Today, Microsoft released the first beta build of the Sim Update 2 for Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024, and it’s a really big one.
It’s actually so big that the patch notes couldn’t fit on a single post on the official forums, and it had to be split into two.
As expected, the update focuses mostly on fixes and improvements following the simulator’s turbulent launch and Sim Update 1, which already improved the situation considerably.
In order to join the beta, which is available to all users on both PC and Xbox, you have to opt in via Microsoft’s Xbox Insider Hub app, but you should keep in mind that this is a beta primarily dedicated to help improve the simulator, so you will very likely run into issues that require testing and fixing.
For instance, the developers mention that the build includes memory logging telemetry that will result in a small decrease in performance but will help with stability improvements as the beta progresses. Of course, it’ll be removed when the update officially launches.
The changes are quite extensive, including a ton of stability improvements and crash fixes both on PC and Xbox.
We also get plenty of changes to the career mode, various aircraft, systems, the EFB, traffic, scenery, backward compatibility, avionics, and even virtual reality. There’s much more, but it’s simply too much to list here, and if you’re curious, you can check out the patch notes.
Incidentally, there are also plenty of improvements dedicated to developers, hopefully making their life easier in creating add-ons.
Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 is available for PC and Xbox Series X|S following its recent release in November. If you want to see the massive visual difference against Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020, you can enjoy our video and screenshot comparison.
A few weeks ago, we published an extensive interview with Head of Microsoft Flight Simulator Jorg Neumann about the present situation of the sim and the plans for the future.
Incidentally, just a few days ago, Microsoft shared an extensive update about its plans for the sim, so you may want to read it to integrate what is said in this interview.
You can also check out our in-depth analysis of how much data the simulator downloads from the cloud, clearing the air from some widespread misinformation that has made the rounds over the past few months.
