Microsoft Flight Simulator (MSFS) 2020 – Game is Crashing – How to fix

Microsoft Flight Simulator MSFS crashing fix – It looks like a lot of players are facing constant crashes while playing Microsoft Flight Simulator. Here are some fixes:

Microsoft Flight Simulator (MSFS) 2020 – Game is Crashing – How to fix

Make sure you have at least Windows 10 version 18362.0

Though the Steam page of Microsoft Flight Simulator doesn’t have it mentioned, you need to have your Windows 10 updated to version 18362.0 or higher. The Xbox page has that clearly mentioned.

If you don’t know how to check your Windows build then all you have to do is:

• Press Windows+R keys on your keyboard
• Type winver and press enter

Your build details will pop up in a small window. It should look something like this:

Update your Graphics Card drivers (Fix for crashes)

If you are facing crashes then that might be because of your outdated graphics drivers. Though Nvidia and AMD have not released drivers specially for MSFS, it is wise to use the latest ones. Here are the links:

1. Nvidia Drivers
2. AMD Drivers

Repair Microsoft Flight Simulator to fix crashes (For Xbox app users)

If you are playing MSFS on the Xbox (beta) app on your Windows 10 PC then you can actually repair the game. This will fix the game if there are any sort of missing or broken files. Here is how to do it:

• Go to your Windows Settings
• Select Apps & features
• Look for Microsoft Flight Simulator from the app list
• Click on Microsoft Flight Simulator once you find it (Just use sort by : size)
• Select Advanced options
• Click on Repair
• Wait until the process is completed
• Restart the Xbox(beta) app

Clear Steam Download Cache

Try clearing your Steam download cache. Here is how to do it:

• Launch Steam
• Go to Settings
• Click on Downloads
• Select Clear Download Cache
• Restart Steam

Clear the temporary junk files on your PC

• Go to the Start menu on your Desktop.
• Press the Windows key+R at the same time.
• Type in %TEMP% and press Enter.
• Select All (Edit > Select All or Ctrl+A).
• Click the Delete key.

Close Overclocking apps

Recently a lot of games have been facing constant crashes and freezing due to overclocking utilities like MSI Afterburner or the Zotac Firestorm. Try to run your graphics card at base clock speeds and try to avoid overclocking as of now.

Check Anti-Virus Software on your System

Anti-Virus software hooks very deep into user systems and can affect disk and network operations which can cause crashes in games. Some games also use copy protection technology that can appear as malicious software to an AV scanner, resulting in potential false-positive alerts.

Try disabling your Anti-Virus software temporarily and then run Microsoft Flight Simulator. It may also be necessary to add exceptions for MSFS in your AV configuration.

Update your DirectX version

DirectX 11 users are witnessing very high amount of crashes while playing Microsoft Flight Simulator. So ahead and update it.

Here is how to do it:

• Go to the official Microsoft DirectX download page. Here is the link
• Choose language
• Now click on the download button
• Once the download is completed, open the “dxwebsetup.exe” file
• Follow the instructions
• Restart your PC

Here is a Microsoft DirectX compatiblity chart that will help choose the best version for your PC:

Verify Microsoft Flight Simulator on Steam

You can actually verify the in-game files of MSFS to check whether your system is missing any files that might be causing the game to crash or freeze:

• Go to your Steam Library
• Right click on Microsoft Flight Simulator
  
• Select Properties
• Click on the Local Files tab
• Click on Verify Integrity of Game Files

Wait for the developers to release a patch

Considering how big the launch of Microsoft Flight Simulator on PC is, the developers are constantly on their toes, addressing the issues coming their way immediately. So be patient and wait for a word from the developers. We are pretty sure that they will be releasing a patch to fix the crashing issues pretty soon.

These are all the fixes we have for people who are experiencing crashes in Microsoft Flight Simulator.

Click here to check out some more fixes in our stuttering and freezing fix guide for Microsoft Flight Simulator.

Click here to check out the Official Steam Discussions page of Microsoft Flight Simulator.

If you think this guide had helped you then let us know in the comment section below. Also, If you have found a fix that is guaranteed to work then also you can comment below. We will put it on this article. Good luck!

That’s all folks!

Last Updated on August 27, 2020

Shoaib

Shoaib, 30, is a simple guy who loves to play video games, and enjoys new cuisines sporadically. He has been gaming since he was 7 years old, and with an experience of 22 years, under his belt, there is not a single AAA game in this world, that he hasn’t played. Despite being a MBA Graduate he decided to follow his passion. And because of his love for gaming, Frondtech came into existence.