Platforms:
PC, Xbox Series X|S
Released:
November 19, 2024
Publisher:
Xbox Game Studios
Developer:
Asobo Studio
Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 is a simulation game developed by Asobo Studios and published by Xbox Game Studios. It’s the latest entry in Microsoft’s long-standing Flight Simulator franchise that originally made its debut in 1982. The game features a free flight mode, a career mode, and a tutorial mode.
Having been around for many years, the overall premise of Microsoft Flight Simulator is straightforward, and has changed very little (if at all) during that time: give players a realistic simulation experience of what it takes to pilot a plane. What has changed over time, however, is the level of realism. As more entries in the series were released, the graphics and mechanics became more realistic, too. Microsoft Flight Simulator 1982 started off with rudimentary graphics and primary colours, for example, while Flight Simulator 2024 features real-time weather conditions, accurate aircraft systems, and more.
Looking at the new features introduced in the 2024 edition, it’s clear that Asobo Studio harboured the ambition to make Flight Simulator 2024 the most realistic entry in the franchise yet. For the first time, the game includes an aviation career mode that lets players experience different types of professional aviation careers, hot air balloons with a whole new ‘soft body simulation’, which makes them realistically react to heat in-game, and the option to fly to and from any airport in the world.
However, that level of ambition did come with a price. When the game became was released to Xbox and PC, it was – to put it lightly – a troubled launch. To play Flight Simulator, players need to be connected to the internet the whole time. Due to the game’s servers being overloaded on launch day, however, numerous players reported crashes, freezes, and loading times that ranged from twenty minutes to two hours. Some weren’t able to load up the game at all. To Asobo’s credit though, the developers reacted quickly: after publishing an official apology on the game’s website for the overall state of the game on release, the team released several fixes to improve the game’s stability and access. While people were still experiencing difficulty afterwards, the number of players able to access the build has greatly increased.
And as soon as you’re able to access the game properly, one thing is clear: when Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 actually works as intended, it soars. Overall, the visuals and level of detail are stunning. Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 comes with over one hundred airports, 2,000 glider airports, and two thousand points of interest that are all handcrafted by the developing team. In addition to this, the game itself also renders any other airport in great detail through procedural generation and data streaming. No matter where you’re flying to in the world, whether it’s the desert, frozen tundra, or the Grand Canyon, you can land your plane anywhere your heart desires. Once more, if you feel like it, you can even leave your airplane behind and go for a wander to snap some photos and spot some wild animals. The game even comes with a photography mode challenging you to fly past different natural wonders and landmarks to unlock achievements and additional missions.
“…the Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 universe truly feels like it lives and breathes.”
For the environments, Asobo worked closely with partners like Frontier – the developers behind Zoo Tycoon – to help add realistic biomes and animals to the game’s world. This, coupled with the fact that the game boasts twenty different aircrafts to fly, including gliders, hot air balloons, and commercial airliners – creates a staggeringly big world to explore. Coupled with the fact that the game also pulls in online information like real-time air traffic, weather conditions, and landscapes, the Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 universe truly feels like it lives and breathes. For players, no matter whether they’re aspiring pilots or actually experienced real-life ones, it makes the gameplay experience feel all the more adventurous and realistic. However, be aware that to witness the strong visuals, you will need a setup that can shoulder it too. Otherwise, it will quickly feel like your own computer is ready to take off into space as well.
The realism isn’t just reserved for visuals, however. It also extends to the gameplay itself. Taking off in an airplane comes with the complete experience of on-the-ground safety checks, taxi processes, and in-flight monitoring of navigational systems. For this reason, Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 may feel like it’s best suited to players who have actual experience, but there’s plenty to dive into for beginners too. Thanks to a range of tutorials that break down core concepts in short missions of about fifteen minutes, you can learn more about things like takeoff and landing, sim controls, trim settings, manoeuvring, and more.
But, complete newbies should take heed: while the tutorials themselves are relatively short, the explanations of core concepts are often shallow and don’t quite capture the level of detail and depth that’s actually under the game’s hood. Added to this, the AI instructor’s dialogue can feel a bit clunky, and often the character will break off their explanation mid-sentence because your altitude fluctuated slightly. Passengers’ dialogue often feels stilted and robotic as well, and when considering the level of realism in the broader game, this can at times feel jarring and inconsistent with Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024’s overall world.
Particularly with the instructor, this can be frustrating when players are still getting the hang of things, and if you’re truly looking to learn the ins and outs of operating a plane, you’ll need to dig deeper than just the tutorials. Asobo has published a range of aircraft manuals on their website, but considering that some of these count more than one hundred pages, this learning curve isn’t for the faint of heart. Luckily, the game also includes options to turn on assists, making it significantly harder to crash your plane. However overall, it’s good to factor in time to properly break into the game and understand the different forces at play.
“All in all, Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 is an incredibly impressive feat, both in a technical sense, and in a simulation sense.”
For those willing to persevere though, there’s plenty to get stuck into. One of Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024’s greatest feats is undoubtedly its career mode. Focused on allowing players to work their way through challenging missions, career mode lets you experience different types of professional aviation. While initially, you’ll be ferrying passengers around for private and recreational flights, for example, things get more challenging as you progress. Before you know it, you’ll have graduated to activities like search and rescue missions, crop-dusting, firefighting, and more. Completing missions will also let you collect licenses, reputation, and credit. Collect enough, and you can buy more planes to fly and try. And if you want to really push yourself, there’s always the game’s challenge mode, which includes difficult scenarios that hinge on strong technical skills.
All in all, Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 is an incredibly impressive feat, both in a technical sense and in a simulation sense. While launch day came with a level of turbulence, there’s no denying that the game’s world is vast, with endless possibilities for exploration. With a tonne of challenges, missions and landmarks to discover, Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024’s level of content is huge, and the game is sure to entertain you for hours if planes are your thing. Put together with the impressive level of detail and depth in the 2024 edition, there’s only one thing to do: strap in, and get ready for takeoff.
9
Amazing
Positive:
- Incredibly vast world to explore
- Huge level of detail in biomes, complete with fauna and flora
- Fly to and from any airport in the world
- Hours of content with the game's photography mode, challenge mode, and career mode
Negative:
- Steep learning curve that can feel daunting
- Instructor and passenger NPCs can feel stilted
- Tutorials lack depth and be frustrating for total beginners
Overall, Microsoft Flight Simulator is an absolute technical marvel when everything is running as it should. While there were significant hiccups at launch, the level of ambition Asobo brought to the table is clear. With numerous challenges, missions, and a vast and beautiful world to explore, Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 is sure to keep you entertained. While the learning curve for newbie pilots may be steep, Flight Simulator has plenty on offer for beginning players and veterans alike, no matter whether you’re keen to just do some in-flight sightseeing, or embark on a career mode to get all possible qualifications in-game.
About the Author
Checkpoint Staff
