I had flawless performance for right at 10 months with FS2020 when I suddenly started get CTDs. Thanks to this thread I was able to fix it by changing the CFG DX file from DX11 to DX12. I also shut off the NVIDIA overlays and optimization. I’m also using their latest driver and everything is back to smooth and flawless.
My Steam FS2020 came with DX11 set as default while NVIDIA drivers are set up for DX12. If someone like me who doesn’t know to change that, the results are CTDs, though I’m still puzzled why after 10 months it started happening. It may have been my daily struggle with GSX that did something… I don’t know. Anyway, it’s nice being back in the air thanks to this great thread and the knowledgeable people that’ve commented here.
FYI, I have installed the latest NVIDIA hotfix 591.67 and MSFS 2020 still does not work properly with DX11. Specifically, sim continues to experience CTD during loading when using DX11 with drivers newer than version 566.36
Hello, i had the same problem, sadly i didn’t even install the game content.
I got it trough steam and on the safe mode and normal mode window it crashes
I can’t optimize it on nvidia becuse i coudn’t even play it
I dont have the .cfg file to change to dx12
I dont know what i can do
Do you have the same issue if you follow the OP’s steps to reproduce it?
• Yes, same issue. I haven’t played for a few days, then on Wed Jan 14, 2026 I tried to start MSFS2020 from XBOX but the MSFS2020 window disappeared when loading - about 50% of the light blue progress bar. MSFS2020 repaired: no success. MSFS2020 re-installed: no success. Starting MSFS2020 from the desktop icon brings no improvement. At the beginning of start-up I’m asked as to whether MSFS2020 must be started in normal or safe mode. Whichever option is selected, the MSFS2020 window disappears.
I don’t know if it’s relevant but the laptop has recently been returned from workshop after a glitch in the hard-disk firmware. It has a German version of Windows 11 and was bought in July 2025. MSFS2020 used to run very smoothly. Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070.
Provide extra information to complete the original description of the issue:
• Log for Event ID 1001 follows:
Level Date and Time Source Event ID Task Category
Information 18/01/2026 12:24:23 Windows Error Reporting 1001 None "Fault bucket 1639410589694075210, type 5
Event Name: MoBEX
Response: Not available
Cab Id: 0
These files may be available here:
\?\C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\WER\ReportArchive\AppCrash_Microsoft.Flight_c8ff8373835f12dcd942f16e86d53e325daa7b7_586ca05b_194aead9-8f69-4fea-bfb6-9ed7aa0a3891
Done. It worked fine. Now I can use MSFS2020. Thank you so much!
It’s an eerie feeling that by just having a 0 instead of a 1 in the config file you are prevented from using thousands of lines of code. Well, all is good… Have a good day!
I too had CTDs when trying to load MSFS 2020 using DX11. The CTDs started after I installed Sim Update 16. They occurred with any NVidia driver version I tried; even with drivers that worked OK before. I never installed the NVidia App.
TenPatrol’s method of editing the usercfg.opt file to force MSFS 2020 to start up using DX12 works great. Thanks for your investigations into identifying this bug and and bringing a solution to the community.
For me, an alternative solution is to turn off Window’s Hardware Accelerated GPU Scheduling (HAGS). This allows MSFS 2020 to start in DX11 without having to edit the .opt file. Of course, Frame Generation is not available in DX11 so I have to activate DX12 first, exit MSFS 2020, then turn HAGS on if Frame Generation is desired. Thanks to JGL574VRG2 and Wagnard6945 for finding this solution.
Partially, yeah, the sim loads to the main menu and you can pick a flight. Don’t know why my message was merget in another topic not really related, but the sim still CTD in DX11 mode when you tries to go to the general options. Not in DX 12 mode. I’m still on the driver 591.74 with an 4070 Super. Will try later in the day with 591.86 and the classical 577.00
Just to clarify: you were running MSFS 2020 in DX11 and had CTDs during loading. After installing the MSFS 2020 beta, the sim is still using DX11, but you no longer get CTDs while loading. Is that correct?
Thanks a lot for taking the time to confirm. I really appreciate it. I can’t test it myself right now since today I’ll be testing three CPUs (Ryzen 7 7800X3D, Ryzen 7 9800X3D and Ryzen 7 9850X3D) and I don’t want to do that on the beta version of the sim.
thank you for this, however Im crashing toward the end of flights. Just re-installed msfs 2020 at my Digital Storm mfr rep. Two flights in Im experiencing crashes sooner. It currently is running DX12. Would upgrading to MSFS 2024 help with compatibility issues? Thanks!
