Tag: Microsoft Flight Simulator

Microsoft’s longest-running franchise has inspired and captivated aviation enthusiasts and professionals throughout the world for 40 years.

Today we celebrate the exciting history of aviation with the release of the Microsoft Flight Simulator 40^th Anniversary Edition, the most advanced version of this beloved franchise yet. Among the many features included in this update is a true-to-life airliner, the Airbus A310-300, rendered with stunning accuracy. The 40th Anniversary Edition also features, for the first time since the platform’s 2006 release, helicopters and gliders that perform with amazing life-like realism.

We’re also introducing seven renowned historical aircraft: the 1903 Wright Flyer, the 1915 Curtiss JN-4 Jenny, the 1927 Ryan NYP Spirit of St. Louis, the 1935 Douglas DC-3, the beautiful 1937 Grumman G-21 Goose, the 1947 Havilland DHC-2 Beaver, and the famous 1947 Hughes H-4 Hercules “Spruce Goose,” the largest seaplane and wooden aircraft ever built.

We have also added four classic airports, including the Meigs Field in Chicago, a traditional home airport for the Microsoft Flight Simulator franchise.

It is an incredibly exciting update celebrating aviation history, introducing significant technical advancements in flight dynamics and simulation, and featuring two new types of aircraft (gliders and helicopters) — all to delight our community and showcase the beauty and the thrill of flight!

In summary, the Microsoft Flight Simulator 40th Anniversary Edition delivers the following brand-new content:

• 1 true-to-life Airbus A310 airliner
• 2 helicopters and 14 heliports
• 2 gliders and 15 glider airports
• 7 famous historical aircraft including the Hughes H-4 Hercules (also known as the Spruce Goose)
• 4 classic commercial airports
• 24 classic missions from the franchise’s past

Test your piloting skills against the challenges of riding thermals in an unpowered glider, controlling rotor-wing aircraft over dense urban cityscapes, improved real-time atmospheric simulation and live weather in a dynamic and vibrant world. Create your flight plan to anywhere on the planet. Join us in celebrating the award-winning franchise with the Microsoft Flight Simulator 40th Anniversary Edition, loaded with all-new features, aircraft, and content that span the history of aviation. The sky is calling!

Check out the Microsoft Flight Simulator 40^th Anniversary Edition today, available as a free update for existing players. For new simmers, the 40^th Anniversary Edition is the perfect entry point to the franchise.

Microsoft Flight Simulator 40^th Anniversary Edition is available for Xbox Series X|S and PC with Xbox Game Pass, PC Game Pass, Windows, and Steam, and on Xbox One and supported mobile phones, tablets, and lower-spec PCs via Xbox Cloud Gaming.

For the latest information on Microsoft Flight Simulator, stay tuned to @MSFSOfficial on Twitter.

Microsoft Flight Simulator

Xbox Game Studios

☆☆☆☆☆ 357

★★★★★

Xbox One X Enhanced

PC Game Pass

Xbox Game Pass

Microsoft Flight Simulator is the next generation of one of the most beloved simulation franchises. From light planes to wide-body jets, fly highly detailed and stunning aircraft in an incredibly realistic world. Create your flight plan and fly anywhere on the planet. Enjoy flying day or night and face realistic, challenging weather conditions.

Explore the diverse beauty and expansive mystique of the world’s second largest country

Canada is filled with a plethora of sights to explore from the air: magnificent urban architecture, wave-battered northern coastlines, and vast sweeps of tundra, glaciers and towering peaks. Microsoft Flight Simulator’s World Update XI invites simmers to explore this massive, diverse country, presented in the highest resolution and fidelity yet!

In creating World Update XI: Canada, the Microsoft Flight Simulator team processed troves of its latest geospatial data, including digital elevation models, satellite imagery, and aerial photography. Complementing the data, models and imagery, the update highlights 12 urban regions enhanced with the latest photogrammetry data and features 87 hand-crafted points of interest.

World Update XI features:

• 5 handcrafted five airports including:
  • British Columbia’s Castlegar / West Kootenay Regional Airport (CYCG)
  • Victoria International Airport
  • Vancouver Island
• 9 exciting missions:
• Three bush trips (Vancouver Island, Newfoundland, and the Canadian Rockies)
• Three landing challenges (Castlegar, Barkerville, and Calgary)
• Three discovery flights (Vancouver, Montreal, and Toronto).

World Update XI: Canada is available free to all owners of Microsoft Flight Simulator. Simply update your account, download World Update XI from the in-game marketplace, and prepare to be enchanted by the sights of Canada from the air!

We hope you’ll visit Canada today in Microsoft Flight Simulator’s World Update XI: Canada. The sky is calling!

Microsoft Flight Simulator is now available for Xbox Series X|S and PC with Xbox Game Pass, PC Game Pass, Windows, and Steam, and on Xbox One and supported mobile phones, tablets, and lower-spec PCs via Xbox Cloud Gaming (Beta). For the latest information on Microsoft Flight Simulator, stay tuned to @MSFSOfficial on Twitter. 

Microsoft Flight Simulator: Standard Game of the Year Edition

Xbox Game Studios

☆☆☆☆☆ 287

★★★★★

$59.99 $47.99

PC Game Pass

Xbox Game Pass

The Microsoft Flight Simulator Game of the Year (GOTY) Standard Edition celebrates all the positive feedback, reviews and awards garnered, but it is also a “Thank You” to our fans – new and old – that have made Microsoft Flight Simulator such a phenomenon. The Microsoft Flight Simulator Standard Game of the Year Edition includes 25 highly detailed planes with unique flight models and 38 hand-crafted airports. This enhanced edition introduces simmers to five all-new aircraft, eight new handcrafted airports, six new Discovery Flights, new tutorials, and updates to the weather system The five new handcrafted aircraft in Microsoft Flight Simulator include:
• Boeing F/A-18 Super Hornet: Our first military jet and a highly requested feature from the community. The Top Gun: Maverick expansion will release with the movie next Spring, but we wanted simmers to have the opportunity to test their need for speed this holiday.
• VoloCity: We partnered with well-known German company Volocopter, which is working on an eVTOL called “VoloCity”, a vision for an urban air taxi. We worked closely with the Volocopter engineering team to develop an authentic version of the prototype aircraft for the simulator. This is our first aircraft that can perform pinpoint landings and is a teaser of what you can look forward to in 2022 when we intend to launch helicopters in the sim.
• Pilatus PC-6 Porter: This legendary short takeoff and landing (STOL) utility aircraft is a highly versatile plane from Switzerland and comes with several cockpits, cabins, and landing gear variations. It is the result of our close collaboration with the manufacturer and the development efforts by famed developers Hans Hartmann and Alexander Metzger resulted in a great and fun new aircraft with exception capabilities in the simulator.
• CubCrafters NX Cub: Yakima-based CubCrafters recently introduced a nosewheel option for their flagship CC-19 XCub Aircraft, popularly called the NX Cub, which we are pleased to introduce to the flight sim audience to further enhance our bush flying and off airport options.
• Aviat Pitts Special S1S: One of our most popular planes gets a single-seat option with the release of this aircraft. New Airports – We are adding eight handcrafted airports in Central Europe and the United States:
• Germany o Leipzig/Halle Airport (EDDP) o Allgäu Airport Memmingen (EDJA) o Kassel Airport (EDVK)
•Switzerland o Lugano Airport (LSZA) o Zurich Airport (LSZH) o Luzern-Beromunster Airport (LSZO)
•United States o Patrick Space Force Base (KCOF) o Marine Corps Air Station Miramar (KNKX) The Game of the Year release is adding information about 545 previously missing airports in the United States. New Missions -Based on the popularity of the recently introduced Discovery Flights, we are adding an additional six locations (Helsinki, Freiburg im Breisgau, Mecca, Monument Valley, Singapore, and Mount Cook) to this popular series. New Tutorials – To further expand the onboarding experience, we are adding 14 new tutorials, introducing simmers to Bush flying (in an Icon A5) and IFR (in a Cessna 172). New Features – We are also pleased to introduce several highly requested features by the community: an updated weather system, early access to DX12, and a dev mode replay system. New Photogrammetry Cities – As part of our ongoing collaboration with Bing Maps, we are pleased to add a number of new photogrammetry cities: Helsinki (Finland), Freiburg im Breisgau (Germany), Brighton, Derby, Eastbourne, Newcastle, and Nottingham (UK) and Utrecht (Netherlands). Microsoft Flight Simulator Standard Game of the Year Edition will be available as a free update for owners on PC and Xbox Series X|S. For new users, the GOTY Standard Edition is the perfect entry point to flight simming as it offers an even richer experience, and it will be the item they purchase as we are retiring the original. Invite your friends to experience the wonders of flight. The sky is calling!

To celebrate the return of Gamescom, Microsoft Flight Simulator has released its first-ever City Update today featuring five brand-new photogrammetry German cities: Hanover, Dortmund, Dusseldorf, Bonn, and Cologne. Simmers will even be able to spot the famous Koelnmesse, home to the renowned gamescom show. This free update can be downloaded from the in-sim marketplace right now.

Furthermore, the Microsoft Flight Simulator team revealed additional details about the upcoming release of the exciting 40^th Anniversary Edition. It will be available for free on November 11, 2022 to those who own Microsoft Flight Simulator or Xbox Game Pass members and will feature, for the first time since 2006, helicopters and gliders, the most requested enhancements by our community. In addition to the helicopters and gliders, we will introduce another highly-requested community feature: a true-to-life airliner, the sophisticated Airbus A-310 where nearly every single button works just as expected.

We are also celebrating the storied history of aviation with seven famous historical aircraft in the Microsoft Flight Simulator 40^th Anniversary Edition. These aircraft include the 1903 Wright Flyer, the 1915 Curtiss JN-4 Jenny, the 1927 Ryan NYP Spirit of St. Louis, the 1935 Douglas DC-3, the beautiful 1937 Grumman G-21 Goose, the 1947 Havilland DHC-2 Beaver, and the famous 1947 Hughes H-4 Hercules (the largest seaplane and largest wooden plane ever made), also known as the Spruce Goose.

We are also adding four classic airports, including the Meigs Field in Chicago which is a traditional starting airport for the Microsoft Flight Simulator franchise. It is an exciting update full of aviation history to celebrate our community and the beauty of aviation!

In summary, the 40^th Anniversary Edition will bring:

• 4 classic commercial airports
• 10 glider airports
• 12 new aircraft
• 14 heliports
• 20 classic missions from the franchise’s past

We hope you’ll check out the City Update 01 (German cities) available today and follow along as we get ready to bring you the Microsoft Flight Simulator 40^th Anniversary Edition on November 11. The sky is calling!

Microsoft Flight Simulator is now available for Xbox Series X|S and PC with Xbox Game Pass, PC Game Pass, Windows, and Steam, and on Xbox One and supported mobile phones, tablets, and lower-spec PCs via Xbox Cloud Gaming. For the latest information on Microsoft Flight Simulator, stay tuned to @MSFSOfficial on Twitter. 

Microsoft Flight Simulator

Xbox Game Studios

☆☆☆☆☆ 368

★★★★★

Xbox One X Enhanced

PC Game Pass

Xbox Game Pass

Microsoft Flight Simulator is the next generation of one of the most beloved simulation franchises. From light planes to wide-body jets, fly highly detailed and stunning aircraft in an incredibly realistic world. Create your flight plan and fly anywhere on the planet. Enjoy flying day or night and face realistic, challenging weather conditions.

One of the most distinctive and memorable aircraft in history comes to Microsoft Flight Simulator.

Today we are pleased to introduce the fourth plane in the Microsoft Flight Simulator “Local Legends” series, the S.55. The “Local Legends” series celebrates the history of aviation and this plane, a twin-engine flying boat produced by Italian aviation manufacturer Savoia-Marchetti of Milan, is linked to our most recent World Update IX: Italy and Malta. It features a catamaran hull design, twin tail booms, triple vertical stabilizers, and a tractor-pusher engine-propulsion system mounted above its main wing. Constructed primarily of wood, the hydroplane’s cockpit is located in the forward mid-section of the main wing and its hulls can be configured to carry a number of combinations of fuel, passengers, and cargo.

Savoia-Marchetti conceived the unique craft during the inter-war period to serve military roles, primarily that of a torpedo bomber, with its payload (which could also include bombs) slung under the centerline of the main wing between its two hulls. The premise was that the S.55 could wait at sea and surveil an area for approaching ships, then launch and attack. The hydroplane roared into the sky for the first time in August of 1924. While the Italian military initially disapproved of the concept, they adopted the flying boat into service in 1926. The plane engaged briefly in combat (during the Spanish Civil War), but its enduring legacy is its operations as aircraft of choice for a number of long-range flights, notably trans-Atlantic journeys.

This prototype version of the S.55, Jahú, was flown by Brazilian aviator João Ribeiro de Barros, from Genoa, Italy, to Sao Paulo, Brazil, completing the incredible voyage in 1927. The inspiring journey marked the first time that aviators hailing from the Western Hemisphere completed a trans-Atlantic flight. The Jahú is the last surviving Savoia-Marchetti S.55 and is on display at the TAM Museum in the Brazilian city of São Carlos.

This version of the S.55 features twin V-12 510-horsepower Isotta Fraschini water-cooled engines, in a tractor-pusher configuration, each turning two-blade wooden propellers, providing a cruise speed of approximately 110 miles per hour.

S.55X

This model, the S.55X, from 1933, represents the final and most advanced iteration of the airframe produced. Only 25 were constructed. With an 800-horsepower Isotta Fraschini W-18 engines driving three-blade metal propellers and improved instrumentation, the S.55X boasts the highest performance and greatest range of all S.55 variants.

Shortly after their completion, all 25 ‘X’ models participated in a mass trans-Atlantic formation flight, known as the “Decennial Air Cruise,” led by General Italo Balbo of the Regia Aeronautica (Italian Royal Air Force). This flight, from Rome to Chicago’s 1933 Century of Progress world’s fair, is one of aviation history’s greatest success stories. It proved the quality of design and craftsmanship of the S.55X, the intrepidness and skill of the Italian aviators, and demonstrated that trans-Atlantic passenger service by airplane was feasible.

The Savoia-Marchetti S.55 and S.55X are available as a package in the Microsoft Flight Simulator in-sim marketplace today for $14.99. We will continue to introduce aircraft to the “Local Legends” series in the coming months. The sky is calling!

Microsoft Flight Simulator is now available for Xbox Series X|S and PC with Xbox Game Pass, PC Game Pass, Windows, and Steam, and on Xbox One and supported mobile phones, tablets, and lower-spec PCs via Xbox Cloud Gaming. For the latest information on Microsoft Flight Simulator, stay tuned to @MSFSOfficial on Twitter. 

Experience the stunning splendor of the Iberian Peninsula with the latest World Update from Microsoft Flight Simulator

Start exploring the coastal nooks of the Mediterranean and Atlantic, the heights of the Pyrenees, and legendary architecture of cities like Lisbon and Madrid with World Update VIII: Spain, Portugal, Gibraltar & Andorra. Fly over the Basilica of the Sagrada Familia to appreciate its architectural details, admire the innovation at the Aqueduct of Segovia and the richness of the City of Arts and Sciences in Valencia.

In Microsoft Flight Simulator World Update VIII, this region has been enhanced with a variety of new, high resolution geographic improvements, including elevation data, photogrammetry, and aerial imagery for a stunning experience. This update includes four handcrafted airports, 99 custom points of interest (POIs), four bush trips, four new discovery flights, and five brand new landing challenges.

World Update VIII: Spain, Portugal, Andorra & Gibraltar is available FREE to all owners of Microsoft Flight Simulator. Update your simulator, download World Update VIII, and take off to experience the treasures of this wonderful European realm from the heights! The sky is calling!

Microsoft Flight Simulator is available for Xbox Series X|S and PC with Xbox Game Pass, PC Game Pass, Windows 10/11 and Steam and also on Xbox One and supported mobile phones, tablets, and lower-spec PCs via Xbox Cloud Gaming.  

An Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription is required for cloud gaming. Cloud gaming availability varies by region, and Microsoft Flight Simulator can be played everywhere that cloud gaming is supported.

Explore the beauty of Spain, Portugal, Andorra & Gibraltar today in Microsoft Flight Simulator. The sky is calling!  

For the latest information on Microsoft Flight Simulator, stay tuned to @MSFSOfficial on Twitter. 

Microsoft Flight Simulator: Standard Game of the Year Edition

Xbox Game Studios

☆☆☆☆☆ 321

★★★★★

PC Game Pass

Xbox Game Pass

The Microsoft Flight Simulator Game of the Year (GOTY) Standard Edition celebrates all the positive feedback, reviews and awards garnered, but it is also a “Thank You” to our fans – new and old – that have made Microsoft Flight Simulator such a phenomenon. The Microsoft Flight Simulator Standard Game of the Year Edition includes 25 highly detailed planes with unique flight models and 38 hand-crafted airports. This enhanced edition introduces simmers to five all-new aircraft, eight new handcrafted airports, six new Discovery Flights, new tutorials, and updates to the weather system The five new handcrafted aircraft in Microsoft Flight Simulator include:
• Boeing F/A-18 Super Hornet: Our first military jet and a highly requested feature from the community. The Top Gun: Maverick expansion will release with the movie next Spring, but we wanted simmers to have the opportunity to test their need for speed this holiday.
• VoloCity: We partnered with well-known German company Volocopter, which is working on an eVTOL called “VoloCity”, a vision for an urban air taxi. We worked closely with the Volocopter engineering team to develop an authentic version of the prototype aircraft for the simulator. This is our first aircraft that can perform pinpoint landings and is a teaser of what you can look forward to in 2022 when we intend to launch helicopters in the sim.
• Pilatus PC-6 Porter: This legendary short takeoff and landing (STOL) utility aircraft is a highly versatile plane from Switzerland and comes with several cockpits, cabins, and landing gear variations. It is the result of our close collaboration with the manufacturer and the development efforts by famed developers Hans Hartmann and Alexander Metzger resulted in a great and fun new aircraft with exception capabilities in the simulator.
• CubCrafters NX Cub: Yakima-based CubCrafters recently introduced a nosewheel option for their flagship CC-19 XCub Aircraft, popularly called the NX Cub, which we are pleased to introduce to the flight sim audience to further enhance our bush flying and off airport options.
• Aviat Pitts Special S1S: One of our most popular planes gets a single-seat option with the release of this aircraft. New Airports – We are adding eight handcrafted airports in Central Europe and the United States:
• Germany o Leipzig/Halle Airport (EDDP) o Allgäu Airport Memmingen (EDJA) o Kassel Airport (EDVK)
•Switzerland o Lugano Airport (LSZA) o Zurich Airport (LSZH) o Luzern-Beromunster Airport (LSZO)
•United States o Patrick Space Force Base (KCOF) o Marine Corps Air Station Miramar (KNKX) The Game of the Year release is adding information about 545 previously missing airports in the United States. New Missions -Based on the popularity of the recently introduced Discovery Flights, we are adding an additional six locations (Helsinki, Freiburg im Breisgau, Mecca, Monument Valley, Singapore, and Mount Cook) to this popular series. New Tutorials – To further expand the onboarding experience, we are adding 14 new tutorials, introducing simmers to Bush flying (in an Icon A5) and IFR (in a Cessna 172). New Features – We are also pleased to introduce several highly requested features by the community: an updated weather system, early access to DX12, and a dev mode replay system. New Photogrammetry Cities – As part of our ongoing collaboration with Bing Maps, we are pleased to add a number of new photogrammetry cities: Helsinki (Finland), Freiburg im Breisgau (Germany), Brighton, Derby, Eastbourne, Newcastle, and Nottingham (UK) and Utrecht (Netherlands). Microsoft Flight Simulator Standard Game of the Year Edition will be available as a free update for owners on PC and Xbox Series X|S. For new users, the GOTY Standard Edition is the perfect entry point to flight simming as it offers an even richer experience, and it will be the item they purchase as we are retiring the original. Invite your friends to experience the wonders of flight. The sky is calling!

Today pilots, aviation enthusiasts, simmers, and explorers can take to the skies in Microsoft Flight Simulator, now available on Xbox Game Pass for PC (Beta), Windows 10 PC, and Steam. In celebration of the return of the beloved franchise, all players will be able to claim a free “Aviators Club” livery set as a special thank you for being one of the first to take flight from now through September 30, 2020. The livery set will be available starting on Wednesday, August 19 for this limited time in the in-sim marketplace and includes Microsoft Flight Simulator-inspired liveries for all aircraft available in the Standard, Deluxe, and Premium Deluxe Editions.

It’s an exciting day for everyone at Asobo Studio and Microsoft. This all began as a demo of Machu Picchu in augmented reality for the Microsoft HoloLens and now we’re here, re-launching the franchise after 38 years. The dream to make another Microsoft Flight Simulator has always been alive, but what we really needed was the right combination of elements – a convergence of our collaboration with Azure AI’s cloud technology and Bing Maps to stream more than 2PB of data and – to be able to reach a new level of realism, accuracy and authenticity (as mentioned in Protocol).  

Sharing on behalf of the entire crew at Microsoft and Asobo Studio, it has been an amazing and humbling experience to add to the legacy of Microsoft’s longest running product franchise with Microsoft Flight Simulator. Almost everyone on the team has a personal story or connection to flight simulation, but hearing from numerous pilots, engineers and simulation fans about the impact the Microsoft Flight Simulator franchise made in their lives has been incredibly inspiring. 

It was immediately apparent that while we all share the same love for aviation and aircraft, the vast wealth of knowledge and experience from the community was going to be critical to success. We made it our mission from day one to gather feedback from the various aviation and simulation communities, and to do our best to learn from the past. We read thousands of threads on the various message boards, worked directly with pilots and engineers from different aircraft manufacturers, and created an alpha program to get direct input from fans.  

What impressed us the most was how this community continued to grow and thrive in the absence of updated software. The community rallied together to continue development and support for Microsoft Flight Simulator, and created a robust ecosystem for additional aircraft, airports, sceneries, and features. From free mods, to career modes, to incredibly complex “study level” aircraft, it was clear that we needed to support the community’s passion for creating, building and modding. From the very beginning, we treated the new Microsoft Flight Simulator as a platform, and not just as a product. We worked directly with hundreds of third party developers to ensure the SDK, which is available to everyone for free at launch, has the features and tools needed to continue to deliver amazing addons, and we will continue this partnership well into the future. 

In addition to all of the insightful feedback we received, we also wanted to add our own mark on the franchise. We wanted to make a fundamental leap forward in the genre and redefine what it means to be Flight Simulator. We had access to amazing technology and vast data in Azure and Bing Maps, and it showed us that for the first time, the entire world could be flyable in VFR (visual flight rules) in a simulator. Having the entire world in 3D was only the first step, and so a fully redesigned weather and lighting system was needed to truly simulate the world. With all of this terrain and weather data, we can accurately simulate the forces that would impact an aircraft in flight, so we created an all new, fully redesigned aerodynamics model for our aircraft to take advantage of that data. 

These three key areas (world, weather and aerodynamics) created the foundation for Microsoft Flight Simulator’s platform. We’ve added 30 diverse aircraft (in the Premium Deluxe Edition) ranging from single engine piston aircraft, to long range turbo props, business jets and airliners. We’ve created a multiplayer system that allows friends from all over the world to fly together. We’ve made improvements to almost every system in Microsoft Flight Simulator and have plans to continue to expand and enhance the sim post launch (VR coming later this year, for example). We see this as just the first step in a larger journey, and with the community’s help, we’ll continue to grow Microsoft Flight Simulator for years to come. 

This is just the beginning.  We will continue to update our development roadmap with simulator updates including free world updates, themed DLC bundles, VR and more including all the great content that 3^rd party developers have begun to announce will be coming to Microsoft Flight Simulator. 

We built a sim for simmers, but the invitation is here for anyone who’s ever dreamt of flying, exploring the world, or visiting your favorite destinations. We’ll see you at 30,000 feet.