Xbox Series X

Microsoft Flight Simulator

Simulator

Time to beat: about 25.7 hours

Overview

Microsoft Flight Simulator is a 2020 flight simulation video game developed by Asobo Studio and published by Xbox Game Studios. It is a sequel to Microsoft Flight Simulator X (2006) and a reboot of the Microsoft Flight Simulator series, which began in 1982. The game's development began six years prior to its release. It was released on August 18, 2020 for Windows, with a virtual reality (VR) version released in December of the same year as part of a free update. Microsoft Flight Simulator is the first installment in the series to see a VR and console release, being released on the Xbox Series X and Series S on July 27, 2021.

Flight Simulator simulates the topography of the Earth using data from Bing Maps. Microsoft Azure's artificial intelligence (AI) generates the three-dimensional representations of Earth's features, using its cloud computing to render and enhance visuals, and real-world data to generate real-time weather and effects. Flight Simulator features a physics engine to provide realistic flight control surfaces, with over 1,000 simulated surfaces, as well as realistic wind modeled over hills and mountains. Some places are handcrafted, introduced in region-specific updates. To augment its realism, Azure incorporates real-time elements like natural weather and real-world air traffic.

Flight Simulator was released to critical acclaim, with universal praise for its visuals and realism, and it was cited by critics as the "safest way to travel" during the COVID-19 pandemic. Several reviewers placed it on their favorites' lists and called it the most aesthetically pleasing game of 2020, though there was some criticism of its slow loading times, inaccuracies in rendering certain buildings, and unrealistic aerodynamics models. It has been considered one of the greatest video games and it received several accolades, most notably winning "Best Sim/Strategy Game" at The Game Awards 2020, and "Strategy/Simulation Game of the Year" at the 24th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards. A sequel, Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024, was released in November 2024.