What happened
Navigraph has published the results of its 2026 FlightSim Community Survey, with FSElite reporting that the study received 42,332 responses, the largest total the survey has recorded so far.
According to the published summary, the findings point to a flight simulation audience that is still growing, while many long-running habits and demographic trends remain broadly steady. At the same time, the results show continued movement in the platforms, hardware and add-ons people are using.
Navigraph also outlined how it handled the dataset. Of the 42,332 submissions, 44% completed every question. From the incomplete remainder, 2,700 responses were removed after showing two or more signs of insincere participation. The graphs shown in the final results therefore use a displayed sample size of 15,600 respondents.
The company also noted an important limitation: this was a voluntary survey rather than a random sample. Because of that, Navigraph said the results should not be treated as a definitive picture of the entire flight simulation community. Confidence intervals and margins of error were not calculated.
Key details
Navigraph said that 48.3% of participants had not taken the survey in the previous year. Even so, many answers remained similar to earlier editions. That consistency is notable, although Navigraph cautioned that it could reflect either a representative sample or a recurring type of self-selection bias.
On demographics, the largest concentration of respondents was again in the late-teen to twenties range, with a clear peak at ages 15 to 19. Participation from users aged roughly 30 to 70 was described as steady, before dropping off gradually above 75.
Many respondents first became interested in flight simulation between the ages of 10 and 19. Around 21% said they hold a pilot licence, while about 18% work in aviation. FSElite’s summary also notes that conversion from simming into real-world flying fell by around 2% among respondents.
Geographically, the United States remained the largest single country in the survey. Germany and the United Kingdom followed behind. When adjusted by population per million people, Norway, Switzerland, Ireland and the Netherlands were the strongest-performing countries.
In terms of flying habits, most respondents said they flew between two and five sessions per week. Typical sessions lasted between two and three hours. IFR flying remained the most common overall, ahead of VFR.
Navigraph also introduced a new question for 2026 asking what motivates people to use flight simulation. The categories were Immersion, Creative, Mastery, Achievement, Social and Chaos. Of those, Immersion ranked highest, followed by Creative and Mastery.
The biggest platform shift came on the simulator side. Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 was the most-used platform among respondents at 49.5%. Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 followed at 27.8%. X-Plane 12 held at about 12%. So the new version of Microsoft is the clear winner here.
(Image from Navigraph)
Aaircraft data was also highly specific. In Microsoft Flight Simulator, the most popular aircraft family in the survey was the Fenix Airbus line at 42.4%. PMDG’s 737 range followed at 31.5%.
Among widebodies in Microsoft Flight Simulator, PMDG’s 777 series led at 23.3%, with the iniBuilds A350 in second at 15.7%.
X-Plane 12 showed a similar leaning towards detailed airliner add-ons. ToLiss Airbus narrowbodies were the most popular there at 37.2%, followed by the freeware Zibo Mod Boeing 737-800X at 29.6%.
For X-Plane 12 widebodies, FlightFactor’s 777 v2 led at 17.1%, while the ToLiss A330-900 followed at 11.2%.
Asked about the best product releases from the previous year, respondents put the iniBuilds A350 in first place with 12.5% of the vote. In part hard to understand, given that a range of bugs has impaired its launch. Fenix’s BFU update came second with 10.3%, and WINCTRL hardware products took third.
For the most anticipated release over the coming 12 months, the Fenix A320/321neo was the clear leader. FSElite notes that it received more votes than the second-placed BlueBird 757 and third-placed WINCTRL hardware combined.
Hardware trends showed a move towards stronger systems. Thirty-two gigabytes of RAM remained the most common configuration, but more users reported running 64GB. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 was still the single most common graphics card at 7.8%, though its share dropped notably compared with last year. The RTX 5080 followed at 4.6%, with the RTX 5070 Ti at 4.4%.
Grouped by series rather than by individual model, NVIDIA’s 70-class cards across the 4000 and 5000 ranges formed the biggest group at 14.4%. The 90-class came next at 12.2%, and the 80-class followed at 11.1%.
Published details on CPU choices and simulator resolution were not included, so those parts of the performance picture remain limited.
Windows remained the dominant operating system with 90.9% of respondents. Mac and Xbox each accounted for roughly 2%. As for peripherals, throttle quadrants were the most common, followed by joysticks and rudder pedals. Home cockpit usage rose from 9% to 10% year-on-year.
Why it matters
The 2026 survey offers one of the clearest annual snapshots of where the hobby is heading, even with the caveat that participation is voluntary.
The most significant headline is the adoption of Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024. With nearly half of respondents saying they use it, the new platform has quickly become the leading simulator in the survey. That matters for developers deciding where to focus aircraft, scenery and utility products.
The add-on results are equally useful. Specific products such as the Fenix Airbus family, PMDG 737, PMDG 777, iniBuilds A350, ToLiss Airbus range, Zibo 737-800X, FlightFactor 777 v2 and ToLiss A330-900 give a detailed picture of what users are actually flying, rather than what attracts the most discussion online.
The hardware results also suggest a community that is still investing, but perhaps in a more measured way. FSElite’s summary says spending appears to be shifting away from very large purchases and towards gradual, modular upgrades. That has implications for hardware makers such as WINCTRL and for simmers deciding where the mainstream now sits in terms of system specs.
Finally, the motivations data is valuable because it shows why people keep returning to the hobby. Immersion, creativity and mastery leading the list suggests users still prioritise realism, visual enjoyment and learning over pure competition or unpredictability.
What to watch next
The main thing to monitor is whether Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 strengthens its lead in the next survey cycle, or whether usage stabilises once early adoption settles.
It will also be worth watching whether X-Plane 12 maintains its current share, especially given the strong showing from aircraft such as the ToLiss Airbus family and FlightFactor 777 v2.
On the add-on side, interest in the Fenix A320/321neo stands out. Since it topped the most-wanted list by a wide margin, its eventual release could feature heavily in future surveys.
There is also a clear signal that detailed widebodies continue to command strong attention in the sim market, with products like the PMDG 777, iniBuilds A350 and FlightFactor 777 v2 all placing prominently.
For hardware, the next question is whether the gradual move towards 64GB RAM and newer 5000-series NVIDIA cards continues, and whether home cockpit adoption keeps rising beyond the current 10% level.
As ever with this survey, the findings are best read as a strong directional indicator rather than a complete census. Even so, the 2026 results provide a useful view of which simulators, aircraft and hardware are shaping the flight simulation market right now.
The full survey report is available on the Navigraph website, offering a detailed look into the habits, preferences, and future of the flight simulation community.
