Simulation

Microsoft Flight Simulator (2020) 40th Anniversary Edition

Q: When does Microsoft Flight Simulator (2020) 40th Anniversary Edition get good?

Give it 7 hours. In the first 2 hours 1 in 2 reviews are negative (62%); after 20h it's 1 in 6 (17%). Fully opens up by hour 20.

Aug 25, 2026 Steam: Mostly Positive

Give it 7 hours

Gets good by 7h then rated almost like by veterans

Fully opens up by 20h rated like by long-time players

Started playing 63% of owners

Steam reviews 79% positive of 73,391

What the data shows

In the first 2 hours 1 in 2 reviews are negative (62%); after 20h it's 1 in 6 (17%).
Fully opens up by hour 20.
The opening is criticised more than in 90% of games we track.
The game has no story achievements, so drop-off points can't be measured.
Only 63% of owners have even the first achievement — the rest barely played.

When it gets good

Share of positive reviews by how many hours the reviewer had played when writing the review.

before it gets good opening up fully opened up

Based on all 73,645 Steam reviews in every language. Median playtime in a sample of 296 reviews: 25.3h for positive, 13.2h for negative. Almost every game is rated lower in the first 2–3 hours: that window includes refunds and quick first impressions. What matters is how deep the dip is and how fast the game recovers.

Where players quit

Share of players who started the game and reached each story milestone. 100% is the most common achievement (62.7% of owners), so people who bought the game and never launched it don't count.

This game has no story achievements, so we can't tell where players quit.

All achievements (43)

story milestone ending side

Challenge Accepted Complete any activity. 100%
Deadstick Landing After receiving landing clearance, switch off engines and successfully land on the runway. 54%
Light Chop Land at an airport where windspeeds are in excess of 5 knots, without using any assistance. 51%
Mother Nature Adjust the weather during a flight. 50%
Wheels Up, Wheels Down Complete a non-stop flight of at least 300 miles from take-off to landing. 48%
Short Stuff Land on a runway shorter than 2,000 feet, without using any assistance or bypassing any travel. 41%
By the Book Request landing clearance from ATC at a towered airport, without using ATC assistance. 41%
Look Ma, No Hands! Utilize autopilot for a total of 600 miles. 38%
Back-Up Plan Utilize pre-flight Pushback Service to move aircraft, for a total distance of 1 mile. 33%
A Few Bumps Land at an airport where windspeeds are in excess of 15 knots, without using any assistance. 28%
Stay on Target Use the Instrument Landing System (ILS) to complete a landing. 26%
Working for the Weekend Complete a weekly activity. 25%
Start Me Up Manually start the Airbus A320neo's engines, without using Assistance. 23%
Pilot Program Accumulate 50 hours of flight time in a single pilot profile. 21%
Fill 'er Up! Refuel at any ground fuel station. 19%
On the Green Land on a grass runway, without using any assistance. 17%
Road Trip Taxi aircraft for a total distance of 100 miles. 16%
Uphill Climb Land on a runway that has at least a 12 degree incline, without using any assistance. 13%
Century Club Accumulate 100 hours of flight time in a single pilot profile. 12%
Rubberneck Use the Smart Cam to view a star landmark for 3 seconds, from a distance of 550 yards or less. 9.9%
SIDs and STARs Land at every star airport shown on the World Map. 9.9%
Flights of Fancy Complete flights of at least 300 miles using a prop, jet and airliner. 6.2%
Service with a Smile Request each type of pre-flight Ground Service while at an appropriate airport gate. 6.2%
Instrumental Accumulate 50 hours of IFR flight time, including at least one take-off and landing. 5.7%
Night Owl Accumulate 50 hours of flight time at night. 4.8%
Hydroplaning Accumulate 50 hours of flight time in rainy weather. 4.6%
My Way Complete a non-stop 300+ mile flight from parking to parking spot, without assistance. 3.8%
Journeyman Accumulate 500 hours of flight time in a single pilot profile. 2.6%
Greased Complete every Landing Challenge. 2.4%
Saddle Sore Complete a flight of at least 8 hours with a propeller or turbo-prop aircraft. 1.3%
Anemoi Complete the Balkans Bush Trip, without using any navigation assistance. 1.1%
Decathlon Complete 10 weekly activities. 1.1%
Wing Commander Accumulate 1,000 hours of flight time in a single pilot profile. 1.1%
In The Wild Use the Smart Cam to view animals for 3 seconds, from a distance of 550 yards or less. 1.1%
Job Shadowing Create a flight plan based on a Live Traffic aircraft, then fly the route without assistance. 1.0%
Frequent Flyer Miles Fly from LFBD airport near Asobo Studio to KSEA airport near Microsoft HQ. 1.0%
Fire and Ice Complete the Patagonia Bush Trip, without using any navigation assistance. 1.0%
Goldrush Complete the Nevada Bush Trip, without using any navigation assistance. 0.8%
Tour Guide Use the Smart Cam to view 25 star landmarks, from a distance of 550 yards or less. 0.6%
Completionist Complete every activity. 0.5%
Landmarks the Spot Use the Smart Cam to view 100 star landmarks, from a distance of 550 yards or less. 0.5%
World Traveler Land successfully at 500 different airports. 0.5%
Jack of All Planes Complete a 300+ mile flight with every aircraft in the standard edition of Flight Simulator. 0.3%

Steam page Updated: 2026-10-18.