[MSFS 2020] Active Pause does not work in Drone Mode for Xbox controller or keyboard (works in MSFS 2024)

[MSFS 2020] Bug Reports SimConnect
1

Version: MSFS 2020 – Sim Update 16 (1.39.9.0) – Windows 11 (22H2, 64-bit)

Frequency: Consistently

Severity: High

Context: Occurs during normal flight in Drone / Showcase camera mode.
Tested with default aircraft, no community mods.
Hardware and software tested:

  • Xbox Series controller (wired)
  • Virtual Xbox controller using ViGEmBus 1.22.0
    Active Pause from the in-sim top menu works, but controller and keyboard inputs have no effect.

Bug description: Active Pause does not function when in Drone Mode / Showcase Camera in MSFS 2020.

All controller and keyboard inputs for Active Pause are ignored:

  • Xbox controller Menu button mapped to Active Pause
  • Keyboard Pause/Break key
  • SimConnect ACTIVE_PAUSE_TOGGLE event

The in-sim top-menu “Active Pause” button works correctly, which proves the underlying pause system is still active.

This behavior occurs on both physical and virtual controllers (ViGEmBus 1.22.0). Active Pause input works correctly in MSFS 2024 using the same hardware, so this appears to be an MSFS 2020-specific bug in the camera/input routing system.

We have tried all the other pause events and the active pause is the only one the will work for

our purpose.

Repro steps: Launch MSFS 2020 (SU15 – 1.37.19.0) on Windows 11.

  1. Load any default aircraft (tested: Cessna 208B, TBM 930, A320neo).
  2. Enter Drone Mode / Showcase Camera.
  3. Attempt to activate Active Pause using:
    • Xbox controller Menu button mapped to Active Pause
    • Keyboard Pause key
    • SimConnect ACTIVE_PAUSE_TOGGLE event
  4. Observe: The simulation continues running. Aircraft and environment remain active — Active Pause does not engage.
  5. Open the in-sim menu and click “Active Pause” → aircraft freezes immediately (functionality confirmed).

Expected: Active Pause should toggle regardless of active camera mode.
Actual: Active Pause does not trigger when Drone Mode is active.

This issue is critical for the development of our software features.
It prevents use of Active Pause for cinematic and automation tools that rely on Drone Mode in MSFS 2020.
Since the same behavior works correctly in MSFS 2024, it appears to be an input-routing oversight rather than an intentional restriction.

I would be extremely grateful if this could be reviewed or logged for correction in a future 2020 patch — We are developing companion software that partly depends on this feature.