Microsoft Flight Simulator News & Announcements
Weekly RecapOn Friday of last week, we release the final version of Sim Update 7.1. This was a small patch to resolve a few bugs introduced with SU7, including an issue that caused reduced aircraft drag. You can read the full release notes here.Following the full release of SU7.1, we also started the public beta for the next release, Sim Update 7.2. So far two pre-release tests builds have been made available to anyone who opts in to the beta. You can read the release notes for SU7.2 at the links below:Also earlier this week we released the FREE World Update 23: Poland and the Baltics and its corresponding Local Legend aircraft, the Antonov An-28. The An-28 was lovingly created for Microsoft Flight Simulator by Andrei Tsvirenko of ATSimulations. You can read a developer spotlight interview with Andrei in the Marketplace section below.In Microsoft Flight Simulator (2020) news, we have also begun the public beta test on PC and XBOX Series X|S for Sim Update 17. The release notes for this pre-release test build can be found here.Finally, as we announced last week, we are preparing for our next Developer Livestream to be broadcast on our official Twitch channel in November. If you would like to pre-submit a question to the panel of Jorg, Seb, and Martial, you can do so by completing the form at this link.Click here to continue reading the rest of the Weekly Briefing!
Watch YouTube VideoThe European countries of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland offer an incredible range of spectacular sights and experiences. Steeped in history and filled with beautiful vistas of natural splendor and architectural masterpieces, the region offers endless opportunities for exploration. Poland, one of the largest countries in Central Europe by both landmass and population, comprises a tremendous variety of destinations, including urban skylines of Warsaw, northern Baltic shorelines, broad river valleys, and mountains. The three contiguous Baltic States of Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia lie to the northeast of Poland. Lithuania, Poland’s northeastern neighbor, is renowned for its lakes, lush forests, and Baltic coastline. Latvia, located directly to the north of Lithuania, offers treasures including white sand Baltic beaches, interior wetlands, and picturesque villages. Estonia, located directly north of Latvia, is defined by extensive Baltic shorelines on its northern and western borders and two large Baltic Islands dotted with seaside hamlets.
For the first time in the franchise’s history, Microsoft Flight Simulator delivers a much-anticipated update to this region with World Update 23: Poland and the Baltics.The Microsoft Flight Simulator team partnered with Bing Places, Asobo, and Gaya to bring this incredible addition to the Microsoft Flight Simulator world to life. The update comprises 12 areas of interest (AOIs) rendered using updated photogrammetry, TIN (triangulated irregular network) surface texturing, and digital elevation model (DEM) data. Eight of these AOIs are located in Poland, two in Lithuania, one in Latvia, and one in Estonia.Microsoft Flight Simulator World Update 23: Poland and the Baltics is FREE to all owners of Microsoft Flight Simulator. Ensure that your simulator is updated to the latest version, download World Update 23, and explore the wonders of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland. The sky is calling!Read more information here.

RELEASE NOTES Sim Update 7.1 - Release - 1.9.21.0If 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.Click here to read the Sim Update 7.1 Release Notes!
Weekly RecapOn Friday of last week we released a new beta test build for Sim Update 7.1 (v1.9.20.0). This test build enables Time Trials in the National Championship Air Racing mode and also resolves a few issues introduced with Sim Update 7, including a fix for a bug which caused aircraft drag to be modeled incorrectly. You can read the full release notes for this build on our forums here. The Production Team is aiming for the full release of SU7.1 to all simmers in the very near future.The team is also preparing for our next Developer Livestream to be broadcast on our official Twitch channel in November (stay tuned for the exact date and time). If you would like to pre-submit a question to the panel of Jorg, Seb, and Martial, you can do so by completing the form at this link.Finally, last week we had the immense privilege of hosting a roundtable discussion panel with five real National Championship Air Races (NCAR) pilots to discuss air racing both in the real world and in the newly-released NCAR mode for Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024. The race pilots participating in our panel were:
  • Tammy Camilleri – Jet Class – Miss Independance
  • Rod Hewitt – STOL Drag Class – Angry Kitten
  • Steven Hinton Jr. – Unlimited Class – Bardahl Special
  • Greg McNeely – T-6 Class – Undecided
  • Tommy Suell – Biplane Class – Shake N Bake
If you missed the broadcast, you can watch the VOD on our YouTube channel here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SlMxuDn1S5wClick here to continue reading the rest of the Weekly Briefing!
Weekly RecapSim Update 7 is available on all platforms now! In case you missed it, you can read the full release notes on our website here. SU7 contains hundreds of fixes and improvements to Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024. As with every release, we encourage all simmers to share your feedback and vote in our forum surveys at this link.Launching alongside Sim Update 7 is the new National Championship Air Races mode! To learn more about how you can compete in the world’s fastest motorsport in five adrenaline-filled race classes, read our featured story here and check out the YouTube trailer below.We’re also thrilled to have recently hosted a roundtable discussion with five of the world’s best race pilots, one each from the five National Championship Air Races classes available in MSFS 2024!
  • Tammy Camilleri – Jet Class – Miss Independance
  • Rod Hewitt – STOL Drag Class – Angry Kitten
  • Steven Hinton Jr. – Unlimited Class – Bardahl Special
  • Greg McNeely – T-6 Class – Undecided
  • Tommy Suell – Biplane Class – Shake N Bake
You can read more in the Community section below about how you can watch this panel discussion when it premieres on Twitch and YouTube on Friday, October 16 at 1800 UTC.Click here to continue reading the rest of the Weekly Briefing!

RELEASE NOTES Sim Update 7 - Release - 1.9.18.0If 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.Click here to read the Sim Update 7 Release Notes!
Weekly RecapEarlier this week, we released the Airbus Helicopters H125 for Microsoft Flight Simulator (2020). This aircraft was previously only available for MSFS 2024, but it can now be enjoyed by simmers on both versions as part of our continued support of MSFS (2020).Also this week was the launch of the Carenado CT206 as an exclusive release on the in-sim Marketplace! As simmers have come to expect from Carenado, the CT206 is beautifully modeled to the highest standard of visual fidelity. We recently caught up with artist Mauricio Illanes from Carenado to discuss his passion for aviation art (in both digital and painted media). You can read our interview with Mauricio in the Developer Spotlight section below.Finally, as we prepare for the launch of Sim Update 7, we once again encourage everyone participating in our public beta test to share their feedback and vote in our forum surveys. Your bug reports and feedback (both positive and negative) are invaluable in helping our team deliver the best possible sim update. We also recently released a new beta build last Friday (on PC and XBOX) and Monday (on PS5). You can read the release notes for this test build (v1.9.16.0) at this link.Click here to continue reading the rest of the Weekly Briefing!
Weekly RecapEarlier this week we released Aircraft and Avionics Update 06!This update brings enhancements and improvements to five aircraft from German manufacturers. Existing owners of these aircraft will receive this upgrade for free in Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024. If you do not yet own these aircraft, they can be purchased from the in-sim Marketplace for USD $14.99 each.The updated aircraft in AAU_06 are:
  • Junkers F 13: the world’s first transport aircraft to feature an all-metal construction
  • Junkers Ju 52: an iconic passenger and cargo aircraft affectionately known as “Tante Ju” (Aunt Ju)
  • Dornier Do X: the largest, heaviest, and most powerful hydroplane ever to take to the sky
  • Dornier Do J Wal: a twin engine flying boat famous for pioneering flights to the North Pole and across the South Atlantic
  • Dornier Do 31: a revolutionary VTOL transport from the Cold War
Also this week, we brought the super heavy Airbus BelugaXL to Microsoft Flight Simulator (2020)! Previously only available to MSFS 2024, pilots, simmers on MSFS (2020) can now find this highly-specialized cargo aircraft in the in-sim Marketplace for USD $19.99.Today was the monthly navdata update, with simmers on both MSFS 2024 and MSFS (2020) receiving an automatic update to AIRAC Cycle (2610). Additionally, as part of the navdata update, MSFS 2024 also received updated versions of several airports. You can find the full list of fixes on our forums here.Last but not least, public testing of the Sim Update 7 Beta remains ongoing. As always, if you are participating in the beta, please be sure to vote in the forum surveys and submit bug reports on our forums if you encounter any issues.Click here to continue reading the rest of the Weekly Briefing!
Weekly RecapLast week, members of the Microsoft Flight Simulator team attended the National Championship Air Races in Roswell, NM! We welcomed thousands of aviation fans to our tent behind the main grandstand, and event attendees had a chance to try a demo of the upcoming air racing mode (releasing on October 13 as a free update to all MSFS 2024 players) using force feedback peripherals from MOZA and sim cockpits from Next Level Racing! We even hosted a special event (pictured below) where three actual T-6 race pilots  — Chris LeFave, Vic McMann, and Greg McNeely — and one crew chief competed against each other in the simulator!Since our last update, two new Sim Update 7 Beta builds have been released to those simmers participating in the optional public test. In case you missed it, you can read the full release notes for these builds on our forums here:To everyone participating in the SU7 beta, thank you for your feedback and bug reports. Please be sure to vote in our forum surveys here. If you are not currently enrolled but would like to do so, you can find instructions for your platform (PC-MS Store, PC-Steam, XBOX Series X|S, and PlayStation 5) in this forum thread.Click here to continue reading the rest of the Weekly Briefing!
Weekly RecapWith the launch of the iniBuilds A380 Airliner, exclusively available in the Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 in-sim Marketplace, this week’s Screenshot Challenges sets you all the task of sending in your best captures while crossing continents!Whether navigating across the Atlantic Ocean at low level in a retro aircraft, or cruising high through multiple areas of the world in a modern day airliner, be creative! Sim Update 7 Beta: On Friday, September 11th, the first public flighting build of the Sim Update 7 (SU7) Beta was released for players enrolled. SU7 Beta 1.9.10.0 sees fixes across many aspects of Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 as we lead up to the release of the National Championship Air Races activity alongside SU7 next month. Players can read the full Release Notes for 1.9.10.0 here: Release Notes – SU7 Beta 1.9.10.0 – September 11, 2026 – Sim Update 7 BetaDeveloper Livestream: On Wednesday, Community Manager Matt hosted his first Developer Livestream, where we were joined by our regular panel of Jorg, Seb, and Martial! We were also joined by four special guests: Chris Burnett and Matt Nischan from Working Title, Andrei Tsvirenko from AT Simulations, and Tony Logoteta from the National Championship Air Races. The full VOD is available to watch below, and our latest Development Update recapping the livestream can be found here: Development Update – September 2026iniBuilds A380 Airliner: Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 aviators can now take to the skies in the iconic A380, the world’s first and only superjumbo airliner. Meticulously recreated by iniBuilds, the studio renowned for their exquisite renditions of the world’s great aircraft, the A380 provides unparalleled realism for the Flight Sim pilot. This iniBuilds rendition offers comprehensive detail and fidelity in the simulator, including visuals, flight profiles, systems logic, autopilot mechanics, next-generation electronic flight bag (EFB), and even passenger amenities like functioning showers. The iniBuilds A380 is a wonderful addition to your hangar.The long-awaited iniBuilds A380 Superjumbo Airliner is now available exclusively in the Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 Marketplace!Click here to continue reading the rest of the Weekly Briefing!
The September 2026 Development Update is now available to read! This blog post recaps everything discussed during yesterday's Developer Livestream. Read the post to learn more about:
  • National Championship Air Races activity
  • Sim Update 7 goals
  • World Update 23: Poland and The Baltics
  • AAU6 & Local Legend 26
Plus much much more! Read the full blog post here: Click here to read the September Development Update!
Weekly RecapNext week is the National Championship Air Races! For five days in Roswell, New Mexico, aviation fans will witness the world’s fastest motorsport as pilots compete in exhilarating wing-to-wing races. The MSFS Team will be present with a booth in Roswell where race attendees can be among the first in the world to try a pre-release build of the upcoming National Championship Air Races expansion, launching on all platforms on October 13th! Our sim setups will be powered by force feedback flight control peripherals compliments of MOZA, so air racing fans in attendance at Roswell will also have a chance for hands-on experience with this hardware.Earlier this week, the team deployed a server-side update to resolve two issues related to bugs in Career Mode. You can read the update notes on our forums here.Also this week, the highly-anticipated Hawker 800XP from developer FlightFX launched exclusively on the in-sim Marketplace. To celebrate the release, we recently connected with Nick from FlightFX for an interview to discuss the process of bringing this beautiful business jet to Microsoft Flight Simulator. You can read the full interview on our website here.Finally, we are currently preparing for our next Developer Livestream on our official Twitch channel. If you would like to pre-submit a question to the panel of Jorg, Seb, and Martial, you may do so by completing this web form. All submissions will be manually reviewed by the team, and the most frequently-asked questions will be addressed by the panel during the broadcast. Stay tuned for more information about the date and time once those details are finalized. Click here to continue reading the rest of the Weekly Briefing!
Weekly RecapMembers of the Microsoft Flight Simulator and Asobo Studios teams have recently returned from exhibiting at gamescom 2026 in Cologne, Germany. Attendees were able to get a first hands-on look at the upcoming National Championship Air Races mode within Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024, with 4-player private lobby races at the XBOX booth creating some thrilling gameplay! Thanks to everybody who came by our booth to try out this new activity which launches for all MSFS 2024 players on October 13th. Congratulations to the four fastest racers (one per day from Thursday to Sunday) who each received a remote control P-51 Mustang as a prize!During the XBOX @ gamescom broadcast last Thursday, Head of Microsoft Flight Simulator Jorg Neumann also had four announcements to share with the community:We were also pleased to host a community mixer with members of the MSFS team and many flight sim fans who were in Cologne. We enjoyed some food and drink together while discussing our passion for flight simming and even played an aviation trivia game! Thank you to everyone who joined us!In other MSFS 2024 news, a small update (Sim Update 6.1, version 1.8.16.0) is now available on all platforms to address a few issues identified since the release of SU6 three weeks ago. You can read the full release notes for SU6.1 here.Also this week, the team at FlightFX have released the highly-anticipated V2 of the popular Cessna Citation X, available now via the Microsoft Flight Simulator Marketplace. This free update brings a plethora of improvements and fixes across all areas of this business jet. You can read the full changelog for v2.1.4 here!

Yesterday, Matt from the Community Team was joined by Cameron and Mike from the iniBuilds team for a first deep-dive look at their upcoming A380 Airliner for Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024. Covering everything from the external walk-around, to the high-fidelity systems depth, quality of life features, and even functioning showers, this broadcast showed off the hard work of the iniBuilds team as they approach the launch of the worlds largest passenger airliner. You can watch the full VOD of the livestream here: Click here to continue reading the rest of the Weekly Briefing!
Celebrate Our Anniversary – Franchise Sale Starts TodayWe are celebrating the 6th anniversary of the Microsoft Flight Simulator (2020) launch, which marked the celebrated return of Microsoft’s longest running, supported franchise.To make this a real celebration, we are running a franchise-wide sale that includes exciting new offers for both MSFS (2020) and MSFS 2024. Our Steepest Discount YetIf you do not own Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 yet, all versions of the simulator are 30% off until September 1st on the Windows Store, Xbox and Steam. Microsoft Flight Simulator (2020) is on sale for 65% off all versions, and the classic Microsoft Flight Simulator X is on sale at 80% off. Soundtrack – Free Until September 1stFor this week only, on Steam, you can get the newly released Microsoft Flight Simulator Soundtrack: Themes Reimagined for FREE until September 1st at 10 am. Download it now and enjoy 86 minutes of previously unreleased and beautiful music compiled from the release trailers you know and love. New Aircraft Pack OffersSince the launch of MSFS (2020), we have released 30 planes (19 Local Legends, 10 Famous Flyers and 1 Expert Series aircraft) individually on MSFS (2020) and then bundled those aircraft to create the Aviator Edition of MSFS 2024. If you already purchased the Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 Aviator Edition, then you already own the above 30 planes. To offer more choices, owners of the Standard, Deluxe and Premium Deluxe versions of either MSFS (2020) or MSFS 2024 can now buy these aircraft in three different packs of 10 aircraft each for only $39.99 on Steam, Windows and Xbox stores: The Microsoft Flight Simulator Local Legends Pack 1 includes the following 10 aircraft.
  • Beechcraft Model 18 Twin Beech
  • Boeing 307 Stratoliner
  • Cessna 195 Businessliner
  • De Havilland Canada DHC-4 Caribou
  • Dornier Do J Wal
  • Fokker F.VII
  • Junkers F13
  • Junkers JU 52
  • Latécoère 631
  • Savoia-Marchetti S.55 / S.55X
The Microsoft Flight Simulator Local Legends Pack 2 includes the following 10 aircraft.
  • Aero Ae-45 / Ae-145
  • ATR 42-600 / 72-600
  • Bell 47J Ranger
  • Curtiss C-46 Commando
  • Dornier Do 31
  • Dornier Do X
  • Focke-Wulf Fw 200 Condor
  • Saab 17 B
  • Short SC.7 Skyvan
  • Westland Scout / Wasp
The Microsoft Flight Simulator Famous Flyers Pack 1 includes the following 10 aircraft.
  • Antonov An-225
  • Antonov An-2
  • Beechcraft Bonanza V35
  • Beechcraft Model 17 Staggerwing
  • Boeing 707-320C
  • Cessna 207T Turbo Stationair 8
  • Douglas Aircraft Company C-47D Skytrain & Waco CG-4A
  • Ford 4-AT Tri-Motor
  • Granville Gee Bee R2 / Z
  • Mitsubishi Heavy Industries MU-2
The Sky is Calling!
Weekly RecapLast week we released Sim Update 6 on all platforms. If you missed the release notes for this major update, you can read them in full here. Also, please be sure to share your feedback and vote in our surveys and submit bug reports if you encounter any issues.Earlier this week we also released Aircraft and Avionics Update 5! This update includes enhancements to the following aircraft, upgrading them to the native MSFS 2024 framework and also adding support for appropriate Career Mode activities.
  • Famous Flyer 06 Ford 4-AT Trimotor
  • Local Legend 10: Boeing 307 Stratoliner
  • Local Legend 14: The Bell 47J Ranger
  • Local Legend 17: The Curtiss C-46 Commando
Additionally, Expert Series 1: The ATR 42-600 / 72-600 was also updated as part of AAU_05 to resolve several bugs and address feedback from the community. You can read the full release notes for AAU_05 here. Click here to continue reading the rest of the Weekly Briefing!
Weekly RecapSim Update 6 is now available on all platforms! Highlights of this release include the return of bush trips, support for Nvidia DLSS 4.5, updates to many aircraft, and thousands of other bug fixes and improvements. You can read the full release notes for SU6 here.Earlier this week, we released a new version of Famous Flyer 10: Boeing 707-320C. This version was built from the ground up as a collaboration between developers iniBuilds and Working Title. To showcase many of the exciting new features of this iconic jetliner, we hosted a livestream on our official Twitch channel yesterday with Community Manager Chewwy94 and Chris Burnett from Working Title. If you missed the broadcast live, you can watch the VOD on our YouTube channel here.Next week is a big milestone for Microsoft Flight Simulator: it’s the sixth anniversary of our launch on August 18, 2020! We have many exciting things planned to celebrate this anniversary, and we’re thrilled to be able to share one of these with you now. We will be hosting three separate livestreams next week on our official Twitch channel in which we will circumnavigate the globe departing from Bordeaux (home of Asobo Studio) and flying eastbound! We have a great roster of special guest co-hosts lined up, and there will also be some absolutely fantastic flight sim hardware prize giveaways to lucky viewers during each broadcast courtesy of MOZA, Next Level Racing, Pimax, Tobii, and WINCTRL!The schedule for the three circumnavigation group flights planned for next week is as follow:
  • Monday, August 17 at 1800 UTC
  • Wednesday, August 19 at 1800 UTC
  • Friday, August 21 at 2100 UTC
You can read the full details for the Sixth Anniversary Circumnavigation on our forums here. You must be present in Twitch chat to win one of the hardware prizes, so be sure to tune in to the Twitch livestream and join the group flight with other sim pilots from the community as we fly around the world!We have some other exciting ways to celebrate our sixth anniversary, so stay tuned to our forums and social platforms such as Bluesky, Facebook, Instagram, Threads, and X (formerly Twitter) for more information! Click here to continue reading the rest of the Weekly Briefing!

RELEASE NOTES Sim Update 6 - Release - 1.8.14.0If 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.Click here to read the Sim Update 6 Release Notes!
Weekly RecapDevelopment of Sim Update 6 continues with a new test build (1.8.11.0) released to those enrolled in the optional SU6 public beta earlier this week. In case you missed it, you can read the release notes for 1.8.11.0 at this link. For those participating in the beta, please make sure you vote in our forum surveys. Your feedback is incredibly valuable to us as we continue work on SU6!Also earlier this week the Dassault Rafale from developer AzurPoly released on the Marketplace for PC, XBOX, and PS5! We recently spoke with Théo from the AzurPoly to discuss their company’s history in flight simulator add-on development and what it took to bring this French fighter jet to the sim. You can read the interview with Théo here. Click here to continue reading the rest of the Weekly Briefing!
Weekly RecapPublic beta testing for the upcoming Sim Update 6 remains ongoing. Earlier this week, we released a new test build to those simmers enrolled in the optional SU6 beta. You can read the full release notes for this build (1.8.10.0) on our forums here. To all those participating in the beta, please share your comments and submit detailed bug reports in our beta forums and remember to vote in our feedback surveys here.On Tuesday, the highly-anticipated A220 Airliner from Synaptic Simulations and iniBuilds was released on the Marketplace. Thousands of simmers have already taken to the virtual skies in the A220, making it one of the most popular aircraft in the sim! The team at XBOX Wire recently shared an interview with the developers from Synaptic Simulations which you can read at the link below:A Microsoft Flight Simulator Cinderella Story: Building the A220 AirlinerFinally, in case you missed the earlier announcement, after four years of the amazing Top Gun: Maverick Expansion, we will soon be bidding it farewell from the Microsoft Flight Simulator (2020) Marketplace. If you’d like to join the millions who have already reached Mach 10 in the Darkstar and fly like a Top Gun pilot, download the expansion by August 2nd, 2026. The sky is calling!Important note: players who have already claimed the Top Gun: Maverick Expansion from the Marketplace may continue using it and can re-install it from Content Manager (e.g. if you buy a new PC or console and re-install MSFS) at any time. The removal from the Marketplace means that players who have not yet claimed it will be unable to do so after August 2nd. Click here to continue reading the rest of the Weekly Briefing!
Weekly RecapThe dev team remains very hard at work on Sim Update 6! In case you missed it, last week we released a new public beta build, version 1.8.8.0. You can read the release notes for this test build on our forums here. As always, we encourage everyone participating in the public beta (available on PC, XBOX Series X|S, and PlayStation 5) to share your comments and submit detailed bug reports in our beta forums and also vote in our feedback surveys here.In other news, Synaptic Simulations and iniBuilds announced on Tuesday that their highly-anticipated A220 Airliner is coming to the in-sim Marketplace next week! They also created a deep dive video introducing the many exciting features of this modern and versatile narrow body airliner. You can watch the deep dive video on YouTube at the link below. Click here to continue reading the rest of the Weekly Briefing!