Microsoft just shared new details about Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024, including plans for future updates and more.
During a livestream on Twitch, we heard from Head of Microsoft Flight Simulator Jorg Neumann, Asobo CEO Sebastian Wloch, and Chris Burnett from Working Title.
Neumann started mentioning that a lot of progress has been made with the latest sim updates, but there’s still much work to do.
He also mentioned that at the moment, there are more people using Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 compared to MSFS 2020, but there is still a significant number of people flying on the older simulator.
Incidentally, we also learn about the recent release on GeForce Now. Below you can find a few statistics.
We learn that multiplayer liveries will make a return to MSFS 2024 and will come in Sim Update 3, which is currently being beta tested. The target for its full release is July 8, 2025.
More improvements (specifically 10 more) for the setup of peripherals are planned for Sim Update 3. Work on VRAM usage improvements is still ongoing, and more will come gradually.
For Sim Update 3, Asobo is still primarily focusing on bug fixing and optimization. The same goes for Working Title alongside updates for aircraft, avionics, ATC, Air Traffic, and model matching.
Heavy and super-heavy transport missions will also come to the Career Mode with Sim Update 3, and progress on the Antonov 225 is being made.
Microsoft won’t be physically at FlightSimExpo 2025 between June 27 and June 28. The developers have decided to focus on addressing the feedback from users as quickly as possible rather than traveling.
That being said, Microsoft will still celebrate the event with the release of the free City Update 11, including Providence, Rhode Island (where the expo is hosted), and more cities in the Northeast of the United States. The target release date is June 27.
We then hear about Sim Update 16 for Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020, which is also currently in beta and targets a full release on July 1, 2025. It’ll include the following.
Microsoft is unifying the world data between Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 and MSFS 2020. Below you can see what is going to be updated and what isn’t (basically just the countryside photogrammetry, which won’t come to MSFS 2020).
Also, MSFS 2020 won’t get the 3D trees, seasons and snow, the ground details, the crop fields, the cliff mapping, and the photometric rendering.
Below, you can see a comparison between what we had before and what is included in Sim Update 16 for Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020.
Incidentally, from now on, the original Microsoft Flight Simulator will be officially titled Microsoft Flight Simulator (2020) with brackets, to avoid confusion with MSFS 2024.
Back to Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024, an option to disable the “Back on Track” feature is in development.
The ATR 42/72 is “definitely” going to be upgraded for MSFS 2024. The art for the aircraft that are being handled by Working Title is also going to be fixed by a dedicated art team.
Working Title is also working on improving ATC for Sim Update 3, for instance, compliance with arrival procedures selected by the player.
There will be “huge” improvements with the AI traffic model and livery matching, and the old generics will be gone. Logical model and livery fallbacks will be implemented, and the region will be considered for flying and static aircraft at airports, so we shouldn’t see as many aircraft with inappropriate liveries parked at the gates.
Work has been done on the behavior of AI traffic, particularly on the ground. We should see fewer traffic jams and situations where the plans spin around. The behavior for entering and exiting runways has been improved as well. This has also improved performance as a byproduct.
Regional differences in ATC communication might be considered for the future, but it’s not something that has been started for the moment.
We then heard from Wloch that the team is currently working on bringing back the AI copilot’s capability to fly the plane that was included in Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020, but isn’t yet implemented in MSFS 2024.
Neumann mentioned that the Career Mode has exceeded expectations in terms of usage, being pretty much even with Free Flight, and the team has the ambition to add more careers.
Bush Trips might come back for Sim Update 4, but the feature may be delayed for Sim Update 5.
New tools have been created to add third-party aircraft to the Career Mode, with the following rules:
Below, you can see an update to the SDK documentation and tools created to help developers add their aircraft to the career mode. The new tools are the Career Compatibility Tool and the Career Tool.
The Career Compatibility tool provided feedback on whether all the parameters required for Career Mode compatibility were done correctly. The same tool gets used during the ingestion process.,
The Career Tool lets you select a plane and drop into any type of mission to make sure everything works correctly.
This will all be available with Sim Update 3.
Below you can see the updated feedback snapshot showing the bugs that have already been solved and those that will be fixed in the future.
We hear that the goal is to make releases on the official marketplace as quickly as on third-party marketplaces. Rentals are also being tested as part of Sim Update 3. Below you can see a couple of screenshots. Gifting should also be coming soon. Third parties will have full control over the rental option and prices.
If you purchase an aircraft within a time limit after renting, the rental price will be deducted from the full price.
Looking at the Expert Series 02 aircraft, the Embraer 600 Praetor, we get to see a few screenshots.
The developer is aiming to set a new standard for Expert Series aircraft, making “absolutely everything possible interactive, working, and fully realistic.” This includes a complete cockpit model with no inoperable controls, all electrical circuits modeled, a fully functional HUD, support for all the different types of display layouts, including display reversion, and more.
The FMS is almost completely modeled already, and below you can check out a list of features it’ll come with. The aircraft uses a Collins Aerospace Pro Line Fusion avionics system that is fully modeled with two fully simulated FMS systems running on separate modules, calculating their own output individually.
There will be a complete set of Fusion flight planning tools, including alternates, multiple destinations, secondary flight plan, flight plan and wind uplink, pilot waypoints, offsets, and more.
The Praetor will also have a custom EFB app including the following features.
Neumann then announced the third free (for Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 users) “Make Good” aircraft that will be released to apologize for the launch issues. It’ll be the Famous Flyer 12, and specifically the Piper PA-28-236 Dakota made by Carenado. It’ll be released on June 27. 2025.
Microsoft intends to ask for an extension of the license for the Top Gun expansions included in MSFS 2020 and bring it to Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024. That being said, no promise has been made because the decision belongs to Paramount Pictures.
We also hear that Hype Performance Group has pledged to address the remaining bugs on the Airbus H225 helicopter, so it will be fixed.
Last, but not least, you can check out the updated roadmap.
If you’d like to read more flight simulation news, you can find plenty in the latest roundup article from yesterday.
If you want to go further back, we have a handy overview video of the major flight simulation news in the past week. You can watch it below. As usual, leaving a like and a comment and subscribing to our growing YouTube channel is extremely helpful.
