Microsoft Flight Simulator News & Announcements

On Tuesday, Sim Update 16 for Microsoft Flight Simulator (2020) saw its full release. This update includes improvements to stability and performance to aircraft, avionics, and more! Click here to read the full release notes. We are also carefully monitoring player feedback regarding this update. We encourage all players to vote in our surveys here and leave a comment on our forums about your experience with SU16.Public beta testing for Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 Sim Update 3 remains ongoing. Yesterday, we released a new test build to those enrolled in the beta. You can see the release notes here:Also this week, we released the latest monthly navigation data update (AIRAC cycle 2508) to players on all platforms. This update will be installed automatically the next time you launch the sim.Finally, there is currently an airport sale ongoing in both the MSFS (2020) and MSFS 2024 Marketplaces! You can save up to 72% on some of the top-rated airports as voted by the community. See this page for a list of all the airports that currently have discounted pricing.– MSFS Team
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Enjoy discounted pricing during our Top-Rated Airport Sale!For 7 Days starting on August 5th, save up to 72% on the following items:DeveloperProduct//4242HB Hogsback Ranch Airstrip//42WY32 Circle B Ranch Airstrip29PalmsLGSR Santorini AirportAerosoftEBBR Brussels AirportAerosoftEDDK Cologne Bonn AirportAerosoftENVA Trondheim  International AirportAerosoftOffshore Landmarks – North SeaA-FlightWADD Ngurah Rai International AirportAkaflieg Freiburg e.V.EDTF Freiburg AirportAmSimLIRP Pisa Galileo Galilei AirportANN0VL06 Furnace Creek AirportattbenEFKI Kajaani AirportAusceneYBHM Hamilton Island AirportAviation-Sim-DesignEDAZ Schoenhagen AirportBackwoodStudios67FL Myakka Head AirportBeautiful Model of the WorldLEBG Burgos AirportBeautiful Model of the WorldLEPP Pamplona AirportBeautiful Model of the WorldLFLP Annecy – Mont Blanc AirportBeautiful Model of the WorldLFQQ Lille Lesquin AirportBeautiful Model of the WorldLIBP Abruzzo AirportBeautiful Model of the WorldLICC Catania-Fontanarossa AirportBeautiful Model of the WorldLIMJ Genoa Cristoforo Colombo AirportBlackbird SimulationsKBAB Beale AFBBurning Blue DesignEGCL Fenland AerodromeBurning Blue DesignEGKF Kittyhawk AerodromeBurning Blue DesignEGKH Headcorn AirportBurning Blue DesignEGLA Bodmin AirportBurning Blue DesignEGSL Andrewsfield AirportBurning Blue DesignEGSV Old Buckenham AerodromeBurning Blue DesignEGSX North Weald AirfieldBurning Blue DesignEGTF Fairoaks AirportCli4D DesignsEl Nido, PhilippinesCli4D DesignsPhilippines: A Tropical AdventureCreative Mesh3U2 Johnson Creek AirportCreative MeshU60 Big Creek AirportCreative MeshU70 Cascade AirportDC Scenery Design2W1 DE VEREDC Scenery DesignCZJN Swan River AirportDC Scenery DesignEDRP Pirmasens AirfieldDC Scenery DesignFA83 Orlando North AirparkDC Scenery DesignPACV Merle K (Mudhole) Smith AirportDC Scenery DesignPAWG Wrangell AirportDC Scenery DesignSNPJ Patrocinio AirportDigitalDesignLFLL Lyon AirportDigitalDesignLOWS Salzburg AirportDigitalDesignURSS Sochi International AirportDrazen MatlekovicLDZA Franjo Tuđman AirportDreamflightKCRQ McClellan-Palomar AirportDrzewiecki DesignEETN Tallinn AirportDrzewiecki DesignEPGD Gdansk AirportDrzewiecki DesignKDCA Ronald Reagan Washington National AirportDrzewiecki DesignRJAA Tokyo Narita International AirportDrzewiecki DesignSeattle LandmarksFlightsim Studio AGEDXB Heide-Busum AirportFLYT SimulationsSBCT AFONSO PENA INTERNATIONAL AIRPORTFLYT SimulationsSBJE JERICOACOARA AIRPORTFLYT SimulationsSIBH HELICIDADE HELIPORTFlyTampaEKCH Copenhagen AirportFlyTampaKBOS Boston Logan International AirportFsdreamteamCYVR Vancouver International AirportFsdreamteamLFSB EuroAirport Basel Mulhouse FreiburgFsoaresSBSN Santarém AirportFSoaresSBVC Vitoria Da Conquista AirportFSX3DLFKF Figari-Sud-Corse AirportFSX3DLFMR Barcelonnette Saint-PonsFSX3DLFNS Sisteron-Vaumeilh AerodromeGearDown SimulationsSBVT Vitoria Airport and CityGlideslope ProKSFO San Francisco International AirportIM SceneryEGUL Lakenheath AirbaseIM SceneryEGXC Coningsby AirbaseiniBuildsEGKK London Gatwick InternationaliniBuildsKMKE Milwaukee AirportiniBuildsKOKC Will Rogers World AirportiniBuildsKPSP Palm Springs AirportiniBuildsKPVD Providence T.F. Green AirportiniBuildsLEIB Ibiza International AirportiniBuildsLGHI Chios Omiros AirportiniBuildsYBBN Brisbane International AirportJeppeson2001Victoria Falls Scenery PackageJustSimLGRP Rhodes International AirportLHSimulationsHungary Airport Pack 1LHSimulationsLHBP Budapest AirportLHSimulationsLHDC Debrecen AirportLimeSimEDDN Nuremberg AirportLVFRKBDL Bradley International AirportLVFRKLSV Las Vegas Nellis Air Force BaseLVFRKSAN San Diego International AirportLVFRLEBL Barcelona El Prat AirportMK-STUDIOSBGSF Kangerlussuaq AirportNMG SimulationsFALE King Shaka International AirportOrbx1S2 Darrington Municipal AirportOrbx1WA6 Fall City AirportOrbxEGNT Newcastle International AirportOrbxEGPN Dundee AirportOrbxENGM Oslo Gardermoen AirportOrbxENNO Notodden AirportOrbxENSD Sandane AirportOrbxESGG Gothenburg Landvetter AirportOrbxKORS Orcas IslandOrbxKSBA Santa Barbara Municipal AirportOrbxKSJC San Jose International AirportOrbxLFKX Meribel AirportOrbxLGSK Skiathos International AirportOrbxLOWG Graz AirportOrbxS45 Siletz Bay State AirportOrbxYMND Maitland AirportPachiman287KGRB Green Bay International AirportPaulo Ricardo ScenerySBKP Campinas International AirportPaulo Ricardo ScenerySBRJ Rio de Janeiro AirportPilot Experience SimBIIS Ísafjörður AirportPilot Experience SimLDRI Rijeka AirportPilot Experience SimLFBZ Biarritz AirportPilot Experience SimLFKJ Ajaccio AirportPilot Experience SimLFKO Propriano Tavaria AirportPilot Experience SimLFRB BREST AIRPORTPropair FlightEYKA Kaunas AirportPYREEGUE DEV Co.EGAA Belfast International AirportPYREEGUE Dev Co.EGPF Glasgow AirportPYREEGUE Dev Co.UKBB Kyiv Boryspil International AirportPYREEGUE Dev Co.UKLL Lviv Danylo Halytskyi International AirportPYREEGUE Dev Co.UKOO Odesa International AirportRmStudiosSBJD Jundai AirportRoman DesignCYOW Ottawa International AirportRPSIMULATIONS & LATAVOADORASBMT Campo de Marte AirportSalvuzLIRP Pisa International AirportSalvuzLIRZ Perugia International AirportSamScene3DRKPK Gimhae International AirportSiamFlightVTBS Suvarnabhumi AirportSierrasim SimulationNWWW La Tontouta International AirportSierrasim SimulationSLLP El Alto International AirportSimulación ExtremaEGPO Stornoway AirportSimulación ExtremaSAWE Rio Grande AirportSimulación ExtremaSAWG Rio Gallegos International AirportSimulación ExtremaSAWH Ushuaia AirportSimulación ExtremaSCGZ Puerto Williams AirportSimulación ExtremaSCNT Teniente Julio Gallardo AirportSim-WingsEDDH Hamburg AirportSim-WingsEDDM Munich International AirportSim-WingsGCLP Gran Canaria AirportSLHSimdesignsTFFG Grand Case Airport St.MartinSLHSIMDESIGNSTRPG JOHN A OSBORNE AIRPORTSouth Oak CoPHDH Dillingham AirfieldTechnoBrainRJBB Kansai International AirportV Pilot DesignsSKPA Juan Jose Rondon AirportWFSceneryStudioVHHH Hong Kong International AirportWFSceneryStudioZHCC Zhengzhou Xinzheng International AirportWFSceneryStudioZSPD Shanghai Pudong International AirportWombiiENSH Svolvaer AirportX-Codr Designs1G4 Grand Canyon West To purchase these discounted items, visit the Microsoft Flight Simulator Marketplace on MSFS 2020 or MSFS 2024, scroll down to the Top-Rated Airport Sale row, then select ‘See All’ and look for the savings. 

Public beta testing for Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 Sim Update 3 and Microsoft Flight Simulator (2020) Sim Update 16 continues. Earlier this week, we submitted a new pre-release build for SU3 to volunteer community testers. You can read the release notes below:As part of SU3, the team has been working on improvements to ATC localization for non-English languages. For any non-English speakers participating in the SU3 beta, please complete the short survey at this link to share your feedback about the ATC updates with the development team. Your responses make a huge difference in our improvement efforts!Next month some members of the team will be in Cologne, Germany to attend Gamescom, the largest video game industry show in Europe. Microsoft Flight Simulator players can look forward to an exciting city update, a brand-new aircraft that many fans will recognize for use in the sim, and exciting and unique challenges for players to test their piloting skills.Just as we did last year, we are once again hosting a small in-person Microsoft Flight Simulator Community event in Cologne, Germany on the evening of August 23rd. This free event is a causal mixer between fans of MSFS and includes a buffet-style meal, drinks, and is meant for those who are 18+ in age. There is no presentation or exclusive information being presented at this event. You do not need a ticket to Gamescom to attend this event. Anyone wishing to attend can express interest by completing this web form.Attendees at last year’s Gamescom MSFS Community event.– MSFS Team

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Yesterday, we hosted our latest Developer Livestream on our official Twitch channel. Our usual panel of Jorg, Seb, and Martial answered many questions from the community about both Microsoft Flight Simulator (2020) and Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 and then welcomed Marwan Gharib from FlightFX to demo their newly-released aircraft, the Cessna Citation X, the first in our Marketplace Exclusive Series. If you missed it live, you can watch the replay on YouTube below:Also this week, we released three new test builds to those participating in the public beta for Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 Sim Update 3 and Microsoft Flight Simulator (2020) Sim Update 16. You can read the release notes  for both below:The development team has been very closely monitoring the feedback submitted by players in the beta forums and reviewing the telemetry data we receive from testers. Thank you to everyone who has opted in to the beta, shared feedback and bug reports on our forums and voted in the SU3 and SU16 beta player surveys.Finally, you may have noticed that we recently started posting on Bluesky! You can now keep up with the latest MSFS news on your social platform of choice:Additionally, we also post short video content to Instagram and TikTok. Be sure to follow @msfsofficial on all your preferred social networks!– MSFS Team
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Since our last update, the public betas for both Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 Sim Update 3 and Microsoft Flight Simulator (2020) Sim Update 16 have both received new pre-release test builds. Each of these builds was relatively small and contained few changes, but you can find the release notes below:As announced last week, several aircraft from the Deluxe and Premium Deluxe Editions of MSFS 2024 are now available to rent from the in-sim Marketplace. If you decide you like the aircraft after renting it and wish to buy it, you will receive a discount on the full purchase price! This week, three new planes are now available to rent:
  • Dornier Seawing Seastar
  • Pilatus PC-24
  • Zlin Aviation Savage Norden
As a reminder, our next Developer Livestream is next Wednesday, July 23, 2025 starting at 10:30am PDT (1730 UTC). You can watch our panel of Jorg, Seb, and Martial respond to questions from the community, discuss the upcoming development roadmap, and reveal other changes coming to the sim live on our official Twitch channel. If you’re not able to watch the broadcast in real-time, we’ll also upload the VOD to our YouTube channel afterward.– MSFS TeamClick here to continue reading the Development Update!
Public pre-release testing of both Sim Update 3 for Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 and Sim Update 16 for Microsoft Flight Simulator (2020) continues, with both sims receiving a new beta build this week. In case you missed it, you can read the release notes for these new beta builds here:Also new this week, we’re pleased to announce that several aircraft from the Deluxe and Premium Deluxe Editions of Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 are now available to rent from the in-sim Marketplace. Renting gives simmers the opportunity to try these planes for a small fee. When you rent an item, you’ll also receive an offer to purchase it at a discounted price.This offer is valid during your rental period and for seven (7) days after your rental expires. The purchase price is calculated by subtracting the highest single rental price you paid from the current full purchase price of the item in the Marketplace. For example: If the item costs $10 and you rented it twice, once for three days at $3 and once for one day at $1, the discounted purchase price would be $10 (item price) – $3 (highest rental paid) = $7.You can find more information about which Deluxe and Premium Deluxe Edition aircraft are available for rent in the image below:Finally, we are now accepting questions for our next Developer Livestream scheduled for July 23, 2025. If you’d like to pre-submit a question to the panel, you can do so at this link.– MSFS TeamClick here to continue reading the Development Update!
Last Friday, we released City Update 11: Northeastern United States 2 and Famous Flyer 12: Piper PA-28-236 Dakota. The City Update may be claimed for FREE from the in-sim Marketplace for both MSFS (2020) and MSFS 2024 users. The Dakota is available FREE to all MSFS (2024) players and will automatically appear in My Library — no download needed! For MSFS (2020) players, you can purchase the PA-28 from the Marketplace for USD $14.99.In beta news, we released two new pre-release test builds for MSFS 2024 Sim Update 3 this week. You can read the release notes for each of these builds at the links below:As a reminder for everyone participating in the pre-release test, we really appreciate it if you submit bug reports for any issues you encounter and vote in the surveys for each build. Your timely and detailed feedback helps the development team immensely as we work to deliver the best possible Sim Update to our player community.As announced in our Development Update Blog last week, the FlightFX C750 is coming to the Marketplace soon! As a special preview of this exciting upcoming aircraft, check out twotonemurphy’s Twitch stream on July 9! The livestream begins at 1900 UTC, and the FlightFX C750 preview is expected to begin about an hour into the broadcast. Murph will be chatting with the FlightFX devs and exploring all the great new features of the plane which releases for MSFS (2020) and MSFS 2024 on July 10!– MSFS TeamClick here to continue reading the Development Update!
The PA-28-236 Dakota: Refined and ResilientWhen first delivered in 1979, the Piper PA-28-236 Dakota represented a refined evolution of a Piper aircraft family that dated back nearly two decades. A member of the venerable PA-28 Cherokee lineage, the prototype of which took its maiden flight on January 14, 1960, the Dakota quickly proved to be a pilot favorite. The single-engine, 4-seat, all-metal aircraft excels at a wide range of flying, from short jaunts to cross country touring. Comfortable, reliable, and resilient, the Dakota provides aviators both high performance as well as forgiving flight characteristics.   The Dakota’s cabin seats up to four, including the pilot. It has a traditional tail unit and a fixed tricycle undercarriage with wheel pants for maximum aerodynamic efficiency. The aircraft measures 24 feet, 7 inches in length, stands 7 feet, 2 inches tall, and has a wingspan of 35 feet, 4 inches. It is powered by a Lycoming O-540-J3A5D 6-cylinder piston engine that generates up to 235 horsepower and turns a 2-blade, constant-speed propeller.  The PA28-236 is known to pilots as a responsive, great performer that is forgiving enough for new pilots. It has a range of 852 miles, a service ceiling of 17,500 feet above sea level, and it climbs at 1,110 feet per minute. It cruises at 166 miles per hour and has a top speed of 170 mph. It requires 886 feet to take-off and 825 feet to land.  The Microsoft Flight Simulator  Piper PA-28-236The Piper PA-28-236 Dakota comes with the following liveries: Beige on Brown, White with Red and Grey Stripes, Chrome Red, Beige on Red, White with Blue and Grey Stripes, White with Green Stripes, Chrome Green, White, Aviators Club Livery, Xbox Aviators Club Livery. The Microsoft Flight Simulator Piper PA-28-236 Dakota is the third of the four aircraft the team promised to Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 consumers as a “make good” for their patience with the issues encountered during the launch. The plane is available for free today to all owners of Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024.  For those wanting to fly the Piper PA-28-236 Dakota in Microsoft Flight Simulator (2020), it is available today for $14.99 in the in-sim marketplace. The sky is calling! Microsoft Flight Simulator (2020) and Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 are 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 products, stay tuned to @MSFSOfficial on X (formerly Twitter) or visit www.flightsimulator.com.  
Launched in celebration of FlightSimExpo 2025, held in Providence, Rhode Island in late June, City Update 11: Northeastern United States highlights several areas of interest (AOIs) across four northeastern U.S. states: Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, and Rhode Island. This update comprises a spectacular mix of locations throughout this storied region of the United States, including portions of New England, one of the most important heritage areas in the nation. Microsoft and partners created each AOI using recent high-resolution aerial and satellite imagery, digital elevation models (DEMs), and TIN (triangulated irregular network) surface texturing. City Update 11 invites exploration throughout the sights of this historically renowned part of America, where each flight is filled with expansive vistas and intriguing landmarks.Areas of Interest included, by state: MassachusettsBoston: The capital of and most populous city in the state of Massachusetts, Boston serves as the primary cultural, financial, and logistical hub of the New England region. Founded in 1630, Boston is one of the oldest cities in the United States and is one of the most renowned of the country’s heritage sites, notably due to its role in the American Revolution.Plymouth: The Mayflower Pilgrims landed at Plymouth in 1620, making it one of the most important historical sites in the United States. Called “America’s Hometown,” Plymouth is located 40 miles south of Boston and is the oldest settlement in New England.New JerseyNortheastern New Jersey: Cities include Newark, Hackensack, and Paterson, all of which are members of the greater New York metropolitan area. Newark, one of the oldest cities in the United States, is renowned for its contribution to the industrial development of the country and as a modern transportation hub. Hackensack is known for its historical importance during the American Revolution where George Washington established a headquarters. Paterson became a key location in the Industrial Revolution due to the energy supplied by the Great Falls of the Passaic River, around which the city was initially constructed.Central Jersey: This AOI focuses on cities in the eastern portion of Central Jersey, including Elizabeth, New Brunswick, and Edison. Elizabeth was the first capital of New Jersey and is one of the state’s oldest cities. New Brunswick played an important role in the American Revolution and is an important university center. Edison (originally called Raritan Township) was named after famed American inventor Thomas Edison who established his research laboratory in the area and created several important innovations, including the incandescent light bulb and the phonograph.New YorkBrooklyn: Located on the western end of Long Island, Brooklyn is the most populous of the five boroughs of New York City. It lies just south of the borough of Queens and is connected to the borough of Manhattan by one tunnel and three bridges that span the East River. Brooklyn offers some of the most stunning views in all of New York City, notably of the Brooklyn Bridge, the East River, and lower Manhattan.Manhattan: Manhattan is one of the most renowned urban centers in the world. The smallest borough by area of the five boroughs that compose New York City, Manhattan is often cited as the capital of several global industries, including finance, media, and entertainment. Known for its iconic architecture, Manhattan is home to the tallest building in both the United States and the Western Hemisphere, One World Trade Center (1,776 feet tall), and the second tallest in the Nation and the Western Hemisphere, Central Park Tower (1,550 feet tall).Long Island’s East End: One of the most beautiful areas in the northeastern United States, Long Island’s East End is renowned for its pastoral landscapes, historic villages, colonial architecture, and maritime vistas. The update includes Southampton, one of the core towns of the well-known Hamptons resort area, and Montauk, the easternmost point in New York State and home to the spectacular Montauk Point Lighthouse.Rhode IslandThe update’s Rhode Island AOI covers all major cities in the state, including Providence, Cranston, and Warwick. Providence, established in 1636, is the capital and most populous city in the state. Providence, along with the cities of Cranston and Warwick to its south, are located along the mouth of the Providence River at the northern extremity of Narragansett Bay, which opens to the Atlantic Ocean.City Update 11: Northeastern United States is available FREE to all owners of Microsoft Flight Simulator. Ensure that you have the latest simulator version installed (1.38.2.0 for MSFS2020 / 1.3.23.0 for MSFS2024 / 1.3.25.0 for MSFS2024 on Windows PC - Steam as of 06/27/2025), download City Update 11, and take to the skies above the Northeastern United States!Microsoft Flight Simulator 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.  
Over the past week, we released three new pre-release test builds, two for Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 Sim Update 3 and one for Microsoft Flight Simulator (2020) Sim Update 16. You can read the release notes for these builds linked below:We are very closely monitoring reports from community testers about an increase in crashes to desktop (CTDs) in SU3 beta build 1.5.10.0. Based on player feedback thus far, these crashes appear to be related to using third-party mods which use the SimConnect API. To assist the development team in troubleshooting and resolving this issue, we encourage SU3 beta testers to post their findings about which mods/add-ons seem to cause the CTD in this forum thread.Yesterday on our official Twitch channel, we hosted a technical expert from Pimax to answer your VR questions plus several popular VR YouTubers (Tally Mouse, VR Flight Sim Guy, theVRpilot, and Skyraider79er, a real-world Airbus A320 captain) to demonstrate flying Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 in VR mode! If you missed the session live, you can re-watch the VOD at this link.As a final reminder, Pimax is currently offering a 5% discount on the purchase of a Pimax Crystal Light or Crystal Super VR headset if you use code MSFS at checkout from the Pimax Store. Additionally, one lucky winner will be randomly selected to receive a 100% refund on their order! If you’re considering trying MSFS in VR or if you’re an existing VR pilot looking to upgrade your hardware, take advantage of this offer between now and Friday, June 27!Last but certainly not least, we’d like to wish safe travels to everyone from the community attending FlightSimExpo 2025 this weekend! Enjoy a fantastic few days of making new friends with fellow MSFS enthusiasts, trying the latest hardware peripherals and software add-ons from various different vendors, attending many interesting talks and lectures from guest speakers, and taking in the sights of Providence, Rhode Island!– MSFS TeamClick here to continue reading the Development Update!

Enjoy discounted pricing during our Microsoft Flight Simulator Summer Sale!For 14 Days starting on June 26th, save up to 75% on more than 200 items.          To purchase these discounted items, visit the Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 Marketplace, scroll down to ‘Special Offers’, then select ‘See All’ and look for the savings.
Over the past week, we released four new pre-release test builds, two each for Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 Sim Update 3 and Microsoft Flight Simulator (2020) Sim Update 16. You can read the release notes for these builds linked below:Calling non-English speakers! We are currently looking for experts in the following languages to assist in improving the translation of air traffic control radio transmissions.
  • Chinese (Simplified)
  • Dutch
  • Finnish
  • Italian
  • Japanese
  • Korean
  • Norwegian (Bokmål)
  • Polish
  • Portuguese (Portugal)
  • Russian
  • Spanish (Mexico)
  • Spanish (Spain)
  • Swedish
  • Turkish
If you are an expert at any of the above languages and would like to improve the localization of Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 in your language, please complete this web form. We greatly value the community’s assistance!Finally, we are thrilled to announce a special promotion and educational livestream held in conjunction with Pimax, a cutting-edge VR headset maker! Until June 26, purchase either a Pimax Crystal Light or Crystal Super using code MSFS to receive a 5% discount on your order. Additionally, one random winner will receive a FULL REBATE on their purchase price! Head over to the Pimax web store to enjoy the 5% discount and your chance to win a Pimax VR headset for free!Finally, on our official Twitch channel on Wednesday, June 26 starting at 11am PT (1800 UTC) we will be welcoming technical expert from Pimax to answer your VR questions. Additional special guests will include VR YouTubers Tally Mouse, VR Flight Sim Guy, theVRpilot, and real-world Airbus A320 captain Marlon Choyce, all of whom will be demonstrating how to enhance your sense of immersion and realism using virtual reality for the ultimate flight simulation experience!– MSFS TeamClick here to continue reading the Development Update!
Today we’re pleased to premiere the latest entry in our Partnership Series of videos! This time, we’re thrilled to highlight Heart Aerospace and their hybrid-electric ES-30 airplane. Capable of flying with zero CO2 emissions on routes up to 200 km and with significantly reduced emissions compared to conventional aircraft on routes up to 800 km, the ES-30 is poised to help usher in a new era of environmentally-sustainable aviation. The Heart ES-30 is included as a flyable aircraft in the Standard Edition of Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024, and it was recently updated with Sim Update 2! You can learn more about this revolutionary hybrid-electric plane by watching our Partnership Series video below.We’re also excited to announce a new product created in partnership with Next Level Racing, the Flight Simulator Cockpit – Microsoft Flight Simulator Edition! Fully compatible with most popular flight control peripherals from vendors including Honeycomb, Logitech, Moza, Thrustmaster, and more (peripherals sold separately), the Flight Simulator Cockpit – Microsoft Flight Simulator Edition was designed to provide the ultimate in comfort and immersion to serious simmers. Whether you enjoy flying long haul airliners, general aviation aircraft, helicopters, military jets, or anything else, consider adding the Next Level Racing Flight Simulator Cockpit – Microsoft Flight Simulator Edition to your sim setup! You can read more details here.– MSFS TeamClick here to continue reading the Development Update!
As announced in last week’s Development Update blog, work on Sim Update 16 for Microsoft Flight Simulator (2020) continues. On Tuesday, we released a new pre-release test build (1.39.2.0) to those enrolled in the public beta. If you missed it earlier, you can read the release notes here.There was not a new Sim Update 3 beta build for Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 released this week, but development work continues on that version, too. Thank you to everyone who has been participating in either beta test and providing your impressions and bug repots on our forums. As always, if you are part of either public beta test, please vote in the forum surveys (links below). Your feedback really matters and helps the dev team immensely!– MSFS TeamClick here to continue reading the Development Update!


Since last week's Development Update blog, we have released two new Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 Sim Update 3 test builds to volunteer community beta testers. If you haven't seen them yet, you can read the release notes for each of these builds here:

We always appreciate those of you who choose to join our public tests and share your feedback and bug reports on our official forums. If you are taking part in the SU3 beta, please be sure to vote in the forum surveys about your overall impressions with the test builds and performance/stability on your preferred platform.

In MSFS (2020) news, there was not a new Sim Update 16 pre-release build released to testers this week, but the team's work on upcoming beta builds continues. As with MSFS 2024 SU3 beta participants, we encourage everyone enrolled in the SU16 beta to vote in the forum surveys.

No matter what build you're flying on this weekend -- MSFS 2024 SU2 release or SU3 beta, MSFS (2020) SU15 release or SU16 beta -- we wish all of you happy flights and smooth landings!

- MSFS Team


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Yesterday, we hosted our latest Developer Livestream on Twitch. Martial was unfortunately absent due to vacation, but in his place we welcomed Chris Burnett of Working Title to join the regular panel of Jorg and Seb. Together, they discussed many topics relating to the future of both Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 and Microsoft Flight Simulator (2020) while also answering many questions from the community (both pre-submitted before the broadcast and asked by players live in Twitch chat). If you missed the livestream, you can watch the VOD on our YouTube channel below.



Also during the last week, we began the pre-release public beta tests for both Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 Sim Update 3 and Microsoft Flight Simulator (2020) Sim Update 16. You can find the release notes on our forums linked below:


As you can see, the dev team has been very hard at work delivering many bug fixes and improvements to two different fight simulators. Our focus on these sim updates means we regrettably will not be able to attend FlightSimExpo 2025 in Providence, Rhode Island this year.

We immensely enjoyed our time at FSExpo 2023 and 2024 in Houston and Las Vegas where we had the opportunity to meet with so many of you and discuss our shared passion for flight simulation. While we sadly will not have a presence at FSExpo 2025, we encourage everyone who is able to attend the event to meet many other simmers and representatives of the wonderful third-party developers and hardware vendors who are making great things for Microsoft Flight Simulator.



- MSFS Team


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Sim Update 2 is Now Available

Sim Update 2 for Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 is officially live. This highly anticipated update includes a massive list of improvements, fixes, and enhancements across the sim. You can read the full changelog here:

Release Notes – Sim Update 2 Available Now | MSFS 2024

We want to extend a heartfelt thank you to everyone who participated in the beta. Your feedback was helpful to getting us to this point, and we’re grateful for your time and insights. Now that the update is live, we invite everyone to vote in the latest community polls and share your feedback in our dedicated forum topic:

Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 Sim Update 2 Feedback 

Sim Update 3 Beta Begins Tomorrow

What...already?! That's right! The beta for Sim Update 3 starts tomorrow. For players on the Microsoft Store and Xbox, please watch for a new post outlining an updated process for joining the beta. Steam users will not be impacted by this change. Full details will be shared in tomorrow’s announcement.

Sim Update 16 Beta for MSFS 2020 Coming Soon

We’re also preparing for the Sim Update 16 beta for Microsoft Flight Simulator (2020), which will be launching very soon. Stay tuned for more information.

Next Developer Livestream: May 21

Our next Developer Livestream is scheduled for Wednesday, May 21st at 10:30am Pacific Time on twitch.tv/MSFSofficial. Join Jorg Neumann (Microsoft), Sebastian Wloch (Asobo Studio), and Chris Burnett (Working Title) as they discuss recent updates, share what’s coming next, and answer questions from you!

- MSFS Team


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RELEASE NOTES Sim Update 2 - Release - 1.4.20.0
If you are playing on PC, outdated packages in your community folder may have an unexpected impact on the title’s performance and behavior.

If you suffer from stability issues or long loading times, move your community package(s) to another folder before relaunching the title.


Windows PC/Steam
NVIDIA has released their latest GeForce Game Ready Driver (576.28), and we recommend all NVIDIA GPU owners update to the latest driver version. More recent NVIDIA driver versions resolve certain crashes with Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 and improve performance and stability. More details available at: https://www.nvidia.com/en-us/drivers/details/245376/


 New Content and Features

  • Dumps Console logs when reporting an issue
  • Renamed "Gyro drift" to "Gyro drift compensation" to be more in line with other assistance (ON: Less realistic, OFF: More realistic)
  • Readded turbulence assistance
  • Added a Wake Turbulence Visualization option
  • Added a Wake Turbulence assistance
  • It is now possible to filter seaplane base airports using the World Map filters
  • A new validation process has been developed to give more information and control to aircraft developers over the Career compatibility.A new field has been added in the FLTSIM section "targeted_specializations" (supported by the SimObjectEditor) to list the expected specialization with which the given aircraft should be compatible.
  • During the ingestion process, the field will be compared to the result of the career compatibility process to confirm its result.
  • A new field has been added in the FLTSIM section "targeted_specializations" (supported by the SimObjectEditor) to list the expected specialization with which the given aircraft should be compatible. During the ingestion process, the field will be compared to the result of the career compatibility process to confirm its result. THIS FIELD MUST BE FILLED TO BE COMPATIBLE WITH CAREER



 Stability & Performance

  • Added option to reduce rolling cache size, at the cost of clearing current cache.
  • Improved loading times for packages with lots of individual files
  • Fixed an issue where rapidly switching between tabs in the settings menu could lead to unexpected behavior and performance issues.
  • Reduced request count when loading models by precomputing model statistics on package ingestion.
  • Fixed a rare crash when internet connection was lost.
  • Fixed a crash when suspending the sim on Xbox.
  • Improved the time it takes to open the in game panels
  • Fixed a crash when changing DLSS quality mode during VR.
  • Reduced performance hit when avatar is near objects with complex collisions
  • Fixed crash when many avatars meet up online
  • Fixed a potential infinite loading when importing config files
  • Fixed a rare crash caused by live traffic
  • Improved rolling cache usage.
  • Fixed crashes inside GPU drivers due to off-by-one error inside our texture loading code.
  • Fixed double focus issue is UI Lists
  • Fixed Aircraft Selector showing an empty tile when opened
  • Added more information to debug FPS panel (available VRAM on device, lat/long/alt, GPU) to make it easier to diagnose issues reported by users sharing screenshots in forums
  • Fixed crash when trying to remove a FacilityAirport from the cache while the QMID has no matching entry
  • Fixed some infinite loadings on boot due to deadlocks inside IO code.



    Click here to continue reading the Sim Update 2 Release Notes!



Our monthly Developer Livestream for May is coming soon! We don't have the exact date locked in yet, but follow our social platforms (Facebook, Instagram, Threads, or X) to be the first to know as soon as we announce the date and time. As always, you can watch the broadcast live on our official Twitch channel.

We received hundreds of questions from community members in advance and have tabulated the most frequently asked questions to be addressed by the panel during the broadcast. If you didn't pre-submit a question, there will be opportunities to ask your question to the panel live during the broadcast by using Twitch's chat feature.

If you're unable to watch live, we will upload the VOD to our official YouTube channel shortly after the livestream ends.

- MSFS Team


Click here to continue reading the Development Update!



Since our last update, we have released two new pre-release builds to volunteer community testers participating in the ongoing Sim Update 2 public beta. In case you missed them, you can read the release notes here:

The team is currently preparing for our next Monthly Developer Livestream for May. While we don't have an exact date locked in yet, you can pre-submit a question to our regular panel of Jorg, Seb, and Martial by completing the form at this link. As always, the session will be broadcast on our official Twitch channel, so be sure to follow our account to be notified when we go live. We will also provide an update in a future weekly blog post once the date for the livestream is finalized.

As a reminder,  the Spring Sale for both the MSFS (2020) and MSFS 2024 Marketplaces is currently ongoing! Enjoy savings of up to 85% off on select products! Please see the following announcements for more information:

- MSFS Team


Click here to continue reading the Development Update!