Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020: Everything we know so far

The reveal no-one expected, Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 exists now, and it’s coming in 2020, as you might imagine.  The game was teased, briefly, as part of Microsoft’s E3 keynote, although we don’t know much about it beyond the 4K visuals.

It’s the first Microsoft Flight Simulator title to be a fresh release since the 2014 release of Microsoft Flight Simulator X: Steam Edition, itself a re-release of the 2006 Flight Simulator X.

A sequel, for air-heads who can’t get enough of aircraft simulators, has been a long time coming. In celebration, we’ve gathered the latest news for your perusal.

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What is Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020?

Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 could win an award for how straightforward the title is. It’s a flight simulator (check) by Microsoft (check) and it’s looking likely to hit a 2020 release (check.)

In terms of flight simulators, Microsoft’s efforts are probably some of the most widely known,

In a recent blog post, the developers have taken a small nudge at 2012’s poorly regarded free-to-play fly ’em up Microsoft Flight. “We are making Microsoft Flight Simulator,” they say. “Emphasis on the word SIMULATOR.”

Expect similar gameplay to previous titles in the series: you’ll be simulating flying, which in itself doesn’t change all that much, but with additional graphical fidelity and also the power both satellite imagery and also artificial intelligence from Azure, Microsoft’s cloud computing service.

Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 – what’s new?

So far there’s a lot of talk about  new technology, particularly AI grunt from Azure and the aforementioned satellite imagery, but there’s no talk about what this will actually do.

You’ll see a lot of significant improvements on the previous flight simulator, considering simulators are about making the most accurate representation possible and it’s been over ten years since the last full release of a Microsoft Flight Simulator game.

The team have set out their stall in a recent blog post, promising five core tenets:

“1:We are making Microsoft Flight Simulator. Emphasis on the word SIMULATOR.

2: Designed for PC, optimized for multiplatform support (e.g. Xbox).

3:Yes. We are supporting 3rd Party Content Development and Community Content creation. We are aware of the concerns in the current eco-system and are working to address them.

4: Yes. We genuinely want to work closely with the community in the development of this title.

5: Accessibility is important to us. Whatever your abilities are, if you want to fly, we are going to do whatever we can to make that happen. Yoke and pedals, mouse and keyboard, controller, etc. No pilot should be left behind.”

So yes, expect the game to come to Xbox One and Project Scarlett, making it the first time ever the series has appeared on home consoles.

We’ll see a full roadmap for the team’s plans in early August, at which point we’ll update this page.

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Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 – Trailer

Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 – release date

It’ll launch in 2020. We don’t know more than that for the moment, but when we know, you’ll know.