Microsoft Flight Simulator will be landing on PC this August
Microsoft has announced that Microsoft Flight Simulator will be coming to PC via Windows 10 and Xbox Game Pass on August 18.
Even if you aren’t taking part in the closed beta later this month, you won’t have to wait longer before strapping yourself into the cockpit and flying into the clouds with Microsoft Flight Simulator.
If you fancy partaking in the upcoming closed beta, you can sign up and become a Flight Sim Insider before July 30. You aren’t guaranteed entry, but it’s worth a punt if you’re a passionate digital pilot hoping to take part. Otherwise, you can just wait a few weeks for the full release.
If you don’t fancy dropping the full price on the simulator, it will be available on Xbox Game Pass as a free download for subscribers. Given how cheap the service is, this is definitely the way to go. Flight Simulator will launch with a variety of editions, the cheapest of which starts at £60/$60.
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The standard version of Microsoft Flight Simulator will include 20 aircraft and 30 hand-crafted airports. All airports will be available in the game, although not all of them will support the same level of bespoke graphical detail. We imagine rendering every single airport on the planet would be fairly impossible.
Beyond the standard edition you also have Deluxe and Premium Deluxe variants which will cost £80/$90 and £110/$120 respectively. You’ll earn an increased number of detailed aircraft and airports for the extra pennies, one of which includes Heathrow Airport, one of the world’s most popular travel hubs. You can take a look at all the available aircraft and airports on the official website.
I played Microsoft Flight Simulator back in 2019 and it’s genuinely stunning in its visual detail and sense of scale. It’s probably the most ambitious simulator I’ve ever played, and will no doubt set a new benchmark for the franchise. I bet you’ll need an immensely powerful machine to take full advantage of its graphics, though.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
