Coming back to Flight simulator after a few years, have a few questions

It's been a few years since I used FSX, want to get back again with MSFS2020 now that I have an upgraded computer.

In all the years I used FSX, it was almost always bush planes in Alaska. It will be the same in MSFS.

I hear that the download file is around 150 GB. Is it possible to either not install or delete most of the world except for North America to save a huge hit on the hard drive I will never use?

Is there any advantage to buying it from Steam or the MS store?

Thanks for any information.

Is it possible to either not install or delete most of the world except for North America to save a huge hit on the hard drive I will never use?

Is there any advantage to buying it from Steam or the MS store?

Yes, you can choose which scenery areas to download. There's no performance gain to downloading from either Steam or MS Store, it's a matter of personal preference. If you do download from MS Store, you don't need to buy the sim again to use it on XBox X|S.

First, welcome back to flight-simming. A lot has changed in the hobby with the introduction of MSFS 2020 two years ago, and it has become a far more immersive, amazing experience than it ever was before (spoken as a user of many earlier sims from FS2 through FSX). But MSFS is not for everyone, and there are several things that need to be understood before you take the plunge. It uses satellite-based streamed real-world imagery to access the entire planet, which requires a good and reliable internet connection with decent bandwidth. Since most scenery is accessed only as needed depending on where you are flying, very little of it is actually stored in your computer at any moment, in contrast to earlier sims (real-world scenery for the whole planet would require hundreds of terabytes, impossible to accommodate on any PC). Therefore, it doesn't matter where you plan to fly, as far as storage on your hard drive is concerned.

Secondly, realize that MSFS is a work in progress, a 10-year project with 8 years remaining, and there are frequent mandatory updates that must be installed. On occasion these can be a pain.

Third, in large part because of these constant updates, and the fact that everyone's system is different, there will almost inevitably be glitches to overcome from time to time, so patience is required, though individual experiences vary widely. As is true for all sims, the negative posts tend to be over-represented on the forums. But notwithstanding some problems, I personally find MSFS to be beyond anything I could have ever imagined. The sensation of flying over the real world with everything accurately placed, and in real weather, is indescribable! While as I said, this sim is not for everyone (especially if you are looking for something perfect "out of the box"), I think you are likely to be pleased, and Alaska will look more real than you have ever seen it in a flight simulator.

As for purchasing from Steam vs, the MS store, you will get different opinions on this. I did it though MS store with no problems, but my impression from the forums is that Steam may be the safest course.

Good luck!

This is for both tiger1962 and cobalt's replies

Thank you both for the information. I just looked at my join date at flightsim, can't believe it was 16 years ago.

It was last month when I upgraded my computer from windows 7 to windows 10, the cpu went from an i5 to an i7 and the graphics card is now double what it was, so I should be in good shape to handle MSFS.

Scenery now comes over the internet?, as someone who is 71 years old now, nothing surprises me anymore.

Thanks again and I'm sure I'll have more question later

There is an online website that can test your PC for compatibility with MSFS 2020 -

https://www.systemrequirementslab.com/cyri