Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 Player Count Plummets

Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 Player Count Plummets

Key Takeaways

  • Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 has lost over 60% of players post-launch due to game-breaking issues.
  • The title received “Overwhelmingly Negative” reviews on Steam, mostly due to server problems and missing content.
  • Despite being highly anticipated, the rocky launch has led to player count decline, leaving developers working to resolve issues.

As someone who has been a dedicated fan of Microsoft Flight Simulator series since the ’80s, it’s disheartening to see the downward spiral that Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 is currently experiencing. The game was highly anticipated, and I had high hopes for this latest installment in the franchise, which has consistently delivered some of the best flight simulation games ever made.


As a dedicated flight simulation enthusiast, it’s disheartening to see the drop in player count for Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024, which has plummeted by more than 60% since its peak this week. The rough start of this highly anticipated title leaves me worried about its ability to maintain player engagement over time.

Ever since the debut of its first game in the ’80s, the Microsoft Flight Simulator series has seen over a dozen installments throughout the years, with numerous releases being hailed as some of the greatest flight simulation games ever made. The latest edition in the series prior to Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 came out in 2020 and garnered widespread praise from both players and critics alike.

Although there was much excitement leading up to its release, Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 had a bumpy debut and is currently experiencing a rapid decline in players on Steam. The game initially attracted a record-breaking 24,863 players on Steam immediately following its launch, but the player count has been steadily dwindling since then, with over 60% of its original player base abandoning the game. Although the number of players on Steam has slightly increased in the last few hours, it is still significantly below both the game’s 24-hour peak of 13,282 players and the current count of 9,375 gamers playing at this moment.

Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024’s Player Count on Steam Diminishes By Over 60%

Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 Player Count Plummets

The primary cause of the title’s difficulty in thriving is attributed to game-halting launch complications. These troubles encompassed numerous players experiencing delays of more than 30 minutes before they could play, due to server malfunctions, and at times being stuck at 97% on the loading screen. Some users also complained that the flight simulator consumed excessive GPU resources and one aircraft was absent from their collection. These game-halting glitches resulted in Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 receiving “Overwhelmingly Negative” ratings on Steam. Although developer Asobo Studio has recently acknowledged these issues, stating that the team is focusing on resolving server problems, this seems insufficient to maintain player numbers, which are gradually dwindling.

In a surprising turn of events, Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 made its debut on Xbox Game Pass alongside being one of Microsoft’s key attractions for November. Regrettably, the launch was marred by several issues, but let’s keep our fingers crossed that these glitches will be addressed promptly. It appears that the game is generally well-constructed, save for these problems which primarily stem from server strain under heavy player traffic.

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2024-11-21 21:27