20% off on Steam until April 30th

Really waffling over picking it up now or waiting for the Summer Sale. MSFS2020 is very stable and runs very well; I see tons of threads about issues with 2024 not running well for everyone, even really high end PCs still having issues, needing to lock 30fps etc. Career mode is still buggy by many reports, while also being vastly improved according to other reports.

I'm sure 2024 will run on my system - I'm just not sure it will run well enough to justify the switch. I'm not finished with or bored by 2020 by any means; I have Neofly for career stuff, and I'm still learning the GA ropes, haven't even touched airliners or helicopters or fighter jets yet. Will cross the 80 hour mark on 2020 this weekend. Initially I was thinking about waiting until I absolutely ran out of planes to fly and things to do, since I know you get more in 2024 (blimps, hot air balloons, the crane helicopter etc)

On the flip side, 2024 is the future - most new mods and content are being released with that in mind. It objectively does look better than 2020, in the screenshots and videos I've seen. Bush-flying especially. 

I don't want to get technical, this isn't a 'will my PC run it' thread. I'm curious how many people are still using 2020 over 2024 and why. If you switched to 2024, what made you finally switch? If you refuse to switch yet, what's holding you back?

7 minutes ago, Kristofski said:

I see tons of threads about issues with 2024 not running well for everyone,

You aren't seeing the tons of threads saying how mind numbingly amazing it is? 

As I've said a million times since 2024, I switched on hour one of day one and have never given MSFS2020 a second thought since. But it was never something I was going to particularly agonize over to be honest. 

Don't forget, it's not an irreversible decision like getting your cat neutered. Try it. If you don't like it, uninstall it. Simple.  

I think your analysis has already answered your question. Stay with 2020. I would never buy a new product because it's on sale when I'm happy with the "old" one, which isn't that old after all.

The 2024 sale is worth it only if you love VFR flying and hiking.

If, however, you love IFR flying, a smooth flight experience, and clarity in high-altitude flights, I recommend 2020.

Even in the latest Development livestream, the Microsoft/Asobo team reported that they're still fixing issues that existed since launch and that, in terms of new features, they'll be stuck for the rest of 2026. Furthermore, they made it clear that in some areas, 2020 is better than 2024.

Or at least before deciding on the upgrade I would wait for the su5 release, which should solve the fluidity ( Vram use) but at that point the discount will most likely no longer be available

Edited April 17Apr 17 by LIML2020

You can have both versions installed on your computer as I do providing you have the disc space. You start the one you want. 

Is this 20% off on MSFS2024 Steam version country specific? Can't see it from France. Would love to share the discount to the Community.

This is what I see on Steam - 

6 minutes ago, vbazillio said:

Is this 20% off on MSFS2024 Steam version country specific?

Unsure - I'm in Canada, could be region specific. Bummer if that's the case

 

16 minutes ago, The Flight Level said:

You can have both versions installed on your computer as I do providing you have the disc space

Disc space is certainly an issue lol Since you have both versions installed, do you mind sharing which one you play more of? If you have 2024 what keeps you going back to 2020?


I also love that the first two answers in the thread are completely different takes LOL This is what I'm here for!

8 minutes ago, Kristofski said:

I also love that the first two answers in the thread are completely different takes LOL This is what I'm here for!

Trust me if you had included FSX in the discussion there would still be those who would argue that it was better than 2020 and 2024 combined. A lot of people will swear blind that what they have is the best sim when they are ultimately just intimidated by the idea of change. People like what they like and you just have to take the plunge and see for yourself. Or not. What are you going to do - let the thread run for a week or so and then tally up the numbers before deciding?

@Kristofski I use 2024 95% of the time. If an aircraft or scenery package is not available in 2024 that I need for a video, I use 2020. With more systems depth aircraft on the horizon ..... M600, Phenom 300E and the Praetor 600, I will be 100% 2024.

I suggest If you are happy with 2020, then stay with it for a while longer.

1 hour ago, Kristofski said:

 I see tons of threads about issues with 2024 not running well for everyone, even really high end PCs still having issues

Is this satire?  2024 runs better on a potato PC than 2020.

But yeah no one is forcing you to switch.

I've been using it since day 2 (and the launch was terrible there's no denying that).  But as of SU4 it's just as stable for me as 2020, if not better.  The load times are way way faster as well.  It's a incredible playground for flight simulation... we have addons galore for both GA and airliners (and stuff in between)!  

It's a great time to be a simmer!

(By the way I'm a real pilot and ATC - I easily prefer 24 over 20)

Edited April 17Apr 17 by ryanbatc

1 hour ago, Kristofski said:

20% off on Steam until April 30th

Really waffling over picking it up now or waiting for the Summer Sale. MSFS2020 is very stable and runs very well; I see tons of threads about issues with 2024 not running well for everyone, even really high end PCs still having issues, needing to lock 30fps etc. Career mode is still buggy by many reports, while also being vastly improved according to other reports.

I don't want to get technical, this isn't a 'will my PC run it' thread. I'm curious how many people are still using 2020 over 2024 and why. If you switched to 2024, what made you finally switch? If you refuse to switch yet, what's holding you back?

I switched to MSFS 2024 last December when I purchased a new PC. I could not have run it on my old PC anyway (only 6GB VRAM), but the release of SU4 convinced me that MSFS 2024 was by that time stable enough for me to take the risk.......and I am so glad that I did. It looks better than MSFS 2020 (some people question that, but it takes all sorts), dawn/dusk lighting is more subtle (the "red band" looks more realistic), the "horizon line through mountains" bug has been fixed, those "land bars" (strips of land across river mouths and harbours that nearly drove me crazy in MSFS 2020) have disappeared, and there is vastly improved DEM and vector data.

I have not suffered a single CTD or WASM crash in MSFS 2024 to date. It definitely needs more VRAM than MSFS 2020, but then we only have DX12 mode as an option in MSFS 2024, so that is to be expected. To be honest, only the VRAM (I have 12GB VRAM now, and I see my system pushing this limit in very dense scenery areas @ 1920x1080 resolution (with DSR @ 1.75x), and the fact that GAIST does not work in AI Offline mode are the only two issues for me. Yes, the ATC is rubbish, and the wheels disappear from AI planes at a distance way too close to the observer, but those are also problems in MSFS 2020, and therefore irrelevant to this discussion.

All of my MSFS 2020 addons (mostly airports, but also a few VFR City Landmark packs) that do not have MSFS 2024 specific versions run just fine in the new simulator, even when the MS Marketplace states "Unverified" or even "incompatible" (as BM World LEBB Bilbao is defined; it looks and works just fine for me if you disable the Gaya hand crafted version).

I have absolutely no interest in Career mode, so that is irrelevant to me. Your requirements may be different. As for locking framerates at 30fps, I have never locked my framerates in any flight simulator, and this one is no exception. I also do not use any frame generation software to "boost" my framerates, since frames are not the critical issue with my system (VRAM is far more important).

Another thing worth mentioning is the load times. MSFS 2024 loads a lot faster than MSFS 2020 to the main menu. However, it is the speed at which it loads when you have selected your aircraft/airport combo that is really outstanding. I have as much of the simulator installed on my M2 Nvme drive as I can (since I prefer that to streaming everything), and yet it still loads everything in a few seconds!! The only time it takes longer is when you select a payware aircraft that is being used for the first time (or when it has been upgraded). The simulator has to compile it first, so it takes longer. However, even that generally only takes about a minute on my PC.

If your PC can run MSFS 2024 (your specification would be useful to know), and you do 99%+ of your flying in "Free Flight" mode, then I see no reason not to upgrade.

Edited April 17Apr 17 by Christopher Low

I suspect we'll be seeing these is it time to switch threads well into the 2030's and beyond. 🤭

dd

 

Edited April 17Apr 17 by Sky_Pilot071

1 hour ago, Kristofski said:

Unsure - I'm in Canada, could be region specific. Bummer if that's the case

Not visible from France 😉

1 hour ago, LIML2020 said:

The 2024 sale is worth it only if you love VFR flying and hiking.

If, however, you love IFR flying, a smooth flight experience, and clarity in high-altitude flights, I recommend 2020.

2024 user here and 95% of my use is high altitude IFR flights. Leaps and bounds ahead of 2020 in every aspect.