Have been flying pretty much exclusively the FX Citation and am looking to move into airliners. Was looking at the 737-800 and 737-600. See that the 800 is more than twice the cost of the 600. Other than the size ofc is there really that much difference in the 2 planes ? Thanks for any help.

The 800 comes with the freighter and the business jet variants. Also when you are interested into flying real world airliner's routes, the 800 is the most commonly used 737 variant by far.

Virtually no one flies the 600 these days.

If you just want the 737 experience buy the 600 plenty of liveries to download and it's great fun because of the performance. I started with the 600 and purchased the 800 later on but I probably fly the 600 just as much but then just because it's not that relevant in the 'real world' anymore doesn't really matter to me 😆

If you already know you want to fly real airline routes most of the time, I'd go straight to the 800. That's the variant you see everywhere, and the freighter plus BBJ versions make the package easier to justify. If you mainly want to learn the PMDG 737 and keep the entry cost down, the 600 is still a very good buy because the cockpit flow is basically the same and it's a fun little rocket. Personally I'd pick based on the kind of flying you want to do. For route variety and real-world relevance, the 800 gives you a lot more room.

25 minutes ago, Neutrino Flux said:

If you just want the 737 experience buy the 600 plenty of liveries to download and it's great fun because of the performance. I started with the 600 and purchased the 800 later on but I probably fly the 600 just as much but then just because it's not that relevant in the 'real world' anymore doesn't really matter to me 😆

Yes real world doesn't matter to me. Mainly want to fly 1 hr flight such as ksan-klas klas-kphx then back to ksan. So the 600 would be better adapted to those flights. Thank you

Yes, the 600 is definitely the better option if you are not bothered about real world types on real world routes. You get exactly the same level of detail and systems depth. It is an absolute bargain as far as value for money is concerned.

Get the 600 if on a budget, same system depth, you can get in and out of smaller regional airfields, down side not really any real world flights if thats your thing but great bargain. 800 is by the far most popular 737 though and like others said you get passenger, freighter, and business versions as the 600 does not have those options.

Yeah but the 800 also can fly those routes and it flies more like an airliner then the 600.

It is the PMDG flagship for a reason.

Can't beat the price for the 600 though

Basically the same plane but it flies very differently.

On 5/3/2026 at 2:08 AM, bmarcoux2 said:

Have been flying pretty much exclusively the FX Citation and am looking to move into airliners. Was looking at the 737-800 and 737-600. See that the 800 is more than twice the cost of the 600. Other than the size ofc is there really that much difference in the 2 planes ? Thanks for any help.

Buy the 600 and don’t look back!

The only difference between the variants is how many people they seat. And that only matters to the bean counters at the airlines, not the pilots.

same exact systems across all the 737 variants so you’re not missing out on any functionality at all.  Has absolutely no effect on flight simulation. 

Now, the 600 is indeed a bit lighter but has the same engines, so that means it can operate from slightly shorter airfields and has a bit more acceleration, too. 

Again, no practical difference for flight simulation, but it also proves you’re not getting a stripped down “low horsepower” addon. 

If, later on, you decide you’d like another variant, PMDG usually throws a big sale once per year. IIRC, it’s their corporate birthday. Generally about a 30-ish percent discount. 

I used it this year to get a screaming good deal on the 777 Freighter 😁👍

If you want to buy a PMDG 737, the main question you have to ask yourself is if you are purist enough to fly the correct variant for each airlines.

If the answer is YES, then buy the 737-800. It is the most used variant with many in service.

if the answer is NO, they buy the 737-600, the system are the same as the -800 and you will find a lot of fictional liveries for the most important airlines. So if you don't mind flying a KLM or Ryanair 737-600, you will save some money.

 

On 5/3/2026 at 7:08 PM, bmarcoux2 said:

Have been flying pretty much exclusively the FX Citation and am looking to move into airliners. Was looking at the 737-800 and 737-600. See that the 800 is more than twice the cost of the 600. Other than the size ofc is there really that much difference in the 2 planes ? Thanks for any help.

You know, the DC-6 is a joy to fly even with some caveats in MSFS 2024. It is an airliner in its era.

If you only want one, I'd go with the 737-800. For me it's the easiest one to justify because it gives you the broadest real-world route coverage and still feels like the core PMDG experience. The -600 is great if you specifically like the shorter classic-feeling variant, but as a first buy I'd still pick the -800.

Nobody is mentioning the Fenix Elephant in the room?  

49 minutes ago, St Mawgan said:

Nobody is mentioning the Fenix Elephant in the room?  

edit

Edited May 5May 5 by pete_auau

Quote

Have been flying pretty much exclusively the FX Citation and am looking to move into airliners

 ... is what the OP is asking. There is PMDG of course, but there are others he or she may not be aware of.