Microsoft Flight Simulator: Game of the Year Edition has just been announced, and it will be released as a free update on Xbox and PC on November 18. Players can expect new aircrafts, airports, an updated weather system, plus several new highly requested features from simmers
“This new edition celebrates all the positive feedback, reviews and awards garnered, but it is also a “Thank You” to our fans – new and old – that have made Microsoft Flight Simulator such a phenomenon,” explained Jorg Neumann, Head of Microsoft Flight Simulator. Microsoft Flight Simulator benefited greatly from its day one launch on Xbox Game Pass for PC and Console, as well as from the six World Updates that added much more details to select parts of the world.
Here are the main additions in the upcoming Microsoft Flight Simulator: GOTY Edition:
- 5 new aircrafts: Boeing F/A-18 Super Hornet, Pilatus PC-6 Porter, CubCrafters NX Cub, Aviat Pitts Special S1S, and the “VoloCity” prototype helicopter
- 8 new airports in Germany, Switzerland, and the US, plus new information about 545 previously missing US airports
- New photogrammetry cities: Helsinki (Finland), Freiburg im Breisgau (Germany), Brighton, Derby, Eastbourne, Newcastle, and Nottingham (UK), and Utrecht (Netherlands)
- 6 new Discovery Flights missions in Helsinki, Freiburg im Breisgau, Mecca, Monument Valley, Singapore, and Mount Cook,
- 14 new tutorials
- An updated weather system and a dev mode replay system
- Early Access to DirectX12 support on PC
If Microsoft Flight Simulator: GOTY Edition will be available as a free update for Xbox Game Pass subscribers and people who purchased the game on PC or Xbox, that won’t be the case for the new competitive multiplayer races that will also launch on November 18. Indeed, the new Reno Air Races: Expansion Pack and Reno Air Races: Full Collection extensions will be available for purchase in the in-game marketplace for $19.99 and $59.99, respectively.
“For those who just want to get their feet wet and race with their friends, the Reno Air Races: Expansion Pack is a great entry point. It includes the exhilarating online multiplayer racing experience along with four highly detailed starter aircraft: a North American T-6 Texan, a North American P-51 Mustang, an Aero L-39 Albatros, and an Aviat Pitts Special S1S, all for $19.99,” explained Neumann.
Microsoft Flight Simulator was one of the best-rated Xbox exclusive games of the year, and its release in July marked the beginning of a series of blockbuster releases for Microsoft. We’ve since had the critically-acclaimed Psychonauts 2 in August, which will be followed by Age of Empires IV later this month, Forza Horizon 5 in November, and Halo Infinite in December. Microsoft is also planning to celebrate the 20th anniversary on Xbox on November 15 with a special broadcast, and more details will be announced soon.
