40 Years Of Simulation

I’m on record as loving Microsoft Flight Simulator. It’s an incredibly relaxing experience and that its available on Xbox Series X|S is pretty fantastic. (Check out my review) While the game may have been out for a couple of years now, the team at Asobo Studio aren’t yet done with it. To celebrate 40 years of the Flight Simulator series, this November they plan to release a free update with a bunch of new content.

The Microsoft Flight Simulator 40th Anniversary Edition will include a lot of things fans have been wanting. Classic planes joining the game include the Wright Flyer where things started, and the Spirit of St. Louis, giving you more ways to feel what flying can be. If you want more than just planes, that’s coming too. Helicopters have been widely requested and now they’re on the way. I can’t wait to jump in and feel just how differently they control from the planes filling the rest of the game. More planes, gliders, and classic airports from earlier games in the series are also on the way.

If November seems a long way away, the development team have one cool update that you won’t have to wait on. They’ve added the Pelican from Halo to the game in a free update which is available now. While this isn’t simulating a real thing, being able to experience something so different within the confines of Flight Simulator sounds interesting. If the trailer is any indication we’ll be able to take it into space as well, which should give the whole game a different vibe.

When the Microsoft Flight Simulator 40th Anniversary Edition releases this November it will be a free download for current owners of the game as well as those who have Game Pass. Check out the trailer below.

Andrew Thornton

Andrew has been writing about video games for nearly twenty years, contributing to publications such as DarkStation, Games Are Fun, and the E-mpire Ltd. network. He enjoys most genres but is always pulled back to classic RPG's, with his favorite games ever including Suikoden II, Panzer Dragoon Saga, and Phantasy Star IV. Don't worry though, he thinks new games are cool too, with more recent favorites like Hades, Rocket League, and Splatoon 2 stealing hundreds of hours of his life. When he isn't playing games he's often watching classic movies, catching a basketball game, or reading the first twenty pages of a book before getting busy and forgetting about it.