It’s not just you. Overnight, Microsoft Flight Simulator servers experienced an issue preventing people from starting up the software. The issues affect both 2020 and 2024 users. Here’s what we know.

Servers down

Microsoft have indicated as of 0835 UTC that they had become aware of a significant server outage affecting large numbers of MSFS users.

The error message indicates an error with “one or more essential services” and the simulator fails to start correctly.

Here’s more from Microsoft.

We have escalated this issue internally and will provide further information when it is available. Based on our own internal testing, it appears inconsistent, with some of our team members getting the error and others being able to launch the sim normally without issue.

The reports at this point are scattered suggesting some users may be getting in for a normal experience while others are unable to.

Check this thread on the MSFS forums for more information. I will update the article when new statements or restoration has been achieved.