X-Plane 10 requires, at the minimum,
- Dual Core, 2.5 GHz or faster
- 4 GB of RAM
- A video card with at least 1 GB of VRAM.
See here for graphics card compatibility.
However, for the best experience, we recommend the following:
- a Quad Core, 3.0 GHz or faster processor,
- 16-20 GB of RAM,
- a high-performance, DirectX 11-capable video card with at least 4 GB of on-board, dedicated VRAM.
X-Plane depends most heavily on single thread CPU performance, but it will also take advantage of multiple cores or distinct processors – 4 are recommended. 16 GB of RAM is usually adequate, but 20 GB may be needed for the most complex custom scenery packages. Likewise, highly detailed custom scenery can use as much as 4 GB of VRAM at the maximum settings.
In order to use the full version of X-Plane, Disc 1 of the installation DVDs must be in your disc drive when launching the simulator. (This is not the case when using X-Plane for Professional Use or the Digital Download Edition; in that case, the USB key or Product Key replaces the Disc 1 DVD.)
When running X-Plane on Linux, please note that you must install the proprietary Nvidia or AMD drivers. X-Plane will not run using Gallium or Mesa open-source drivers.
Note: X-Plane 10 does not support PowerPC-based Macs, or versions of OS X prior to 10.6.8. X-Plane 10 is also not compatible with macOS Catalina or later, as Apple dropped support for 32-bit apps, including the X-Plane 10 installer.
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