Microsoft Flight Simulator

Microsoft Flight Simulator
Information
VR/AR	Virtual Reality
Developer	Asobo Studio
Publisher	Xbox Game Studios
Platform	SteamVR, OpenXR (PC VR)
Device	HP Reverb G2, Windows Mixed Reality headsets, Valve Index, Oculus Rift S, HTC Vive, Meta Quest 2 (via Link)
Operating System	Windows
Type	Game
Genre	Flight simulator
Input Device	HOTAS, gamepad, keyboard and mouse, tracked motion controllers (since November 2021)
Play Area	Seated
Game Mode	Single-player, multiplayer
Release Date	Windows: August 18, 2020; VR update: December 22, 2020; Xbox Series X/S: July 27, 2021
Price	From US $59.99 (Standard Edition); VR support free for existing owners
App Store	Steam, Microsoft Store, Xbox Game Pass
Website	https://www.flightsimulator.com

Property "Platform" (as page type) with input value "OpenXR]] (PC VR)" contains invalid characters or is incomplete and therefore can cause unexpected results during a query or annotation process. <ul><li>Property "Device" (as page type) with input value "Windows Mixed Reality]] headsets" contains invalid characters or is incomplete and therefore can cause unexpected results during a query or annotation process.</li> <!--br--><li>Property "Device" (as page type) with input value "Meta Quest 2]] (via Link)" contains invalid characters or is incomplete and therefore can cause unexpected results during a query or annotation process.</li></ul>

See also: VR Apps and VR Games

Microsoft Flight Simulator is a flight simulation game developed by Asobo Studio and published by Xbox Game Studios. It launched for Windows on August 18, 2020, and reached the Xbox Series X and Series S on July 27, 2021. It is the first entry in the long-running Microsoft Flight Simulator series since Flight Simulator X in 2006. A free update on December 22, 2020, added support for PC Virtual Reality headsets through the OpenXR standard, bringing the simulator to head-mounted displays.

The 2020 release uses Asobo's in-house engine combined with Microsoft's Azure cloud and Bing Maps satellite data to render the entire planet. On PC the game can be flown in VR on OpenXR and SteamVR compatible headsets; virtual reality is not available on the Xbox consoles.

Gameplay

Microsoft Flight Simulator recreates flight across a world map built from satellite imagery and aerial photography, with photogrammetry-generated 3D buildings in selected cities and weather pulled from real-time data. Players fly a range of aircraft, from light single-engine propeller planes to wide-body airliners, and can take off from any of the simulator's airports. The game supports both single-player and multiplayer modes.

In VR the cockpit and the world are rendered stereoscopically and the player's head movements control the view inside the aircraft. At the December 2020 launch of VR support, in-cockpit instruments were operated with a 3D mouse cursor rather than the hands, and there was no native tracked-controller support; the game used the same control devices as the flatscreen version, including HOTAS (hands-on-throttle-and-stick) hardware, gamepads, and keyboard and mouse. VR play is seated.

Tracked motion controller support was added later, as part of the free Game of the Year Edition update on November 18, 2021. With it, motion controllers can navigate the game's menus and interact more directly with cockpit instruments, including grabbing the yoke, though steering still uses the analog stick rather than a one-to-one motion. Only one controller is active at a time, and not every aircraft was adapted for the new controls at launch.

Development

Microsoft Flight Simulator was developed by the French studio Asobo Studio for Xbox Game Studios. Virtual reality was not part of the game's original plans; Asobo added it after launch. The studio worked with Microsoft's Mixed Reality team, then headed by Alex Kipman, to support OpenXR-compatible PC headsets.

To run in VR, Asobo reworked the engine for stereoscopic rendering and applied optimization techniques such as stencil masking and stereo instancing, with the implementation built on the OpenXR standard. VR support first appeared in a closed beta for Windows Insiders in late October 2020, initially limited to the HP Reverb G2 and other Windows Mixed Reality headsets before expanding to other PC VR headsets in a later beta phase. The November 18, 2021 Game of the Year Edition update also introduced a DirectX 12 rendering path, described at the time as in early access.

Release

The base game shipped on Windows first, followed by the free VR update and then the Xbox console release. Microsoft Flight Simulator was published as part of Xbox Game Pass and sold through Steam and the Microsoft Store. A separate, newer entry, Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024, was released in November 2024; the 2020 title remains available for purchase.

Platform / milestone	Date	Notes
Windows (PC)	August 18, 2020	Initial release, no VR
PC VR update	December 22, 2020	Free update; OpenXR and SteamVR headsets
Xbox Series X/S	July 27, 2021	Console release; no VR
Game of the Year Edition	November 18, 2021	Free update; adds VR motion controller support and DirectX 12

Reception

Microsoft Flight Simulator was widely acclaimed on release. The Windows version holds a Metacritic score of 91 out of 100 from 71 critic reviews, indicating "universal acclaim"; the Xbox Series X/S version scored 90. IGN and The Guardian each rated it 100. Video Games Chronicle reported in 2020 that it was the highest-reviewed PC game of that year to date.

The game won Best Sim/Strategy Game at The Game Awards 2020, Strategy/Simulation Game of the Year at the 2021 D.I.C.E. Awards, and Excellence in Technical Achievement at the 2021 SXSW Gaming Awards. It was nominated for Technical Achievement at the 17th British Academy Games Awards.

Reviewing the VR mode for Engadget, Devindra Hardawar wrote that flying the simulator in a headset was a striking experience despite the demands it placed on PC hardware.