Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024: The Many Improvements That Make This the Most Ambitious Flight Simulator Ever

"Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 takes the franchise further than ever before with innovative new elements such as global Aviation Careers, an adrenaline-pumping Challenge League system, and a new World Photographer mode.

The representation of the Earth, the 'digital twin', takes an impressive graphical leap with surprising improvements in ground detail, the inclusion of global maritime traffic, the unprecedented implementation of helipads, glider airports, oil platforms and vertical obstructions around the world, in addition to the addition of dozens of animal species across the planet.

Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 — available for pre-order today on the Microsoft Store — will launch in multiple editions on November 19, 2024, with the Standard Edition available on day one with Game Pass. All pre-orders will receive the De Havilland Canada CL-415 firefighting aircraft for immediate use in Microsoft Flight Simulator (2020).

Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 was by far the most successful version of Microsoft’s longest-running franchise. It redefined what was possible in a flight simulator by utilizing a combination of cloud-based global map data, cutting-edge photogrammetry, machine learning techniques, and real-time weather simulation. These features, coupled with a complex physics system that enabled highly sophisticated flight models, made the iconic franchise a household name once again.

Now, with Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 set to launch on November 19, 2024, we’ve had our first deep dive into the game and discovered just how much more impressive the flight simulation experience is about to become for fans. From the digital tourist, to the novice pilot, to the more experienced, it looks like there will be something for everyone to enjoy.”

“Since we launched Microsoft Flight Simulator in 2020, we’ve seen 15 million people come into simulation and become interested in what we do,” said Jorg Neumann, Head of Microsoft Flight Simulator. “When you compare that to the biggest previous launch we had, Microsoft Flight Simulator X, it took 16 years to reach 5 million users. So there’s been an explosion in the flight simulation hobby, and that’s thanks to the community and the excitement that everyone is bringing [to Microsoft Flight Simulator].”

Earning Your Wings
One of the features I’m most excited to see in Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 (MSFS 2024) is the Career System, which is designed to provide a comprehensive and immersive experience for all levels of piloting skills. The system cleverly mimics how real-world pilots begin their aviation careers. “You can pick any airport on the planet and start your career there, which means you’ll take your classes there. Your first job can be anywhere, and I mean anywhere, in the world,” explains David Dedeine, creative director at Asobo Studio. “You’ll start as a rookie pilot and meet a mentor who will explain the career path and guide you through the first steps of your journey.”

The Career System introduces new elements to the simulation, such as pre-flight procedures, flight path logging, and the ability to choose from a wide variety of mission objectives. Progress is tracked through a certification tree, where you can learn skills to fly different types of aircraft – each with a training session to help you master those skills. Later specializations will unlock a variety of missions, such as Search and Rescue, Commercial Flights, Firefighting, and many more.

You won’t have to spend five years of your life taking the real exam. It’s a simplified version, but it will still teach you the basics of each of these different roles, from commercial pilot to tailwind flying, passenger aircraft, transport, etc.,” adds Dedeine. “Performance in these missions is judged on a number of factors, such as following ATC instructions, taxiing routes, and flight parameters. Successfully completing these missions will earn you credits and reputation, which you can use to save up and buy your own aircraft, and eventually manage your own fleet.”

Once you have earned enough money to run your own business with your personal aircraft, a new phase in MSFS 2024 opens up, where you will be directly responsible for your aircraft; every landing, every impact on the runway, will affect the warranty of your planes, influencing maintenance costs. Basically, MSFS 2024 includes a management simulator within the broader flight simulator.

“This is basically managing your fleet,” Dedeine details, “because you’re going to buy more aircraft at some point to allow you to engage in different types of activities. Maybe you want to buy your own passenger aircraft and expand your fleet around the world. This new Career System is a big part of the innovation we’re introducing in MSFS 2024, and I don’t think it’s ever been done before at this level of variety and quality.”

If there was one criticism of the 2020 version of Microsoft Flight Simulator, it was that each of its individual experiences, like the Bush Trips and Landing Challenges (which are still fun), rarely felt connected to one another. It was like listening to a greatest hits album, offering the highlights without experiencing what the journey was like to get there. This is what I’ve wanted from a flight simulator for a long time, and having the chance to create my own virtual pilot journey from start to finish sounds like something that will keep me flying for a long, long time.

Improving the “Digital Twin”
Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 is also bringing major improvements to the simulated Earth, increasing the level of detail of its virtual environment by 4,000 times. For example, the ground will no longer be just a field of heights; it will now feature small rocks, gravel, and grass, all modeled in 3D. This level of ground detail impacts the aircraft’s wheels as they interact with the different surfaces, affecting takeoffs and landings. Atmospheric and sky lighting has been improved, especially during sunrise and sunset, with varying color displays based on cloud composition, ensuring accurate temperatures for all light sources. New cloud types, such as cirrus, will better simulate the higher levels of the atmosphere, while dynamic weather has been improved, increasing density to make storms and other weather phenomena much more realistic and impressive to fly over.

“We can basically get every rock on Earth now; it’s unbelievable,” Neumann adds. “We’ve updated aerial imagery from all over the world and assembled a team of experts who are putting together digital elevation maps of the entire planet. The result of the last four years of work is that we now have an unprecedented level of ground detail. No one else has anything like it.”