Significance Variational quantum algorithms combine quantum resources with classical optimization methods, providing a promising approach to solve both quantum many-body and classical optimization problems. A crucial question is how variational algorithms perform as a function of qubit number. Here, we address this question by applying a variational quantum algorithm (QAOA) to approximate the ground-state energy of a long-range Ising model, both quantum and classical, and investigating the algorithm performance on a trapped-ion quantum simulator with up to 40 qubits. A negligible performance degradation and almost constant runtime scaling is observed as a function of the number of qubits. By modeling the error sources, we explain the experimental performance, marking a stepping stone toward more general realizations of hybrid quantum–classical algorithms.