Is there a difference between these 2 versions as far as Windows 10 PC is concerned?
Which is better?
Thanks
The actual flight simulator is exactly the same. The only difference is where you purchase it from and the method of delivering it to your PC. Updates to MSFS can be slightly delayed with the Steam version since they have a different process for delivering updates than the MS Store.
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Yes you absolutely have to buy it on Windows Store.
Buying it on Steam is a mistake …
Updates are released faster and many other benefits too …
The largest difference I can tell is file locations and access to them. If you get it from the microsoft store many of the files are hidden and/or locked. Like the main execute file for instance. You can get to it but it takes some fiddling with file permissions and what not.
This doesn’t seem to be the case with the Steam version since the file structure is a little different.
Getting a refund on the game might be a bit easier on steam as well if you end up not liking it. Sometimes they will bend the rules if you contact them. I did with Xplane years ago. The first time I tried it I didn’t like it at all but had too much time in the game to return it. I contacted them and explained that it took that much time to figure out the game and that it wasn’t going to work for me. They waived it and gave me a refund.
Which worked out for them because I ended up getting it again like a year later for more money lmao. The first time I got it on some holiday sale or something for like 30 bucks I think. When I tried to get it again it was more than double that. That is what I get I guess.
Other than that the game/sim is exactly the same regardless of where you buy it. When you get it from steam you just get a downloader, not the actual sim files. When you start that up it downloads it from microsoft anyway. At least that is my understanding from what I have read. I purchased it from microsoft because I thought the download might go smoother. On launch day I heard some were having issues with steam so I didn’t go that route this time.