Hello folks,

We have an abbreviated blog post for you this week as our team is currently focused entirely on resolving the launch issues for Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024. We will be back with a regular Development Update Blog next week. In the meantime, please see this message from Head of Microsoft Flight Simulator Jorg Neumann about the issues many of you have experienced this week:

We are seeing significant improvements to the capacity and access issues and are planning to gradually increase capacity while we monitor the situation. We are feeling optimistic that players will be able to access the sim and take to the skies. We thank you for your ongoing patience and will provide another update on Friday. - Jorg Neumann, Head of Microsoft Flight Simulator

-Jorg Neumann, Head of Microsoft Flight Simulator

Click here to continue reading the Marketplace Update![www.flightsimulator.com]

Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 is by far our most ambitious simulator to date, and we are incredibly excited for all of you – from our core sim fans to all gamers and those who want to explore the world with us – to join us on this journey. With authentic realism of all environments, aviation careers to pursue and the ability to explore our beautiful world with various kinds of aircraft, there is something amazing for everyone in this version of the simulator.

We feel very fortunate that Microsoft Flight Simulator has a vibrant, highly informed and passionate community which has been invaluable on our journey to continually improve the simulator. Our motto is “for the community – with the community”, which means that we will continue to carefully listen to your feedback and suggestions to help guide our development efforts – and it also means that we will continue to work with teams from the community to help us produce the best aircraft, airports, scenery, missions, and other features.


The team at Asobo is very much the core with the engine and key innovations all coming from the team in Bordeaux. We were able to substantially enhance the breadth and quality by inviting other creator teams from the flight sim community to help and bring focus to the many areas of this vast simulator. Aircraft were built by well-known and loved community teams like iniBuilds, Carenado, Got Friends, Blackbird, Hype Performance Group, MilTech, S&H, FlightFX, DC Designs, ATSimulations, BlueMesh and others to create the largest and most detailed fleet we have ever had (70 aircraft) for the base simulator. Other areas like airports, heliports, glider airports were mostly built by the talented team at Gaya, worldwide obstacles by Orbx & Puffin Flight, animals by Lakshya and via a collaboration with Frontier Developments, air racing by Climax, and many other elements like avionics and flight planning from Working Title. In total, we had over 800 people contributing to the sim and the result is beautiful and incredibly impressive.

The dream of flight is ingrained in us yet many people have been unable to pursue that dream due to a lack of opportunity to pilot their own plane … MSFS 2024 provides 70 highly diverse aircraft, our entire beautiful Earth, and many activities to suit your aviation desires.

Thank you for embarking on this incredible adventure with us. We hope you enjoy Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024[www.xbox.com].

The Sky Is Calling.

Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 is now available in a variety of editions. The Standard Edition – available with Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass — comes with 70 aircraft and 150 upgraded airports; Deluxe Edition includes 10 additional aircraft and five extra airports; the Premium Deluxe includes another 15 aircraft (total of 95); 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. If you own Microsoft Flight Simulator (2020) Deluxe Edition or Premium Deluxe Edition the additional aircraft and airports unique to these editions will automatically work in Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024.

There's only five more days until the release of Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024! The launch will be a single global release for all time zones simultaneously at 8:00am Pacific Standard Time (1600 UTC) on Tuesday, November 19. To confirm the launch time in your local area, please consult the Arrivals Board below.

Yesterday, we hosted the final Developer Livestream prior to the launch of MSFS2024. This time, we were pleased to welcome aircraft developer Hans Hartmann to demonstrate two planes he created for MSFS2024, the Pilatus PC-6 and De Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter! In case you missed it live, you can watch the VOD on YouTube here.

The next Developer Livestream is scheduled for Wednesday, November 27. The regular panel of Jorg, Seb, and Martial will be back to discuss Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 and answer many questions from the community. As always, follow our official Twitch channel[twitch.tv] and ensure notifications are enabled so you'll know whenever we go live.

As we announced last week, we are now regularly posting to Threads[www.threads.net]! If you're looking for the latest Microsoft Flight Simulator news and information on an alternate social platform, be sure to follow @MSFSofficial[www.threads.net] to stay up to date with all the latest announcements!

Finally, simmers who purchased the Limited Collector's Edition of Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 from Aerosoft may have recently received an email about a shipping delay to non-USA regions that will prevent delivery in time for the November 19 release date. We know everyone who purchased this edition are some of the most dedicated and passionate simmers in the community, and we have heard your disappointment that you won't be able to play on launch day. To make things right, we are pleased to offer all affected simmers one complimentary month of Game Pass (which includes the Standard Edition of MSFS2024 in addition to hundreds of other titles) plus a Standard to Aviator Edition upgrade token, allowing you to enjoy the new sim as soon as it releases. Please see this announcement post[www.flightsimulator.com] for more information.

- MSFS Team

Click here to continue reading the Development Update![www.flightsimulator.com]

Yesterday we hosted another of our planned weekly Developer Livestreams leading up to the release of Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 on November 19. Joining Jorg this week were Mike Johnson to showcase the Amphibian Aerospace Albatross and Cameron MacMillan and Pablo (a real-world Airbus A330 and A350 captain) from iniBuilds to demonstrate the Airbus A330, A321LR, A400M Atlas, and Beluga XL.

If you missed the broadcast live while it happened, you can watch the VOD on our YouTube channel here.

In the lead-up to the release of Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024, we know many of you are looking at different peripheral options so you can enhance your sim experience. All throughout this week, we have been posting spotlight articles on flight sim products from different vendors. You can check them out at the links below:

• Pimax[www.flightsimulator.com] (VR headsets for PC)
• Turtle Beach[www.flightsimulator.com] (flight control peripherals for PC and Xbox)
• Tobii[www.flightsimulator.com] (head and eye tracking for PC)
• Elgato[www.flightsimulator.com] (programmable multi-function control panels for PC)
• Thrustmaster[www.flightsimulator.com] (flight control peripherals for PC and Xbox)

We have more peripheral spotlight articles coming in the next few days. Be sure to check them out!

Finally, for anyone looking for the latest Microsoft Flight Simulator news and information on an alternate social platform, we are now regularly posting to Threads[www.threads.net]! Be sure to give us a follow so you can stay up to date with all the latest announcments!

- MSFS Team

Click here to continue reading the Development Update![www.flightsimulator.com]

Yesterday we hosted another of our planned weekly Developer Livestreams leading up to the release of Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 on November 19. This week, Jorg was joined by three members of the SDK team at Asobo to answer some of the most common questions we've seen from third party developers since the start of the Dev Alpha last week. Also appearing on the stream were three members of Microsoft's Marketplace team to discuss some upcoming changes to the Marketplace in the new sim. Of particular note to fans of military aircraft is a new policy change: visible but non-functional weapons will now be permitted on aircraft sold via the in-sim Marketplace.

If you missed the broadcast live while it happened, you can watch the VOD on our YouTube channel here.

The next developer livestream is scheduled for Wednesday, November 6th at 10:30am PDT (1830 UTC). Please note that the start time may be different in your local time zone due to the switch from Daylight Saving Time to Standard time in many parts of the world. Next week's livestream will feature aircraft developer Mike Johnson as well as members of the team at iniBuilds to preview the new aircraft they are creating for Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024. As always, we will be livestreaming the event on our official Twitch channel[twitch.tv]! The full schedule for our planned Developer Livestreams over the next month is below:

Finally, next week we're excited to showcase some wonderful partners who make hardware peripherals compatible with Microsoft Flight Simulator. Follow us on social media (Facebook[www.facebook.com], Twitter[x.com], Instagram[www.instagram.com], or TikTok[www.tiktok.com]) or check back on this website to learn more about some great hardware products to enhance your flight simming experience. There might be some prize giveaways... 👀

- MSFS Team

Click here to continue reading the Development Update![www.flightsimulator.com]

Earlier today, we released an update to Expert Series 01: ATR 42-600/72-600. This update is available to download via the in-sim Content Manager, and you can read the release notes on our forums here[forums.flightsimulator.com].

On Wednesday of this week, we hosted the second developer livestream to feature the creators of new aircraft launching with Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024. This time, the panel consisted of developers from Got Friends, MilTech Simulations, and Hype Performance Group demoing seven new aircraft. First up, Got Friends showed three airplanes and two gliders: the AeroElvira Optica, Draco X, and Zlin Aviation Savage Norden and the Pipistrel Taurus M and Stemme S12G gliders. Next, MilTech Simulations gave an extensive preview of the Boeing C-17 Globemaster III, a new plane that is sure to delight fans of military transport aircraft. Finally, Hype Performance Group ended the livestream with a demonstration of the Airbus H225 helicopter. All you rotary wingnuts out there (hi Sergio!) will love flying this beautiful bird on passenger transport missions to offshore oil platforms.

If you missed the broadcast live while it happened, you can watch the VOD on our YouTube channel here.

The next developer livestream is scheduled for Wednesday, October 30th at 10:30am PDT (1730 UTC) and will feature MSFS team members Julie, Mabel, and Todd joining Jorg to discuss the in-sim Marketplace in Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024. As always, we will be livestreaming the event on our official Twitch channel[twitch.tv]! The full schedule for our planned Developer Livestreams over the next month is below:

In case you missed it, last week we shared a full recording of the presentation from September's Global Preview Event at the Grand Canyon. This presentation was delivered by several members of the development team to invited members of the media and flight simulation creator community and covers many of the new features and improvements coming in Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024. We hope you enjoy watching it to learn more about MSFS2024 ahead of its launch in 26 days!

- MSFS Team

Click here to continue reading the Development Update![www.flightsimulator.com]

From October 11-14, we ran the Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 Technical Alpha Test. The purpose of this test was to gather automatic telemetry data related to several online services used by MSFS2024. THANK YOU to everyone who participated! The data collected from the Technical Alpha is tremendously valuable to our production team as we prepare for the launch of MSFS2024 on November 19. For anyone who did not participate in the test, we wish to remind you that any footage from the Technical Alpha you may have seen online was from a pre-release test build and should not be viewed as representative of the final product.

Yesterday, we hosted the first in our series of Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 Aircraft Partner livestreams. During the broadcast, Jorg was joined by Nick and Marwan from Flight FX to showcase three of the aircraft they created for MSFS2024: the Jetson One, Joby S4, and Archer Midnight. All three of these modern, cutting-edge aircraft are included in the Standard Edition of MSFS2024. If you missed the livestream, you can watch the VOD on YouTube below.

Our next 1st Party Aircraft Partner livestream is scheduled for Wednesday, October 23rd at 10:30am PDT (1730 UTC). As always, we will be livestreaming the event on our official Twitch channel[twitch.tv]! The full schedule for our upcoming Developer Livestreams is below:

Finally, we're excited to share this video from last month's Global Preview Event at the Grand Canyon. This is a recording of the presentation delivered by several members of the development team to invited members of the media and flight simulation creator community. The presentation covers many of the new features and improvements coming in Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024, and we hope you enjoy watching it to learn more about MSFS2024 ahead of its launch in 33 days!

- MSFS Team

Click here to continue reading the Development Update![www.flightsimulator.com]

This week’s Screenshot Challenge winner is Twitter user @BasedRaccoon! If you’re interested in participating in our weekly Screenshot Challenges, check out the details in the Community section below!

Earlier today we launched Expert Series 1: ATR 42/72-600 Expansion[www.flightsimulator.com], which features a number of bug fixes and improvements to this popular turboprop. Additionally, this expansion also includes two new variants of the plane for your enjoyment: the 42-600S (short take-off and landing / STOL) and 72-600F (freighter). Owners of the Expert Series ATR 42/72-600 aircraft can download this FREE update via the Content Manager.

In the run up to the launch of Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 on November 19th, we are hosting a number of Developer Livestreams. The next Developer Livestream will be broadcast on Wednesday, October 16th at 10:30am PDT (1730 UTC) and focuses on 1st Party Aircraft Partners. We will be livestreaming the event on our official Twitch channel[www.twitch.tv]! The full schedule for our upcoming Developer Livestreams is below:


If you missed the last Developer Livestream with the Asobo SDK (Software Development Kit) Team, you can watch the VOD over on our YouTube channel.

Finally, earlier this week we announced the Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 Technical Alpha, which is now open for applications via our Insider Sign-Up Survey. Please note that this is only available for the Windows PC (Windows Store) platform. For more details on the Technical Alpha please see our web post[www.flightsimulator.com], which includes a summary as to what content will be available, as well as other important information.

- MSFS Team

Click here to continue reading the Development Update![www.flightsimulator.com]

This week’s Screenshot Challenge winner is Twitter user @pommes_l! If you’re interested in participating in our weekly Screenshot Challenges, check out the details in the Community section below!

Earlier this week, we launched Aircraft & Avionics Update 3 (AAU3)! This release enhances three aircraft: the Airbus A310-300, Airbus A320neo V2, and Pilatus PC-6 Porter. To see what was improved for each plane, you can read the full release notes here[www.flightsimulator.com]. We also released the latest Navdata update (AIRAC cycle 2410) this week. Both AAU3 and the navdata update are installed automatically upon launching the sim.

On Wednesday, we hosted the second of our weekly Developer Livestreams leading up to and following the release of Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 next month. This livestream featured Jorg and three members of the Software Development Kit (SDK) team from Asobo. While the primary intended audience for this session was third-party developers who make add-on products for the sim, regular players may also find the information from the broadcast interesting. Some of the covered topics include:

What are the new and enhanced features in the SDK developers can use when making aircraft and airports?

• Can players use third-party add-on aircraft in Career Mode?
  
• Approximately how much developer effort is required to upgrade a Microsoft Flight Simulator (2020) add-on to use the Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 SDK?
  
• And much more!
  
• If you missed seeing it live, you can watch the VOD on our YouTube channel here:

There was much more information the SDK team would like to share than could be covered in the two-hour broadcast, so we have tentatively scheduled a second SDK-focused livestream for next week. Tune in again on Wednesday, October 9 at 9:30am PDT (1630 UTC). As always, we will be livestreaming the broadcast on our official Twitch channel.

Finally, the MSFS Team would like to send our greetings to all the members of our September Family who are currently attending the Reno Air Show this weekend! While we’re sad that we won’t be there in person this year, we’re sure the various performers and display teams — including the US Navy Blue Angels and Canadian Forces Snowbirds — will give a wonderful send-off to celebrate the 60th Anniversary of the Reno Air Races!


- MSFS Team

Click here to continue reading the Development Update![www.flightsimulator.com]