Steam doesn't use any more resources than MS Store. And both can be turned off until you need them if they really make you feel uncomfortable for some reason. I've never heard of a single Steam user having issues whereas MS Store issues are commonly reported, user incompetence related or not. 

1 hour ago, Noel said:

Never have had any issues with installs, updates, reinstalls of 2020 and now 2024 via the Store.  Others apparently do but I wonder how widespread it really is.  In terms of "simplicity", I can't imagine anything more straightforward and 'simple' than installing either sim from the Store.

It wasn't the install that caused me to move to steam, it was the inability to get the game to subsequently run after an update or two (this was very early on in 2020).

Switched to Steam and haven't had any issues since, so I stuck with it for v2024.

Edited June 6, 20251 yr by UrgentSiesta

Well, I went all-in in on the Aviators Edition, and on balance, I'm pretty sure I'd do it again.

I've always loved planes of all sorts, and the Avs Ed gives me the opportunity to explore, admire, and fly so many, even if at a superficial level.

It's as good an experience as any of the (multitude) of aviation books & magazines I've purchased.

All depends on what experience you're looking for... 🤙

Edited June 6, 20251 yr by UrgentSiesta

1 hour ago, St Mawgan said:

Steam doesn't use any more resources than MS Store.

But you don't open the MS Store to execute MSFS 2024.  I suppose you can configure Steam to shut down on it's own or shut it down and still be good presumably--is that true?  In know in my Win 10 install for two games I use it stays open but can be shut down w/o issues.

3 hours ago, St Mawgan said:

Steam doesn't use any more resources than MS Store

I don't need to open MS Store or have it active in windows taskbar to run either sim, on the other hand, in order to run any game under Steam, you have to open it and sign in.

And no, steam doesn't make me feel uncomfortable...LOL

14 hours ago, Luis Hernandez said:

2) I usually fly airliners in South America and sometimes Europe, with a bit of VFR. I already have MSFS2020 Premium Deluxe. This means I should already have the 787, LEMD, EDDF and EGLL for 2024. Any advantages of going with 2024 Premium Deluxe instead of Standard (apart from a lighter wallet)?

Luis question does not seem to have been answered. I have the 2020 Premium version and can someone please confirm or not if the basic 2024 edition is purchased, all the aircraft in the 2020 premium edition will be available?

I know this was talked about early in the 2024 release information but it seems to have been muddied over time

Kev

14 hours ago, jcomm said:

Standard edition from the MS Store... In Rome be Roman 😁

This.

11 hours ago, CarlosF said:

I don't need to open MS Store or have it active in windows taskbar to run either sim, on the other hand, in order to run any game under Steam, you have to open it and sign in.

MS Store runs in the background and you need to be signed in to it but no, you won't see it in your Taskbar. 

Let's just call it MS Steam which is what it is really. 

11 minutes ago, St Mawgan said:

MS Store runs in the background and you need to be signed in to it but no, you won't see it in your Taskbar. 

Let's just call it MS Steam which is what it is really. 

LOL 🤣

One thing to consider: You bought MSFS 2020 on Steam. I seem to remember they once said you need to stay on Steam with MSFS2024 to keep your store-bought and in-sim purchases, and this includes the Deluxe / Premium items. If you switch to MS Store, you need to buy the Premium Deluxe in order to keep the planes. 

I'd go with Steam. You already have an account there so it's not like you have to make an effort to buy there, or install an additional piece of software you don't already have on your PC. I tried MSFS2020 using MS Store and Gamepass, but switched to Steam when buying it. I've always used Steam without any issues, and also the directory structure made sense.

Both were things I had issues with in MS Store, I remember the update process occasionally wouldn't start in MS Store after a sim update was released, also the base game is installed in a weird folder with a cryptic name that's hidden and has restricted access rights, which I found super annoying. For MSFS this isn't very relevant, as the bulk of the install is downloaded in-game to a separate user-defined folder anyway, but these were a few of the reasons why I prefer Steam. 

Overall MSFS 2024 runs great on my system, but on complex airports I feel my 5800 X3D struggling and I'm strongly limited by main-thread, even though I use AutoFPS to adjust my TLOD / OLOD on ground. Frame generation helps to a degree, but when panning I get to a point where I really feel the lag between the movement of my mouse  and the reaction on screen.

I have 2020 on Steam, I have 2024 on MS Store. I made a bad choice going through MS Store (but it was cheaper...), the whole issue with files being locked behind the Microsoft Security nonsense is a drawback (they're not on Steam), the whole mess of having files all over the place doesn't help, MS Store is much more of an annoyance to me. But then I have been using Steam for years, it's a brilliant platform, uses barely any resources in the background (so that's a non-argument to start with) and it just simply works better as a dedicated gaming platform.

So OP seeing as you went with Steam for 2020 I'd say stick to Steam for 2024 it's a no brainer, I hate MS Store so much I'm gonna rebuy the Sim on Steam one day!

You already use Steam so it makes sense to keep both sims on the same platform.

Only get Premium if you want the extra airports and aircraft. If you buy loads of add-ons, then save some money and get Standard.

19 hours ago, CO2Neutral said:

you'll not be able to achieve better image quality than 2020 with that GPU.

Um that's not true at all. I have an 8GB GPU too and most of my settings are set to medium with ultra clouds and visually, it absolutely smokes 2020.

Edited June 7, 20251 yr by Krakin

I have 2020 from Store but bought 2024 on steam, past experience of MS Store with 2020 is that its a pile of excrement, like many I've had problems with it and as for the rather ludicrous update  processes within it....you can teach monkeys to code better than that

Never had a single problem with steam

 

 

Steam.  I have not seen anyone have issues with MSFS24 caused by steam, I have seen issues cause by the MS Store.