The long loading screens reported when Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 launched on November 19, 2024, were tied to an overloaded server handling game-data requests—not a confirmed problem with every player’s Xbox or PC. The Microsoft Flight Simulator Team acknowledged the disruption, then said on November 20 that the issue was solved and players were being admitted at a steady pace. Its posts described “long initial loading times” but did not give a measured wait time, so “hours-long” should not be read as an official duration.
What caused the launch loading screens?
In its November 20, 2024 launch update, the Microsoft Flight Simulator Team said, “The server responsible for handling data requests got overloaded, causing delays and errors.” The team linked the strain to the number of users initializing the simulator at the same time during launch. The affected service handled requests for new game systems, including Career Mode and missions.
That explanation points to a server-side bottleneck: players could encounter long waits or errors while the service struggled to respond. Microsoft also reported that some players saw aircraft missing during the disruption. The official posts do not establish an average or maximum wait, or say that every player experienced the same symptoms.
What did Microsoft and Xbox say?
On November 19, the official simulator forum posted that the team was aware of reports of long initial loading times “among other issues,” was working to resolve the problem, and directed players to the Xbox Support Status page. That was a referral to Xbox’s status information; the reviewed posts do not establish a separate Xbox Support statement giving the cause.
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The explanatory update came from the Microsoft Flight Simulator Team on November 20. It reported that the overloaded-server issue had been solved and that players were being brought into the simulator at a steady pace. On November 28, the team said launch-period connectivity issues had been resolved.
Could add-ons cause a different loading problem?
Yes. In the November 28 development update, the team separately reported that certain non-aircraft add-ons from the Microsoft Flight Simulator (2020) Marketplace could cause long loading times, crashes, and other problems in the 2024 simulator. Those items were temporarily disabled. This was a content-compatibility issue, distinct from the launch-period server overload.
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What to do if you are still stuck loading
The 2024 launch incident was reported resolved. If a loading problem persists, check whether there is a current service disruption before treating the issue as local: the historical launch posts do not establish today’s service status, and later outages can be separate incidents. Microsoft’s support guidance offers platform-specific checks for individual problems, but those steps do not fix a server-side outage.
On Xbox Series X|S
Microsoft Flight Simulator Support recommends trying basic checks such as restarting the simulator, installing available updates, checking drive space, power cycling the console, testing the network connection, and checking network status. If the issue appears tied to a profile, the support guidance also suggests trying another profile. The support article includes clearing reserved space and redownloading selected content; take care with that step because it may require downloading content again. See Xbox Series X|S troubleshooting.
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On PC
The PC loading guide advises confirming that the Xbox app and Microsoft Store are signed into the account that owns the game or has the applicable Game Pass entitlement; checking Gaming Services and Windows updates; verifying date, time, and region settings; reviewing firewall access; and, after basic checks, restoring the simulator to its vanilla state. These steps address PC account, system, network, or content issues—not the documented 2024 launch-server overload. See PC loading troubleshooting.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How to distinguish the 2024 launch outage from later reports
A later inability-to-launch report is not automatically a continuation of the November 2024 event. Official notices described separate incidents on January 30 and February 7, 2026, and announced recovery or a fix for those incidents. The support known-issues page, updated August 9, 2026, lists Marketplace errors in some regions; that entry does not show that the 2024 launch outage is still active. For a current incident, consult the dated simulator notice and Xbox status page rather than inferring status from an old launch update.
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