How to Fix Microsoft Flight Simulator Download and Loading Issues

Microsoft Flight Simulator is a newly released game that has got everyone excited due to the unique experience it provides. Getting to visit the world in a game simulation is something that has never been done before. Since its launch, there have been some problems that have been preventing players from downloading the game. In some scenarios, even when the game has downloaded completely, users have reported trouble in actually getting the game to launch.

There are two main problems with the game right now. First, when you are downloading the game, it might get stuck while retrieving a specific file. The installer displays the “Please Wait” message and nothing actually happens. There hasn’t been an actual fix to this problem from Microsoft yet. Nonetheless, there is a solution that you can implement to workaround the issue which has been developed by the community.

Secondly, for some users, when you have successfully downloaded the game, the game does not actually launch and is stuck on the loading screen. In this scenario, there are several reasons which could actually cause the error that we’ll cover down below along with the solutions that have been reported as working that you can use to fix the problem. So, without further ado, let us get into it.

Fixing Microsoft Flight Simulator Download Issues 

As it turns out, if your Microsoft Flight Simulator is stuck during the download, you can easily fix it by deleting some files that it has already downloaded. This is only recommended when your game is not being decompressed. Thus, if the status dialog says Decompressing, please make sure not to exit or stop the updater as some of the files being decompressed are actually really long due to which they take a while.

To fix the issue, you will have to carefully follow the instructions below. It may seem a bit complicated, but it isn’t at all and we’ll make sure to make the instructions as easy as possible to follow. There are actually two methods that you can follow, we would recommend following the second method first as it has been the most efficient. Anyway, let us get started.

Method 1: Force the Updater to Download Missing Files 

1. First of all, you need to understand what files you are looking for and what files you need. In the installation directory, you will find a bunch of fs-base-cgl-0.1.21.fspackage.NNN along with some .fspatch files. The fspackage files are actually numbered from 001 to 031. You will have to check if you are missing any files.
2. In case you are missing some of the fspackage.NNN files, you will have to move all of the download fspackage.NNN files to another folder. Also, delete the .fspatch files in the directory and then relaunch Flight Simulator.

   

3. Wait for the installer to download the missing fspackage.NNN files and then close it. Now, move the files that you copied earlier to the installation directory and then launch the Flight Simulator again. That should get it going.

Method 2: Deleting Last Modified Files

If you do not want to be troubled with all of the moving files and closing the launcher in the above method, we have another workaround for you.

1. Make sure the Flight Simulator is closed.
2. Then, go to the following directory:

C:\Users\USERNAME\AppData\Local\Packages\Microsoft.FlightSimulator_8wekyb3d8bbwe\LocalCache\Packages\Official\OneStore

3. There, sort the files by Date Modified and delete the last 4-5 files that were modified.

   

4. Finally, launch the Flight Simulator again and let it update. This time, it should be completed without any issues.

Fixing Microsoft Flight Simulator Loading Issues

If you have successfully installed the game but are stuck at the loading screen, you can easily resolve the issue by following the solutions that are provided below.

Method 1: Run as Administrator

The most common thing that has reportedly solved the issue is running the application as an administrator. As it turns out, there are often cases where background applications are interfering with the game and thus it is not able to proceed. Here’s how:

1. Open up the Start menu by tapping the Windows key.
2. Type in the game name to search for it.
3. From the results shown, right-click on the game and then select the Run as administrator option.

   

4. This will run the game as an administrator and hopefully solve your issue.

Method 2: Unplug your Controller

Another thing that could be causing the game to not load properly is your Xbox controller. There have been reports from several users that the problem was caused by their plugged in Xbox controller. If this case is applicable to you, unplug your controller and then try to launch the game. See if that fixes the issue.

Method 3: Check Scaling Settings 

The flight simulator is a new game and it just got released so bugs are to be expected in such a huge game. Your Windows scaling settings could also result in the game not loading properly. If your scaling is set to anything higher than the default value, you should change it back. Here’s how to do it:

1. First of all, open up the Settings window by pressing Windows key + I.
2. Click on the System icon.
3. In the System settings window, scroll down in the Display tab until you see Scale and layout.

   

4. Make sure that the scale is set to the Recommended value.

Method 4: Use the Xbox App

As it turns out, using the Xbox application to launch the game has reportedly fixed the issue for some users. Even if you have not bought the game with an Xbox pass, you should still be able to launch the game.

1. 1. Go to the Xbox website.
   2. Click on the Download the APP button to start downloading.
   3. Once downloaded, install the Xbox app.
   4. After the application has finished installing, launch the game with the Xbox app and see if it fixes the issue.