Xbox consoles (in particular the Xbox Series S) are of a lower specification than the average gaming PC in some key areas such as the amount of available VRAM (Video Random-Access Memory). In an effort to allow the simulator to perform at a similar level as can be experienced on a PC, many performance optimising measures are applied both automatically by the simulator and manually by the developer of third-party products.

Some of the measures applied by the simulator include limiting the frame rate (30 FPS on Series S, 60 FPS on Series X), reducing the texture resolution on aircraft and scenery (separate from any reduction in texture resolution applied by developers), varying object/terrain LODs based on VRAM usage, and automatically varying ‘Graphics’ options based on the simulators current workload. If the simulator requires more VRAM than the console is able to provide, the simulator will automatically reduce ‘Graphics’ options to compensate. In extreme cases, the simulator may temporarily switch off an aircraft’s cockpit gauges (displays, EFB, speeds flipchart, etc) until such a time when enough VRAM is available for them to be switched back on.

From a developer perspective, we take additional steps to ensure our products are as optimised as possible for Xbox consoles. This includes the optimisation of LODs, models, and textures, and we also add additional options on the EFB to allow users to further customise their experience such as the option to adjust the gauge refresh rate and a toggle for the visibility of the interior cabin.

Therefore, it can be said that the vast majority of the performance optimisation is handled by a mix of the core simulator and by the developers of third-party products and this should lead to an enjoyable experience on Xbox consoles. However, when using high-fidelity aircraft, or a mixture of high-fidelity aircraft and high-quality scenery, performance can be negatively impacted and it is then up to the user to manage their own MSFS installation to achieve their own performance expectations.

The most obvious signs that the simulator is beginning to struggle on Xbox is first a reduction in the radius of scenery that is loading in around the user’s aircraft, followed by the aircraft’s gauges (displays, EFB, speeds flipchart, etc) switching off, and in extreme circumstances a full crash of the simulation back not the Xbox dashboard may occur.

Although all of the ‘Graphics’ options are locked and unavailable on Xbox consoles, there are other options and techniques that can be used to further optimise the console experience:

• Ai Traffic: The default MSFS Ai traffic can be very performance demanding and we have seen significant performance improvements with these options disabled on Xbox. To disable the default MSFS traffic go to MSFS General Options > Traffic and set the AIRCRAFT TRAFFIC TYPE option to OFF. MSFS live traffic can then also be disabled by going to MSFS General Options > Data and setting the LIVE REAL WORLD AIR TRAFFIC option to OFF.
• Multiplayer Traffic: Similar to Ai traffic, multiplayer traffic may be very performance-demanding depending on what models are being used to represent other players. To disable multiplayer go to MSFS Options > Data and set MULTIPLAYER to OFF.  
• Airport Life: Airport vehicles, static aircraft, and workers can increase the simulator’s VRAM as more objects and more textures have to be loaded at any one time. To disable these options go to MSFS Options > General Options > Traffic and set the AIRPORT VEHICLE DENSITY, GROUND AIRCRAFT DENSITY and WORKER DENSITY sliders to 0.
• Land and Sea Traffic: Road vehicles, ships and fauna can increase the simulator’s VRAM as more objects and more textures have to be loaded at any one time. To disable these options go to MSFS Options > General Options > Traffic and set the ROAD VEHICLES, SHIPS AND FERRIES and FAUNA DENSITY sliders to 0.
• Photogrammetry: Photogrammetry (the appearance of 3D-generated buildings and terrain based on satellite data) can be performance-demanding for both PC and Xbox users when flying in areas with it. On Xbox, photogrammetry may be automatically disabled depending on the simulator’s current workload. To disable photogrammetry go to MSFS Options > General Options > Data > Data Connection and set the PHOTOGRAMMETRY option to OFF. Note: Switching off photogrammetry will affect how the scenery looks in the simulator. We recommend experimenting with this option and setting in on/off based on personal preference.
• Managing Your Installed Products: Third-party products have historically been more performance-heavy than default content included with the simulator. Therefore, having a large amount of third-party products installed at any one time not only massively increases the amount of hard drive space used, but may also cause large performance impacts in the simulator. On Xbox consoles, we would recommend keeping on top of your installed product in the simulator’s Content Manager and only having installed the products you wish to use during the current flight.
• Interior Cabins: If an aircraft has an option on the EFB/tablet to disable the interior cabin, this may be useful for a small reduction in VRAM usage as fewer textures have to be loaded and stored in memory. However, a very similar effect can be achieved by closing the cockpit door and not moving the camera into the passenger cabin. In all Just Flight aircraft on Xbox, the Interior Cabin option (if applicable) will be disabled by default on the EFB but can be enabled at any time based on user preference.
• Restarting MSFS Between Flights: We would recommend restarting the simulator after every flight in a high-fidelity aircraft and/or after a flight in areas of intensive scenery. This will allow the console to clear all MSFS-related VRAM and will ensure the next flight loads as expected, without any performance issues or crashes to dashboard.

These suggestions are based on our development team’s personal experience when testing our products on Xbox Series S and Xbox Series X consoles and results may differ based on individual user’s installations. The intent of this FAQ is for it to be used as a guide to help you optimise your experience, but it will be up to the end user to find the best combination of options that provides them with the best experience.

If at any point you wish to revert to the default MSFS options, simply click the RESET TO DEFAULTS option at the bottom of the MSFS Options > General Options page.