Summary
- Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024’s impressive photogrammetry technology has produced a stunning “digital twin” of Planet Earth.
- We revisit some of our favorite places we’ve personally explored in real life, conjuring up memories and personal nostalgia.
- Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 is available now for Windows PC, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox Cloud Gaming, and Steam.
As I get older, I find myself reminiscing more often about the places I’ve lived and traveled throughout the world, and marvel at the growing list of countries I still want to visit (I’m looking at you, Japan). It has become a growing appreciation of my good fortune that I’ve been to so many – and Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 has in turn become a wonderful conduit of nostalgia that allows me to revisit every one of them.
Thanks to its incredible photogrammetry and enhanced digital elevation maps, its “digital twin” of Planet Earth has produced a stunning world to explore. Its lifelike detail allows me to fly over my old neighborhoods, revisit a national park, or recreate a memorable coastline drive that I haven’t taken in years. I can even get out of my aircraft and take a jaunt around nearly any location in the world now – and you can too.
Flying Through Memories
“What I realized during Microsoft Flight Simulator (2020)‘s development is that the most emotional stories are the ones that already reside in us,” says Head of Microsoft Flight Simulator Jorg Neumann during a recent interview with Xbox Wire. “While Earth might just be a rock, a hill, or a tree, it has special meaning for specific people because of their memories. These are very personal stories. It’s almost a universal platform for an emotional connection because we all live here, and this is what our planet looks like.”
Neumann taps into something I was feeling as well during my time thus far with Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024. While it is an incredibly awesome flight simulator with a plethora of aircraft and experiences to be had, from its Career Mode to World Photographer mode, the aspect that had pulled me in so much was how emotionally impactful it was all starting to feel for me to just fly over familiar locations in significantly higher detail.
“I remember missing my parents a lot (during the pandemic),” continues Neumann. “My dad is in his mid-90s now, and I was worried that I might never see him again because none of us knew what was going to happen. So, I flew there in Microsoft Flight Simulator (2020), flew to my parents’ house, landed at the lake, and called my parents up. I said, “Hey, I can’t be there in person with you, but I’m as close as I can get because I’m looking at our house.”
“Now (with Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024), it’s so much closer to reality. It’s emotionally more impactful because now the right trees are around the lake, the ground looks right, the water looks correct. It’s remarkable how all the things that you remember suddenly come back. I remember jumping into the lake as a kid, playing with my friends, swimming over for the first time. All these things that you saw, you can now digitally recreate.”
Revisiting Favorite Places
I had many of the same emotional reactions as I began to revisit some of my favorite locations. Memories that I hadn’t thought of for years, like the time I saw the sun rise at the top of Haleakalā crater on Maui; walking across San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge; exploring the streets of Paris, France; getting lost in Venice, Italy. It was this emotional resonance that bubbled up again while flying around these memorable locations in Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024.
“The first place I went to was Kauai,” Neumann tells me after asking him what some of the first places he likes to explore. “The second place was Grindelwald, where I used to go skiing. I walked around the Alps to check it out. Then, I started going to New Zealand because I love it there and visit occasionally. I picked about 10 locations I’ve been to in real life to verify how good they look now — after that, I went on a movie tour and visited places where they filmed “Indiana Jones,” “Lord of the Rings,” and “Out of Africa.”
The recent enhancements have made these unique experiences much more realistic for the entire flight sim community. Now we have detailed environments to fly around that include accurate terrain, rocks, and water conditions that enhance not only the functional aspect of flight simulation but increasingly the immersive and authentic experience as well. There’s so much detail now that even the rocks will trip your plane up if you don’t have the right tires to manage the terrain.
Becoming a Photographer of the World
Once you’re on the ground, you’ll not only notice how much the trees and grass have improved, but also how fun it is to step outside your aircraft and walk around, capturing photographs of your adventure. Whether it’s local wildlife or iconic locations like the Great Pyramids of Giza or the stunning Neuschwanstein Castle, there’s tons of cool stuff to see “in person.” The World Photographer mode points you in many of these directions, giving you a challenge to not only discover these locations, but document them in such a way that the challenge becomes part of the fun of flight and appreciating the world in which we live.
“One of the community’s requests was to give them more to do,” Neumann explains about how the World Photographer mode came about. “I thought, ‘OK, easy enough. Aviation Careers got it. Let’s try to get as close to an actual aviation career as we can.’ Gamers like competition, so we came up with the Challenge League system. At some point, I was pushing hard for animals, because I realized I take a lot of pictures of humans, places, and animals. Then, I thought about people who just love the Earth, and I remember taking pictures with my parents using a slide projector to revisit our vacations. I wanted to have the ability to take pictures to represent a memory. Now it’s wonderful to see everyone enjoying it.”
Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 is not just a step up from its previous iteration; it’s a significant technological leap that lets you explore the world more dynamically than ever before with its “digital twin” of Earth. Being able to hop from one end of the planet to the other in such incredibly high detail is not only incredibly cool but also functions as a gateway to your own personal travels and experience as well.
It has not only renewed my passion for travel but also provided a unique way to relive cherished memories and explore new destinations from the comfort of my home. It’s a remarkable blend of advanced technology and nostalgia, offering endless opportunities to discover the world anew, one flight at a time.
A Few of My Favorite Places
As I mentioned earlier, I’ve been fortunate enough to have travelled in my time. So, I thought I’d share a few of my personal favorites that double as great locations to visit within Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 — a few of these spots double as a challenge in its World Photographer mode. For aircraft preference in Free Flight, because helicopters can be quite a challenge, I liked using CGS Hawk Arrow II when flying around these locals – it maintained the appropriate speed and easy handling that let me really take in the views. It’s also relatively easy to land on a short approach.
Paris
I’ve been lucky enough to visit Paris twice and both times I basically went back to all the same locations, like spending way too much time in the Louvre Museum, going up the Eiffel Tower, climbing the stairs of the Arc de Triomphe, visiting Notre Dame, and others. It’s such a walkable city packed with history and doubles as a great location to fly around to really appreciate how massive that beautiful city is.
Singapore
I visited Singapore for about three days during a work trip years ago and was blown away at how busy its shipping ports were. I knew it functioned as a major trade hub before visiting, but it was impressive to just see it in action. Also, the architecture in the city was equally impressive to see. At night, I’d walk along the waterfront and marvel at some of its iconic spots, like the Marina Bay Sands, all which are worthy of a fly by in MSFS 2024.
San Francisco Bay Area
I lived in the Bay Area for nearly 10 years and never tired of seeing many iconic sights like the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz Island, the Bay Bridge, the Ferry Building, and so many other landmarks that make it one of the greatest cities on the planet. It’s also a great starting point if you want to do a coastal flight over Highway 1 and follow that down (or up) the coastline.
Seattle
Speaking of sights, everyone knows of the Space Needle (I think it’s fine), but I’ve never tired of seeing Mount Rainier off in the distance, which is a stunning landmark that’s just south of the city that looks so damn awesome – as cloud cover allows. Seattle is also surrounded by natural beauty any way you look, full of majestic waterways like the tremendous Lake Washington, and tons of greenery that make any location you fly over incredibly scenic. If you’re up for flying around, go for a watercraft so you can touch down on any of the many bodies of water.
Hawaiian Islands
I’m very fortunate to say I grew up here, specifically on the island of Oahu in the town of Kailua, but I traveled to each of the main islands at least once while I lived there. I took an amazing helicopter tour on the island of Kauai; hiked Haleakala National Park on Maui; walked across (dry) lava fields on the island of Hawai’i; and drove up to the North Shore so many times. So naturally I pick this as my home base in Career Mode with Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024, operating as a bit of a tour guide operator in my hometown.
Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 – Standard Edition
Xbox Game Studios
$69.99
PC Game Pass
Xbox Game Pass
Standard Edition
Explore the world with our largest fleet of aircraft and take simulation to new heights while pursuing your aviation career within Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024. The Standard Edition includes over 65 aircraft and 150 handcrafted airports.
Fly with Purpose
· Launch your aviation Career wherever you choose in the world. Gain experience, build your reputation, and complete certifications to gain access to authentic aviation activities ranging from Medevac, Remote Cargo Ops, Aerial Firefighting, Search & Rescue and more, all the way to becoming an Airline Passenger Transport Pilot. Set out on a truly global aviation adventure with virtually unlimited missions across the planet.
· Compete against other pilots in the all-new Challenge League mode or hone your skills in dozens of Activities ranging from exciting Rally Races and Precision Landings to Low-Altitude challenges and more. Fly head-to-head in the iconic Red Bull Air Races and the legendary Reno Air Races, including the new Roswell courses.
· Be a World Photographer and travel across our beautiful planet to capture awe-inspiring natural vistas, visit famous landmarks, and record these adventures with pictures in your travel book. Unique photo challenges test your creative eye along with your piloting skills while you strive to capture the perfect moment.
Advanced Simulation
· Enhanced physics system allows 10,000+ rigid-body surfaces that enable the simulation of any shape of aircraft. Soft body physics supports cloth, ropes, balloons, and more. Improved ground and water handling further enhance realism.
· New, highly accurate aircraft systems including electrical, pneumatic, fuel and hydraulic systems, payload and passenger systems, and avionics like the Universal UNS-1 FMS and Honeywell Primus Epic 2. Preflight inspections and walkaround checks add to immersion.
· Plan your flights with a groundbreaking flight planner which supports both IFR and VFR map layers, IFR charts, route planning, fuel and payload planning, vertical profile planning, and ETOPS planning. It also provides airport information including weather and NOTAMS and is available native in the sim, on mobile devices or web browsers for flight planning outside the simulator.
Explore Our Visually Stunning Digital Twin
· Explore our most detailed re-creation of planet Earth to date. Enhanced digital elevation maps, over 500 TIN (triangular irregular network) cities and more than 100,000 square kilometers of countryside photogrammetry allow for visually stunning digital twin experiences. More than 150 airports, 2,000 glider airports, 10,000 heliports, 2,000 points of interest, and 900 oil rigs have been carefully hand-crafted while a procedural system generates all 40,000 airports, 80,000 helipads, 1.5 billion buildings, and nearly 3 trillion trees our planet.
· Land anywhere and, for the first time in Microsoft Flight Simulator, exit your aircraft to explore 27 highly detailed biomes with hundreds of species of vegetation, dynamically created details including grass, rocks, and flowers – all influenced by seasonal changes. The all-new photometric lighting system renders the world more accurately than ever before, and enhanced weather features such as new cloud types, auroras, and other weather phenomena produce fresh and compelling atmospheric experiences.
· The world comes alive with a vast array of land-based wildlife in their natural habitats and free-ranging livestock across the entire globe. The oceans and waterways are teeming with live, worldwide maritime traffic ranging from large tankers and cargo ships to trawlers, tugs, and more. A richly diverse, regionally accurate representation of humanity brings life to the airports, aircraft, and passenger cabins of the world. Enhanced real-world air traffic populates the skies and airport tarmacs with hundreds of accurately depicted aircraft models and dozens of officially licensed liveries.
Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 – Deluxe Edition
Xbox Game Studios
$99.99
Deluxe Edition
Explore the world with our largest fleet of aircraft and take simulation to new heights while pursuing your aviation career within Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024. The Deluxe Edition includes everything from the Standard Edition plus 10 additional aircraft and 5 additional handcrafted international airports.
Fly with Purpose
· Launch your aviation Career wherever you choose in the world. Gain experience, build your reputation, and complete certifications to gain access to authentic aviation activities ranging from Medevac, Remote Cargo Ops, Aerial Firefighting, Search & Rescue and more, all the way to becoming an Airline Passenger Transport Pilot. Set out on a truly global aviation adventure with virtually unlimited missions across the planet.
· Compete against other pilots in the all-new Challenge League mode or hone your skills in dozens of Activities ranging from exciting Rally Races and Precision Landings to Low-Altitude challenges and more. Fly head-to-head in the iconic Red Bull Air Races and the legendary Reno Air Races, including the new Roswell courses.
· Be a World Photographer and travel across our beautiful planet to capture awe-inspiring natural vistas, visit famous landmarks, and record these adventures with pictures in your travel book. Unique photo challenges test your creative eye along with your piloting skills while you strive to capture the perfect moment.
Advanced Simulation
· Enhanced physics system allows 10,000+ rigid-body surfaces that enable the simulation of any shape of aircraft. Soft body physics supports cloth, ropes, balloons, and more. Improved ground and water handling further enhance realism.
· New, highly accurate aircraft systems including electrical, pneumatic, fuel and hydraulic systems, payload and passenger systems, and avionics like the Universal UNS-1 FMS and Honeywell Primus Epic 2. Preflight inspections and walkaround checks add to immersion.
· Plan your flights with a groundbreaking flight planner which supports both IFR and VFR map layers, IFR charts, route planning, fuel and payload planning, vertical profile planning, and ETOPS planning. It also provides airport information including weather and NOTAMS and is available native in the sim, on mobile devices or web browsers for flight planning outside the simulator.
Explore Our Visually Stunning Digital Twin
· Explore our most detailed re-creation of planet Earth to date. Enhanced digital elevation maps, over 500 TIN (triangular irregular network) cities and more than 100,000 square kilometers of countryside photogrammetry allow for visually stunning digital twin experiences. More than 150 airports, 2,000 glider airports, 10,000 heliports, 2,000 points of interest, and 900 oil rigs have been carefully hand-crafted while a procedural system generates all 40,000 airports, 80,000 helipads, 1.5 billion buildings, and nearly 3 trillion trees our planet.
· Land anywhere and, for the first time in Microsoft Flight Simulator, exit your aircraft to explore 27 highly detailed biomes with hundreds of species of vegetation, dynamically created details including grass, rocks, and flowers – all influenced by seasonal changes. The all-new photometric lighting system renders the world more accurately than ever before, and enhanced weather features such as new cloud types, auroras, and other weather phenomena produce fresh and compelling atmospheric experiences.
· The world comes alive with a vast array of land-based wildlife in their natural habitats and free-ranging livestock across the entire globe. The oceans and waterways are teeming with live, worldwide maritime traffic ranging from large tankers and cargo ships to trawlers, tugs, and more. A richly diverse, regionally accurate representation of humanity brings life to the airports, aircraft, and passenger cabins of the world. Enhanced real-world air traffic populates the skies and airport tarmacs with hundreds of accurately depicted aircraft models and dozens of officially licensed liveries.
Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 – Premium Deluxe Edition
Xbox Game Studios
$129.99
Premium Deluxe Edition
Explore the world with our largest fleet of aircraft and take simulation to new heights while pursuing your aviation career within Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024. The Premium Deluxe Edition includes everything from the Standard Edition plus 25 additional aircraft and 10 additional handcrafted international airports.
Fly with Purpose
· Launch your aviation Career wherever you choose in the world. Gain experience, build your reputation, and complete certifications to gain access to authentic aviation activities ranging from Medevac, Remote Cargo Ops, Aerial Firefighting, Search & Rescue and more, all the way to becoming an Airline Passenger Transport Pilot. Set out on a truly global aviation adventure with virtually unlimited missions across the planet.
· Compete against other pilots in the all-new Challenge League mode or hone your skills in dozens of Activities ranging from exciting Rally Races and Precision Landings to Low-Altitude challenges and more. Fly head-to-head in the iconic Red Bull Air Races and the legendary Reno Air Races, including the new Roswell courses.
· Be a World Photographer and travel across our beautiful planet to capture awe-inspiring natural vistas, visit famous landmarks, and record these adventures with pictures in your travel book. Unique photo challenges test your creative eye along with your piloting skills while you strive to capture the perfect moment.
Advanced Simulation
· Enhanced physics system allows 10,000+ rigid-body surfaces that enable the simulation of any shape of aircraft. Soft body physics supports cloth, ropes, balloons, and more. Improved ground and water handling further enhance realism.
· New, highly accurate aircraft systems including electrical, pneumatic, fuel and hydraulic systems, payload and passenger systems, and avionics like the Universal UNS-1 FMS and Honeywell Primus Epic 2. Preflight inspections and walkaround checks add to immersion.
· Plan your flights with a groundbreaking flight planner which supports both IFR and VFR map layers, IFR charts, route planning, fuel and payload planning, vertical profile planning, and ETOPS planning. It also provides airport information including weather and NOTAMS and is available native in the sim, on mobile devices or web browsers for flight planning outside the simulator.
Explore Our Visually Stunning Digital Twin
· Explore our most detailed re-creation of planet Earth to date. Enhanced digital elevation maps, over 500 TIN (triangular irregular network) cities and more than 100,000 square kilometers of countryside photogrammetry allow for visually stunning digital twin experiences. More than 150 airports, 2,000 glider airports, 10,000 heliports, 2,000 points of interest, and 900 oil rigs have been carefully hand-crafted while a procedural system generates all 40,000 airports, 80,000 helipads, 1.5 billion buildings, and nearly 3 trillion trees our planet.
· Land anywhere and, for the first time in Microsoft Flight Simulator, exit your aircraft to explore 27 highly detailed biomes with hundreds of species of vegetation, dynamically created details including grass, rocks, and flowers – all influenced by seasonal changes. The all-new photometric lighting system renders the world more accurately than ever before, and enhanced weather features such as new cloud types, auroras, and other weather phenomena produce fresh and compelling atmospheric experiences.
· The world comes alive with a vast array of land-based wildlife in their natural habitats and free-ranging livestock across the entire globe. The oceans and waterways are teeming with live, worldwide maritime traffic ranging from large tankers and cargo ships to trawlers, tugs, and more. A richly diverse, regionally accurate representation of humanity brings life to the airports, aircraft, and passenger cabins of the world. Enhanced real-world air traffic populates the skies and airport tarmacs with hundreds of accurately depicted aircraft models and dozens of officially licensed liveries.
Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 – Aviator Edition
Xbox Game Studios
$199.99
Aviator Edition
Explore the world with our largest fleet of aircraft and take simulation to new heights while pursuing your aviation career within Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024. The Aviator Edition includes everything from the Premium Deluxe Edition plus the entire fleet of 30 Microsoft-published Marketplace aircraft developed for Microsoft Flight Simulator between 2021 and 2024.
Fly with Purpose
· Launch your aviation Career wherever you choose in the world. Gain experience, build your reputation, and complete certifications to gain access to authentic aviation activities ranging from Medevac, Remote Cargo Ops, Aerial Firefighting, Search & Rescue and more, all the way to becoming an Airline Passenger Transport Pilot. Set out on a truly global aviation adventure with virtually unlimited missions across the planet.
· Compete against other pilots in the all-new Challenge League mode or hone your skills in dozens of Activities ranging from exciting Rally Races and Precision Landings to Low-Altitude challenges and more. Fly head-to-head in the iconic Red Bull Air Races and the legendary Reno Air Races, including the new Roswell courses.
· Be a World Photographer and travel across our beautiful planet to capture awe-inspiring natural vistas, visit famous landmarks, and record these adventures with pictures in your travel book. Unique photo challenges test your creative eye along with your piloting skills while you strive to capture the perfect moment.
Advanced Simulation
· Enhanced physics system allows 10,000+ rigid-body surfaces that enable the simulation of any shape of aircraft. Soft body physics supports cloth, ropes, balloons, and more. Improved ground and water handling further enhance realism.
· New, highly accurate aircraft systems including electrical, pneumatic, fuel and hydraulic systems, payload and passenger systems, and avionics like the Universal UNS-1 FMS and Honeywell Primus Epic 2. Preflight inspections and walkaround checks add to immersion.
· Plan your flights with a groundbreaking flight planner which supports both IFR and VFR map layers, IFR charts, route planning, fuel and payload planning, vertical profile planning, and ETOPS planning. It also provides airport information including weather and NOTAMS and is available native in the sim, on mobile devices or web browsers for flight planning outside the simulator.
Explore Our Visually Stunning Digital Twin
· Explore our most detailed re-creation of planet Earth to date. Enhanced digital elevation maps, over 500 TIN (triangular irregular network) cities and more than 100,000 square kilometers of countryside photogrammetry allow for visually stunning digital twin experiences. More than 150 airports, 2,000 glider airports, 10,000 heliports, 2,000 points of interest, and 900 oil rigs have been carefully hand-crafted while a procedural system generates all 40,000 airports, 80,000 helipads, 1.5 billion buildings, and nearly 3 trillion trees our planet.
· Land anywhere and, for the first time in Microsoft Flight Simulator, exit your aircraft to explore 27 highly detailed biomes with hundreds of species of vegetation, dynamically created details including grass, rocks, and flowers – all influenced by seasonal changes. The all-new photometric lighting system renders the world more accurately than ever before, and enhanced weather features such as new cloud types, auroras, and other weather phenomena produce fresh and compelling atmospheric experiences.
· The world comes alive with a vast array of land-based wildlife in their natural habitats and free-ranging livestock across the entire globe. The oceans and waterways are teeming with live, worldwide maritime traffic ranging from large tankers and cargo ships to trawlers, tugs, and more. A richly diverse, regionally accurate representation of humanity brings life to the airports, aircraft, and passenger cabins of the world. Enhanced real-world air traffic populates the skies and airport tarmacs with hundreds of accurately depicted aircraft models and dozens of officially licensed liveries.