Good evening forum,
Silly question, is there any difference between using the MS Store or Steam? I understand the game is the same regardless but more wondering on reliability when it comes to updates and content download?
Thanks.
You don’t have the myriad of update problems (outside the sim) with Steam. The update shows up and often installs itself without you even realizing it did (assuming you have auto-update enabled). There’s no messing around or need for MS Gaming Services, Xbox Live, MS Store, etc. It’s just Steam and the sim.
After seeing all the issues and outright horror stories people have had over the last year with MS Store, I’m glad I went that route.
The only down side is that if you own or plan on owning an Xbox X|S, you don’t get the play anywhere feature. And I have no plans on getting an Xbox. So it has no impact on me at all.
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Thank you, I appreciate the feedback.
I do own it on XBOX SX, and am making the switch to PC so wanted to see if there was a benefit to buy it again on Steam.
Seems like there is.
Hi @skypilotYTS.
There are several topics on this issue already, you can use the search feature on the fourms to find these topics and review previous discussions in full, but let me TLDR you:
The Steam and Microsoft Store versions are functionally the same, in so far as you download a client through the provider, and then this client/patcher (or whatever you want to call it), downloads the sim’s content from a CDN.
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Some users have reported that the Steam version is slower to load, most likely because you have to wait for Steam services to startup before the sim runs.
I haven’t seen any numbers on that, but it seems likely. That said the sim’s loading time is already pretty slow, so what is an extra five or 10 seconds.
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The Steam UI/UX for product ownership, downloads and updates is more user friendly than the Microsoft Store, especially if you’re used to Steam. - If you go looking you’ll find lots of topics with people here who are confused about what items to install, or how to update their products if they’re using the Microsoft Store.
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I’ve also found updates to be more reliable through Steam - I have and actively use both a Steam and a Microsoft Store version
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Refunds and billing support - If you own the game through Steam your marketplace transactions are billed through your Steam account, and not your Microsoft account.
This means you can get stuck in a support infinite loop. Namely you reach out to Zendesk for help with something, they contact Steam, who usually correctly state they can’t do anything, please contact Microsoft, and so on.
On the flip side, if you buy the sim through the Microsoft Store, then you only have one corporation to deal with instead of two. That said, the support from Zendesk and the Microsoft Store can be pretty spotty at best.
One final thing here is that the Steam refund policy seems to be better defined and applied than the Microsoft Store, so with all that in mind, I only buy my DLCs through the Steam version.
Play Anywhere
The Steam version does not support play anywhere. If you want one licence for your PC and Xbox console, you HAVE to buy the sim through the Microsoft Store.
Addon Licencing
Even though you use the same Microsoft account to access the sim, if you own both copies (Steam and Microsoft Store), the licences do not transfer between them. - So if you ever expect you might want to play on an Xbox, even if you don’t own one you need to get the Microsoft Store version.
Hard Drive Permissions
The Microsoft Store Version creates a bunch of directories on your PC and locks you out, even when you use admin privileges. That means if you want to remove them, you have to go and manually change ownership of directories before you can use admin powers to remove them. Alternatively, you can use something like git bash and $ rm -rf
The same setup means you have less access to official files if you own the Microsoft Store version than if you own the Steam Version.
Super TLDR:
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If you never want to use an Xbox S|X, buy it through Steam and enjoy life.
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If you want, or may want to use an Xbox S|X at some time or another, you need to buy through the Microsoft Store - and may whatever mystical powers you believe in have mercy on your soul.
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Have you purchased any paid addons, be it the deluxe or premium deluxe versions, aircraft, airports, scenery etc?
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Thanks for the info! Good stuff / points to both sides. I did purchase deluxe from MS store for XBOX SX.
Understood if I wanted to go to Steam I’d have to purchase again which isn’t the end of the world if it means a potentially better update experience.
That’s what I’m trying to gauge before the rig and components arrive.
How many hours do you have on X|S?
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I would have to check and re-install but I’d be surprised if there was more than 5. I made up
My mind to switch pretty quickly into it.
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I do not know what the official Xbox policy is, but they might have a grace-period refund policy. You could try refunding the game and using the money to buy it on Steam, so you aren’t out of pocket.
see: Xbox Support.
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Thanks for that tidbit.
I’ll take a look and see what options are available. At the end of the day I may end up leaving it on there if the kids want to play.
I’ll check it out now.
Thanks again.
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I started a $1 trial of game pass ultimate and then got msfs premium deluxe for a good discount on the microsoft store. I’ll just cancel game pass after the trial as I won’t use it.
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Yes requested the refund last night and it processed this morning.
Does the steam version have the loop problem? I went the game pass route for $1.00 and after 5 days and some computer adjustments, I can not get pass 36% downloaded. So Is looping a problem with a new download. I uninstalled the standard ver and I’m thinking of getter the steam standard ver.
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The in=sim updater is the same. Works for some folks, has download / decompression loops for others. I’ve had the decompression loops, but managed to sort them out myself.
Not needing the MS Store (which often doesn’t detect an MSFS update), Microsoft Gaming Services or Xbox Live running takes a lot of extra potential points of failure out of the loop making the whole process a lot more reliable.
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