Runs on low-end PCs
Mentioned in ~1 in 5 positive reviews
“wonderful game and runs well on the potato computer i have”
Steam review · 16.9 h played ↗
Microsoft Flight Simulator X: Steam Edition
Worth buying? What 300 Steam reviews say.Worth buying? Here’s what 300 Steam reviews actually say.
Very Positive · 86%Very Positive · 86%Microsoft Game Studios2014Flight · Simulation · Adventure
The verdict
A 2006 flight sim that is cheap, runs on almost any PC and has a huge free and paid addon scene. Skip it if you want modern visuals, 64-bit stability or an easy install on Windows 11 or Linux.
Great for
Beginners and low-end PC owners who want a cheap, moddable flight sim and don't care about graphics
Main risk
It may crash, run out of memory or refuse to launch on a modern Windows or Linux setup
What changed in the last 30 days
21 recent reviews
Recent positive reviews mostly highlight that it runs on very weak hardware and works as a cheap, nostalgic sim. No specific patch or price change is evident, so confidence is moderate.
21 recent reviews
What players love
Huge addon and mod ecosystem
Mentioned in ~1 in 5 positive reviews
“hundreds of thousands of addons and tools to dial in the sim. to your liking.”
Steam review · 2182.2 h played ↗
Good for beginners and learning to fly
Mentioned in ~1 in 6 positive reviews
“It's a whole lot easier to set up and fly than some of the newer versions. Wonderful for a beginner.”
Steam review · 9.2 h played ↗
Nostalgia and plenty of content
Mentioned in ~1 in 7 positive reviews
“FSX still offers an impressive amount of content, freedom, and depth”
Steam review · 115.8 h played ↗
Cheap, great value on sale
Mentioned in ~1 in 8 positive reviews
“For the price, you absolutely cannot argue the value.”
Steam review · 162 h played ↗
Realistic cockpits and flight feel
Mentioned in ~1 in 9 positive reviews
“As a pilot I like the authenticity of most instrument panels”
Steam review · 536.5 h played ↗
What players complain about
Abandoned, Steam edition issues and settings resets
Mentioned in ~1 in 4 negative reviews
“This means if you buy a 3rd party dlc addon like I did (a bunch in fact) when they had this last sale... Well you are screwed when it comes to support.”
Steam review · 32 h played ↗
Crashes and out-of-memory (32-bit)
Mentioned in ~1 in 4 negative reviews
“the gaame is 32bit, it means, has ability just use 4G Ram, and if use it full texture afre 30 min will crash.”
Steam review · 28.9 h played ↗
Won't launch on modern Windows
Mentioned in ~1 in 5 negative reviews
“this product no longer runs on windows 11 i bought it and tried to play but it would crash on boot or just not open”
Steam review · 0.4 h played ↗
Outdated graphics and old design
Mentioned in ~1 in 6 negative reviews
“the scenery looks like Minecraft down below.”
Steam review · 1 h played ↗
Overpriced DLC and expensive addons
Mentioned in ~1 in 10 negative reviews
“Some individual planes cost more than the base game itself!”
Steam review · 4.7 h played ↗
No Linux, Steam Deck or Proton support
Mentioned in ~1 in 21 negative reviews
“Sadly doesn't work well on Linux/Steam Deck. Horrendous performance, graphical glitches, and very unstable.”
Steam review · 0.5 h played ↗
System requirements
From the Steam store page
Steam Deck: Unsupported30 GB
Minimum
OSWindows® XP Service Pack 2 or later
Processor2.0 Ghz or higher (single core)
Memory2 GB RAM
GraphicsDirectX®9 compliant video card or greater, 256 MB video RAM or higher, Shader Model 1.1 or higher (Laptop versions of these chipsets may work but are not supported. Updates to your video and sound card drivers may be required)
Storage30 GB available space
OSWindows® XP Service Pack 2 or later
Processor2.0 Ghz or higher (single core)
Memory2 GB RAM
GraphicsDirectX®9 compliant video card or greater, 256 MB video RAM or higher, Shader Model 1.1 or higher (Laptop versions of these chipsets may work but are not supported. Updates to your video and sound card drivers may be required)
Storage30 GB available space
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