Hi there, I currently have MSFS 2020 on my PC, but I have the MS Store Version and I was just curious about thoughts from the other Simmers about the Steam Version or the MS Store Version? Any info or help is greatly appreciated. TIA
I personally prefer Steam, that said we don’t know enough about 2024 yet (such as will your Marketplace purchases carry over).
If they do, and you purchased them on MS Store originally, they would not carry over to Steam if you switched, you’d have to buy them again.
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Been a user of Steam for 17 years and when I can I get my games from there. Will buy MSFS 2024 from Steam for sure.
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Always bought games on steam
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Steam adds an extra layer on top of MS’s stuff. So two stores where something can go wrong. 
Also, if you have the MS Store version now, not sure if your add-ons would carry over properly if you swap to Steam.
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Steam is the way to go.
Any dlc (aircraft, airports etc) that you purchased via the marketplace in game with the MS Store version, will not carry over to the Steam version. So just be aware of that.
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I’d recommend sticking with the Microsoft store version of MSFS, especially if you’ve already purchased add-ons from the in-game Marketplace. These add-ons won’t work with the Steam version, so you’d lose access to the content you’ve bought.
MS store ver allows you to play on both PC and Xbox without needing to purchase the game twice. This cross-platform flexibility is a great benefit if you plan to switch between devices.
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Wherever it is cheapest. It makes no difference. Once you own the game it is all from the same servers. So it is the same game in any case.
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Agreed. For a new user it doesn’t make much difference, unless you also use the XBox. For existing users, stick to the platform you already have if you have a lot of addons.
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I have been Steam user for quite some time - Personally I’ll stick to Steam for MSFS 2024 version
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I migrated from XB, so staying with MS store for me.
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Steam also stores your controller settings on the cloud. The Store must do something similar. I scrubbed the sim off the drive and reinstalled it last week. It’s easy to reset them all again, but what else is “hanging around out there” on the cloud.
I have both, but only the Steam version installed.
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I don’t think there is any actual advantage to running MSFS Steam, other than having MSFS with all your other games in the Steam launcher. So all the recommendations for Steam feel like they’re just… “I like Steam. And turtles.” 
If you have MSFS 2020 on either Steam or Marketplace, buy 2024 on the same platform if you’ve purchased any Marketplace add-ons.
Otherwise, it’s personal preference.
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Not necessarily
There have been instances in the past where there are service issues that affect MS Store users but not Steam, so there is a difference. Albeit I’m sure slightly, and does really come down to ones preference, but there is still a difference
Yep! And the Steam version still relies on Microsoft’s servers to play, so you’re doubling online dependencies across two companies. It all evens out.
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If you own anything on the marketplace, stay with MS Store, as marketplace purchases do not share between MS Store and Steam.
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I have it on steam to fly on my desktop and on marketplace to fly on my Xbox during the long haul flights on my desktop.
Both work fine, no issues.
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There was a time when Steam users didn’t have access to certain beta versions of MSFS. We don’t know what the future will bring …
Use steam - it was a lot more hassle free in the past when it comes to MSFS. Search for installing issues or launching issues here on the forum and you will learn that in a huge percentage the MS store version was used and made the issues in the first place …
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