands of twinkling night lights in cities (and their cockpits).

With the game due out sometime this year, the company has published the following system requirements, all of which need to run on top of Windows 10 version 1909 (November 2019 update).

Minimum specs:

  • CPU: Ryzen 3 1200 or Intel i5-4460
  • GPU: Radeon RX 570 or Nvidia GTX 770
  • VRAM: 2GB
  • RAM: 8GB
  • HDD: 150GB
  • Bandwidth: 5 Mbps

Recommended specs:

  • CPU: Ryzen 5 1500X or Intel i5-8400
  • GPU: Radeon RX 590 or Nvidia GTX 970
  • VRAM: 4GB
  • RAM: 16GB
  • HDD: 150GB
  • Bandwidth: 20 Mbps

Ideal specs:

  • CPU: Ryzen 7 Pro 2700X or Intel i7-9800X
  • GPU: Radeon VII or Nvidia RTX 2080
  • VRAM: 8GB
  • RAM: 32GB
  • HDD: 150GB SSD
  • Bandwidth: 50 Mbps

Unlike most games, the bandwidth requirements for this title are stated upfront because much of its data will be streamed to players from Microsoft servers, as putting the game's entire content on physical media would need 20,000 blu-ray discs.

The developers, however, have been working on ways to load certain areas of the world ahead of time for helping those with slower internet connections and enabling offline play, likely expanding the game's 150GB initial file size.

It's also why the 'Ideal' specs for the game don't mention the top-spec RTX 2080Ti but do require a 50Mbps internet connection. Although the 'Ti' variant would likely help with improving visuals where possible with more power and memory, streaming assets and live weather data from Bing, including hurricanes, thunderstorms, and rainbows into a player's session in 4K is equally important for the game and thus needs such high bandwidth.

Microsoft has also committed to supporting third-party and community content, meaning accessibility and content improvements over time to a game that will probably keep fans airborne for years to come.

Permalink to story.

 
Never particularly helpful for determining what kind of machine you need for a given performance.

I wish all developers said you need X,X and X for a locked low 720p/30fps, medium 1080/60 and high 1440/60.

Or something along those lines. At least it gives everyone an idea instead of sitting around for benchmarks a few days after launch. It also holds them more culpable for optimization.
 
The game has 3 modes, offline lower world quality mode, cache mode, always online. The game is made with always online as the preferred way to play. Otherwise the live air traffic and weather will not work.
Why do you guys insist on calling a simulator a game???? Games have predetermined scenarios programmed in. Simulators don't. Their purpose is to mimic real life, which games NEVER do...
 
It's not a game. It's a simulator. ...and No, they are not the same thing...
that is deep. Now, tell me, you can't play it using mouse and keyboard? do you need a full fledged cockpit with full feedback all switches?
And no, a lot of games do not have a scenario programmed, look at minecraft.
Microsoft call this game a game. Tell spencer he is stupid.
 
Back