Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jul 16, 2026

Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024

Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 is a flight simulation video game developed by Asobo Studio and published by Xbox Game Studios. The successor to Microsoft Flight Simulator (2020), the game was released on November 19, 2024, for Windows and the Xbox Series X/S, and on December 8, 2025, for PlayStation 5.

Last revised
Jul 16, 2026
Read time
≈ 9 min
Length
2,013 w
Citations
43
Source
Wikipedia ↗
Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024
DeveloperAsobo Studio
PublisherXbox Game Studios
DirectorDavid Dedeine
DesignerDamien Cuzacq
Programmers
  • Lionel Fuentes
  • Philippe Rivaillon
  • Olivier Goguel
ArtistPatrice Bourroncle
Writers
  • Aurelie Belzanne
  • Eve Pioche
ComposerFinishing Move Inc.
SeriesMicrosoft Flight Simulator
Platforms
Release
November 19, 2024
  • Windows, Xbox Series X/S
  • November 19, 2024
  • PlayStation 5
  • December 8, 2025
GenreFlight simulation
ModesSingle-player, multiplayer

Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 is a flight simulation video game developed by Asobo Studio and published by Xbox Game Studios. The successor to Microsoft Flight Simulator (2020), the game was released on November 19, 2024, for Windows and the Xbox Series X/S, and on December 8, 2025, for PlayStation 5.

The game was announced at the 2023 Xbox Games Showcase on June 11, 2023. Compared with the 2020 entry, Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 places greater emphasis on structured aviation activities through a career mode, expanded mission types, a denser simulated world, and revised aircraft and systems simulation. As of July 2026, the game had received multiple numbered Sim Updates, smaller hotfixes, and free World and City scenery updates distributed through the in-sim Marketplace.

Gameplay

Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 retains the globe-scale free flight, live weather, online traffic, and satellite-derived scenery systems of the 2020 game, while adding a more explicit activity structure around aviation jobs and skill progression. Its career mode allows players to begin at an airport of their choosing, gain experience and reputation, earn certifications, and unlock aviation specializations ranging from medevac and remote cargo operations to aerial firefighting, search and rescue, and airline passenger transport.1

Mission types include aerial firefighting, air search and rescue, helicopter cargo hook transport, air ambulance, cropdusting, mountain rescue, skydiving, commercial aviation, aerial crane construction, outsize cargo transport with the Airbus Beluga, arctic cargo transport with the Airbus A400M, VIP air charter and executive transport, air racing, weather reconnaissance, experimental aircraft testing, and nap-of-the-earth flight with the A-10 Warthog. New aircraft categories include gliders, airships, hot air balloons, and electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft.2 The game also includes non-career activities such as landing challenges, rally races, low-altitude challenges, World Photographer objectives, and free flight.

The virtual world was substantially revised from the 2020 game. Microsoft described the environmental detail as increasing by a factor of 4,000, with ground surfaces no longer represented only as a heightfield: stones, rocks, gravel, and grass are modeled in 3D and can affect wheels during takeoff, landing, and taxiing.3 New environmental features include wildfires, snow, tornadoes, auroras, animal migration and herds, live marine and flight tracking, four seasons, and improved ground traffic reporting.42

The simulator includes an EFB (electronic flight bag) for planning, charts, aircraft information, weight and balance, and flight-plan management. Microsoft and Asobo also described improvements to aircraft physics, avionics, and electrical, pneumatic, fuel, and hydraulic systems, along with greater multithreading support to improve performance.4 The redesigned preflight flow allows players to walk around aircraft and interact with covers, doors, and service items before flying.

Differences from Microsoft Flight Simulator (2020)

The most visible design change from Microsoft Flight Simulator (2020) is the addition of a built-in career structure. While the 2020 game centered on free flight, discovery flights, bush trips, landing challenges, and add-on content, 2024 adds progression through certifications, reputation, specializations, and generated missions. The career system gives the simulator a more goal-oriented structure without replacing free flight.1

Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 is a standalone release, but Microsoft stated before launch that "virtually all" add-ons purchased through the 2020 game's in-sim Marketplace would work with the new version.5 Post-launch updates added more granular library controls: update 1.2.7.0 allowed users to enable or disable ported Microsoft Flight Simulator (2020) Marketplace content item by item, with non-Microsoft ported content disabled by default until the user chose to activate it.6

The 2024 release also shifts more of the world and content pipeline toward streaming and the in-sim Marketplace. Free scenery updates continued after release, but the new version placed greater emphasis on streamed packages, compatibility flags, and library management for legacy and native 2024 content.

Development

Asobo Studio served as the game's lead developer. A team of more than 200 at Asobo mainly worked to update the game's client to accommodate its new features, while Xbox worked with more than 30 external partners on various aspects of the simulator.7

The game was released on November 19, 2024, on Xbox Series X/S and Windows.8 During State of Play on September 24, 2025, Microsoft announced that the game would be released on PlayStation 5 on December 8, 2025, making it the first entry in the series to be released on a Sony console.9 PlayStation VR2 support was later added as part of Sim Update 5 in April 2026.10

Post-release updates

Microsoft has supported Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 with smaller patches, numbered Sim Updates, and free Marketplace scenery releases. Early updates addressed launch stability, loading, Marketplace compatibility, and add-on library management. Later updates expanded VR support, aircraft systems, career-mode logic, world streaming, EFB behavior, and performance.

Date Update Version Main changes
November 21, 2024 Launch patch 1.1.9.0 Addressed early post-launch bugs and stability issues after the game's server-constrained release.11
November 27, 2024 Launch patch 1.1.10.0 Continued early stability, aircraft, career, and library fixes.12
December 4, 2024 Patch 1.2.7.0 Added per-item enable and disable controls for ported 2020 Marketplace content, with non-Microsoft ported content disabled by default.6
December 20, 2024 Patch 1.2.8.0 Fixed crashes, airport performance problems, aircraft animation and lighting issues, and several mission and online-service bugs.13
January 9, 2025 Hotfix 1.2.11.0 Fixed a regression from update 1.2.8.0 that prevented avionics from working correctly in some aircraft.14
March 6, 2025 Sim Update 1 1.3.23.0 Opened the in-sim Marketplace to all users and delivered broad stability, loading-time, VR, aircraft, and career fixes.15
May 15, 2025 Sim Update 2 1.4.20.0 Updated aircraft, core systems, career mode, online services, world streaming, marketplace filters, controls, and developer tools; added native foveated rendering support for VR.16
August 20, 2025 Sim Update 3 1.5.27.0 Added control-menu filters and UI refinements, optimized boot and loading times, reduced VRAM use, improved airport performance, and refined EFB flight-plan handling.17
December 8, 2025 Sim Update 4 1.6.32.0 Added World Photographer collection refinements, console graphics options, helicopter vortex-ring-state assistance, and extensive stability and performance improvements.18
April 30, 2026 Sim Update 5 1.7.27.0 Added PS VR2 support, unlocked heavy aircraft and VTOL career specializations, improved performance and stuttering, and refined career dispatching and VR interface behavior.1019
June 29, 2026 Sim Update 5.1 1.7.35.0 Improved texture mip streaming and terrain behavior under low-memory conditions, fixed crashes and avionics power-state bugs, and adjusted career mission scheduling around runway lighting.20
July 2026 Sim Update 6 beta 1.8.5.0 Entered public beta testing with additional graphics, lighting, VR, free-flight, career, and bug-fix changes; it had not replaced Sim Update 5.1 as the stable release as of July 11, 2026.21

Free scenery updates continued alongside the simulator patches. World Update 19, released in March 2025, focused on Brazil, Guyana, Suriname, and French Guiana.22 World Update 20 revisited Japan in September 2025,23 World Update 21 focused on Australia in May 2026,24 and World Update 22 added United States National Parks in July 2026.25 City Updates also continued, including updates for California, the Netherlands and Belgium, and the United States Midwest.262728

Reception

Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 received "generally positive" reviews according to review aggregator Metacritic, with several publications praising the game for its new features, enhanced visuals, and landscape streaming features. Criticism was directed at long loading times and missing content during launch, caused by high demand and server-side problems. Players encountered long virtual queues and, in some cases, could not reliably access the simulator.33

Flight Simulator head Jorg Neumann apologized in a developer video on launch day, while Asobo Studio CEO Sebastian Wloch said that a database cache had been overwhelmed, causing loading failures and missing content.34 The issues led to an "Overwhelmingly Negative" user-review rating on Steam shortly after release,33 with media outlets including GameSpot reporting that the game had been review bombed.35 Microsoft later stated that additional server capacity had been added while the team continued working on launch issues.36

In 2025, Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 won Best Technological Innovation at the Pegases Awards. It was also nominated for Visual Excellence.37

References

References

  1. "Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024: Creating a Career Mode for All Players". Xbox Wire. 2024-11-15. Retrieved 2026-07-11.
  2. Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 - All the Details (YouTube). Squirrel. 2023-06-12.
  3. Tolbert, Samuel (2024-09-19). "Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024: The Many Enhancements That Make It a Whole New Sim". Xbox Wire. Retrieved 2026-07-11.
  4. Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 - NEW Features & System CONFIRMED (YouTube). Aus Flight Simmer. 2023-06-23.
  5. "Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 FAQ". Microsoft Flight Simulator Support. 2023-06-12. Retrieved 2026-07-11.
  6. "Release Notes - [1.2.7.0] Available Now | MSFS 2024". Microsoft Flight Simulator. 2024-12-04. Retrieved 2026-07-11.
  7. Tolbert, Samuel (2024-09-19). ""I think you have to be honest and trusting. You need to not treat them as business entities, but as partners." Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 team talks collaboration, community, feedback, and building a bigger sim". Windows Central. Retrieved 2026-07-11.
  8. "Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024: Release Date Announcement". Microsoft Flight Simulator. 2024-06-09. Retrieved 2026-07-11.
  9. Warren, Tom (2025-09-24). "Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 is coming to PS5 in December". The Verge. Retrieved 2026-07-11.
  10. "Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 Releases Sim Update 5". Microsoft Flight Simulator. 2026-04-30. Retrieved 2026-07-11.
  11. "Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 Release Notes - [1.1.9.0] Available Now". Microsoft Flight Simulator Forums. 2024-11-21. Retrieved 2026-07-11.
  12. "Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 Release Notes - [1.1.10.0] Available Now". Microsoft Flight Simulator Forums. 2024-11-27. Retrieved 2026-07-11.
  13. "Release Notes - [1.2.8.0] Available Now | MSFS 2024". Microsoft Flight Simulator. 2024-12-20. Retrieved 2026-07-11.
  14. "Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 1.2.11.0 Hotfix Available Now". Microsoft Flight Simulator Forums. 2025-01-09. Retrieved 2026-07-11.
  15. "Release Notes - Sim Update 1 [1.3.23.0] Available Now | MSFS 2024". Microsoft Flight Simulator. 2025-03-06. Retrieved 2026-07-11.
  16. "Release Notes - Sim Update 2 [1.4.20.0] Available Now | MSFS 2024". Microsoft Flight Simulator. 2025-05-15. Retrieved 2026-07-11.
  17. "Release Notes - Sim Update 3 [1.5.27.0] Now Available | MSFS 2024". Microsoft Flight Simulator. 2025-08-20. Retrieved 2026-07-11.
  18. "Release Notes - Sim Update 4 [1.6.32.0] Now Available | MSFS 2024". Microsoft Flight Simulator. 2025-12-08. Retrieved 2026-07-11.
  19. "Release Notes - Sim Update 5 [1.7.27.0] Now Available | MSFS 2024". Microsoft Flight Simulator. 2026-04-30. Retrieved 2026-07-11.
  20. "Release Notes - Sim Update 5.1 [1.7.35.0] Now Available". Microsoft Flight Simulator. 2026-06-29. Retrieved 2026-07-11.
  21. "Release Notes - SU6 Beta 1.8.5.0 - July 6, 2026". Microsoft Flight Simulator Forums. 2026-07-06. Retrieved 2026-07-11.
  22. "Microsoft Flight Simulator Releases World Update XIX: Brazil, Guyana, Suriname, and French Guiana". Microsoft Flight Simulator. 2025-03-11. Retrieved 2026-07-11.
  23. "Microsoft Flight Simulator Releases World Update 20: Japan". Microsoft Flight Simulator. 2025-09-25. Retrieved 2026-07-11.
  24. "Microsoft Flight Simulator Releases Its Next Beautiful World Update 21: Australia". Microsoft Flight Simulator. 2026-05-05. Retrieved 2026-07-11.
  25. "Microsoft Flight Simulator Releases World Update 22: United States National Parks". Microsoft Flight Simulator. 2026-07-02. Retrieved 2026-07-11.
  26. "Microsoft Flight Simulator Releases City Update 13: California". Microsoft Flight Simulator. 2026-01-28. Retrieved 2026-07-11.
  27. "Microsoft Flight Simulator Releases City Update 14". Microsoft Flight Simulator. 2026-03-24. Retrieved 2026-07-11.
  28. "Microsoft Flight Simulator Releases City Update 15: Illinois, Minnesota and Wisconsin Today". Microsoft Flight Simulator. 2026-06-12. Retrieved 2026-07-11.
  29. "Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 Critic Reviews". Metacritic. Archived from the original on 2024-12-01. Retrieved 2024-12-01.
  30. Macy, Seth G. "Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 Review". IGN. Archived from the original on 2024-12-02. Retrieved 2024-12-01.
  31. Hafer, Len (2024-11-27). "Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 review". PC Gamer. Archived from the original on 2024-11-30. Retrieved 2024-12-01.
  32. Wales, Matt (2024-12-09). "Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 review - a stunning achievement made even better". Eurogamer. Retrieved 2024-12-10.
  33. Yin-Poole, Wesley (2024-11-20). "As Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 Steam Reviews Collapse to 'Overwhelmingly Negative,' Dev Admits It 'Completely Underestimated' Excitement for the Game". IGN. Retrieved 2024-11-20.
  34. Chalk, Andy (2024-11-19). "Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 crashes on takeoff thanks to massive server woes, devs say they're working on it". PC Gamer. Retrieved 2024-11-20.
  35. Lewis, Claire (2024-11-20). "Microsoft Flight Sim 2024's Steam User Score Plummets As Game's Servers Struggle". GameSpot. Retrieved 2024-11-20.
  36. Marnell, Blair (2024-11-21). "Microsoft Flight Sim 2024 Adds More Servers While Team Works "Around The Clock" To Fix Issues". GameSpot. Retrieved 2024-11-21.
  37. Darrivere, Cecile; Le Norcy, Graziella (2025-03-07). "Pegasus 2025: discover the winners of the 6th Cesar's-of-video-games ceremony". Sortir a Paris. Retrieved 2025-03-17.
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