The good stuff
- Unparalleled global scenery and atmospheric visuals; flying over real places still wows.
- Wide range of aircraft from trainers to heavy jets with deep systems for those who want it.
- Excellent for sightseeing, learning basic procedures, and hobbyist training.
The rage fuel
- Publisher tooling: mandatory Microsoft/Xbox account and a launcher that downloads the ‘real’ game separately.
- Download/install system is slow, fragile and often counts installation time as playtime—thwarting Steam refunds.
- The hobby tax: many desirable aircraft and airports are payware, pushing cost far beyond the base price.
First impressions: jaw‑dropping, then paperwork
Fire up MSFS2020 and the first fifteen minutes are almost cinematic: volumetric clouds, believable light scattering, and the kind of geography fidelity that has you circling your hometown like a surprised tourist. Several reviews call it “pure magic” and insist the core experience—flying over real places—is unmatched; that praise is well supported by players who use the sim for sightseeing, study, and even procedural practice.
Then reality intrudes: you must sign into a Microsoft/Xbox account before the game will let you proceed, even for singleplayer. Multiple users explicitly report getting stuck in account loops, family‑sharing confusion, or broken sign‑in controls. So yes, the game’s visuals are sublime, but the first thing many players actually fight with is an authentication dialog.
Installation and the download horror show
Steam installs a tiny launcher and then the launcher fetches the actual world: that second download is commonly 100–400+GB depending on options and VR. Several reviewers spent days coaxing that asset download to completion; some report repeated failures that restart progress from zero. The launcher’s behaviour is the single most frequent source of rageful reviews.
Here’s the kicker: the launcher runs while it downloads and Steam records that time as in‑game playtime. Multiple people complain that the installer exhausts their Steam refund window long before they ever get to try a flight. One reviewer even jokes that their ‘‘first 10 hours’’ were all just watching a progress bar. Insider joke: if you only bought MSFS to test it for two hours, congrats — you just funded Microsoft’s infrastructure for a week. (See the reviewer who watched the download simulator for hours.)
The flying: gorgeous, calming, and occasionally feral
Once you’re airborne the sim mostly repays the setup angst. Players repeatedly praise the sense of scale and immersion—sunsets through volumetric clouds, realistic handling across aircraft classes, and satisfying avionics in higher‑end models. One long‑time player professes that learning the 747‑8 startup and procedures has been an ultimate joy: if you love big iron, that particular jet is adored.
That said, realism demands investment. Several reviewers point out the keyboard is a miserable way to fly—controllers, HOTAS, or yokes are recommended. Insider joke: buying the $23 sale sim often comes with an informal $70 ‘required peripheral’ tax if you want to avoid flailing at the keyboard mid‑approach; one reviewer put the joystick as an unavoidable accessory.
Economy, mods and the hidden hobby tax
Out of the box, the base sim is very good for sightseeing and learning. But the community and third‑party ecosystem are where the sim really blossoms—and also where wallets get hurt. Multiple reviews call out expensive payware planes and premium scenery packs that can cost more than the base game; free community mods exist, but compatibility and fragmentation can be a pain.
A noisy subset of players view the ecosystem as predatory because many popular add‑ons cost tens or hundreds of dollars. If you want a deep, accurate airline experience you’ll likely spend considerably above the initial price. Insider joke: you can buy a convincing virtual airliner for half the price of an actual flight lesson, but—depending on your choices—you may still need a small mortgage to finish the cockpit.
Stability, updates and long‑term wear
Over time the sim attracts maintenance complaints: corrupted essential package updates, repeated download failures on reinstall, and occasional crashes on long flights. Several reviewers describe multi‑day struggles to get the launcher or specific world updates to complete; others note that ageing update systems and server issues can revive these problems months after purchase.
Practical takeaway: if you’re the kind of person who wants a low‑fuss experience that ‘‘just runs,’’ be prepared for occasional platform upkeep. If you enjoy troubleshooting PC software or already live in modding land, these issues are merely another part of the hobby.
Who should buy this, and who should wait
Buy it if you’re an aviation enthusiast who wants the whole planet to explore, and if you accept the sim as an ongoing hobby rather than a one‑time impulse purchase. The visuals, flight models, and sheer scale still make this the go‑to sim for sightseeing, VFR adventures, and building real‑world procedures.
Wait or skip if you expect instant gratification, rely on Steam refunds, or hate platform lock‑in. Also consider the total cost: hardware, controllers, and third‑party payware add up fast. On the plus side, lots of reviewers recommend waiting for a sale and remind newcomers that the default package is already strong for casual flying.
Worth your time?
Buy if: you love aviation, own decent PC hardware, don’t mind spending days installing things and possibly more on payware planes. Don’t buy if: you want instant play, value simple refunds, or hate forcing your Steam purchase through Microsoft/Xbox account loops. It’s a technical marvel that still behaves like a needy service dog: astonishing to behold, occasionally embarrassing to manage. Hardcore simmers and sightseers will love the world and the 747‑8 fans will worship the cockpit (bring a HOTAS, the keyboard is not the point). Casual players expecting a one‑click, one‑hour test drive should treat this like a long‑term hobby purchase and wait for a sale.