Getting started with flight simulation: Microsoft Flight Simulator, X-Plane and hardware

There is this moment at the fence: a Boeing 737-800 turns onto final, the flaps extend, and you wonder what this approach feels like from the front. Flight simulation is for many spotters the logical continuation of the hobby – year-round, independent of the weather and with exactly the aircraft you otherwise watch through the telephoto lens. This guide shows you which simulator suits you, what your computer needs to handle, which controllers are worth getting first and how to build up your first flights so that the fun lasts.

Getting started with flight simulation: the short answer

To get started you need three things: a simulator, a computer or console that runs it smoothly, and a controller that works better than the keyboard. As of October 2026, most people choose between Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 and X-Plane 12. The Microsoft simulator thrives on its detailed, streamed world and an easy entry, X-Plane on its physics-based flight model and broad platform support. If you first want to try it out for free, FlightGear is also an open-source simulator.

Everything else – pedals, yoke, head tracking, add-on aircraft, online flying – is expansion. The most common mistake is to put a lot of money into accessories before it is clear whether you prefer flying a Cessna over the Alps or an Airbus over the Atlantic.

Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024: the world as a backdrop

Microsoft Flight Simulator has a long history, but the modern generation began in August 2020. The version of that time, developed by the French studio Asobo, relied consistently for the first time on map data from Bing Maps, which are loaded from the Azure cloud during the flight. Add to that real-time weather and real air traffic. The result: you can fly to practically any place on earth and recognize landscapes and cities.

The successor Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 was released on November 19, 2024 for Windows and Xbox Series X|S, followed on December 8, 2025 by the version for PlayStation 5. The main new feature is a career mode: you start at an airport of your choice, gather experience and qualifications and unlock activities such as rescue flights, aerial firefighting or scheduled passenger flights. For beginners this is a pleasant common thread, because you are not sitting in front of an empty world map.

The flip side: MSFS 2024 relies more heavily on streaming than earlier versions. According to the Steam page you need a Microsoft account and a broadband connection – at least 10 Mbit/s, 50 Mbit/s recommended. If you live in the countryside with shaky internet, you should take that seriously before buying.

X-Plane 12: physics first

X-Plane comes from the US developer Laminar Research and goes back to a project by Austin Meyer from 1995. The current main version, X-Plane 12, was fully released in December 2022 and has since been expanded with numerous updates, including a weather radar for supported aircraft.

The hallmark of X-Plane is its flight model based on the blade element method: wings, control surfaces and propellers are broken down into many small sections, and the aerodynamic forces are calculated for each section. As a result, an aircraft in X-Plane reacts directly to its geometry rather than to stored table values. With suitable hardware, X-Plane is also used in training devices that are part of FAA-approved training systems.

Practical for many beginners: X-Plane 12 runs on Windows, macOS and Linux, including on Macs with Apple silicon. If you have no Windows computer, you can hardly get around X-Plane.

The two simulators compared

Criterion	Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024	X-Plane 12
Developer	Asobo Studio, published by Xbox Game Studios	Laminar Research
Platforms	Windows, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5	Windows, macOS, Linux
Strength	detailed, streamed world, career mode	physics-based flight model, open platform
Internet	Broadband required (at least 10 Mbit/s per Steam)	needed for installation and updates
Minimum RAM	16 GB	8 GB
Storage (minimum)	50 GB	25 GB
Suits you if …	you want to start quickly and explore the world	you use a Mac or flight physics is your priority

Both simulators thrive on a large add-on market: extra aircraft, detailed airports and third-party tools. With airliners in particular, the default models and specialized add-ons sometimes differ considerably in systems depth. To start, the included aircraft are completely sufficient.

What your computer needs to handle

Flight simulators are among the most demanding programs on the home PC. Unlike many games, they stress processor, graphics card, memory and storage at the same time. The official specs at a glance:

Component	MSFS 2024 minimum	MSFS 2024 recommended	X-Plane 12 minimum	X-Plane 12 recommended
Operating system	Windows 10 (64-bit)	Windows 10 (64-bit)	Windows 10/11, macOS 12 or later, Linux	same as minimum
Processor	Ryzen 5 2600X / Core i7-6800K	Ryzen 7 2700X / Core i7-10700K	4+ cores (Core i3–i9, Ryzen 3–9)	Core i5-12600K, Ryzen 5 3500 or Apple silicon
Memory	16 GB	32 GB	8 GB	16–24 GB or more
Graphics card	GeForce GTX 970 / Radeon RX 5700	GeForce RTX 2080 / Radeon RX 5700 XT	Vulkan 1.3-capable, at least 2 GB VRAM	at least 8 GB VRAM, such as RTX 3070
Storage space	50 GB	50 GB	25 GB	–

Sources: Steam store page of MSFS 2024 and the system requirements from Laminar Research, as of October 2026.

In practice, minimum requirements mean: the simulator starts and runs, but with reduced detail. Over big cities in particular, or at detailed hubs like Frankfurt Airport, which you watch in real life from the Zeppelinheim viewing platform, for example, the frame rate then drops noticeably. Three rules of thumb help with planning:

• Do not skimp on memory. Add-on airports and detailed aircraft quickly take up additional memory. If you are wavering between two configurations, take the bigger one.
• An SSD is a must. Load times and the streaming in of scenery depend heavily on the drive. On a classic hard drive, every flight start becomes a test of patience.
• The console is a real alternative. If you do not have a powerful PC and do not want to upgrade, you can fly MSFS 2024 on the Xbox or PlayStation 5. The selection of add-ons and controllers is more limited there than on the PC, though.

Controllers: what is worth getting first

You can fly with a mouse and keyboard, but it is not sensitive. A gamepad works better, especially on the console. On the PC, the classic route is a dedicated controller. The most important categories:

• Joystick with throttle: The best way in. A stick for ailerons and elevator, a twist grip for the rudder and a throttle lever. With it you fly light aircraft and airliners cleanly enough to learn procedures.
• Yoke: Replicates the control column of many propeller aircraft and some airliners. In a Cessna 172 it feels much more realistic than a stick, but needs a sturdy table edge.
• Rudder pedals: Finally make the rudder and brakes realistically operable. You notice the difference immediately in crosswind landings and when taxiing.
• Throttle quadrant: Separate levers for the engines, often with flaps and spoilers. Worth it mainly if you fly mostly airliners.
• Head tracking and VR: With head tracking you look around the cockpit by turning your head slightly. A VR headset puts you right inside, but costs additional processing power.

If you want to give equipment as a gift or wish for something yourself, the guide to flight sim hardware as a gift has an overview by use case.

Which way in suits you?

The first flights: step by step

The temptation is big to start a long-haul jet right away. But if you have never learned to trim an aircraft by hand, you quickly face a forest of switches in the airliner. A structured start saves frustration.

A nice side effect for spotters: you suddenly understand why an aircraft intercepts the glidepath exactly where you otherwise stand at the fence. If you photograph at the Munich Airport visitors’ hill, for example, you can fly the same approach into Munich Airport from the pilot’s view in the simulator. It gets more demanding with approaches through narrow valleys like at Innsbruck Airport – there the simulator impressively shows why such airports have special procedures.

Flying online and the community

At some point, artificial air traffic control is no longer enough. Then it gets exciting: in online networks like VATSIM and IVAO you fly with other virtual pilots and are guided by volunteer controllers by voice radio – from Delivery through Ground and Tower to Approach. How these positions work together is described in the article Delivery, Ground, Tower, Approach, Center. You get an overview of rules, registration and first steps on the network in the guide to VATSIM and IVAO.

Before you venture onto the network, you should master the basics: the ICAO spelling alphabet, the common radio phraseology and the difference between English and German in aviation radio. Good practice is listening to real radio traffic – for example via web streams, as described in the article Listening to aviation radio online.

You find exchange in forums, on Discord servers and in groups where simmers and spotters often overlap. Where to meet like-minded people is shown in the guide Finding your place in the spotter community; there is a separate post on Discord specifically, Discord for plane spotters.

From the simulator to the real cockpit?

Many pilots report that their interest began with the home simulator. If flying will not let go of you, the next step is a real start: a sightseeing flight or a trial lesson, later perhaps the private pilot license PPL(A). The article Becoming a pilot summarizes the paths into the cockpit overall. The simulator is a good training tool for procedures and radio in this – but it does not convey the feel of the real aircraft.

Conclusion

Getting started with flight simulation is easier today than ever: Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 brings the whole world to PC and console, X-Plane 12 scores with physics and also runs on Mac and Linux. What matters is less perfect accessories than a computer that runs the simulator smoothly, a decent joystick and the patience to begin with traffic patterns instead of transatlantic flights. For spotters the hobby is an ideal complement – afterward you understand better at the fence what is happening above you.