On Tuesday, we released the Dune Expansion, which is available now as a FREE download from the in-sim Marketplace! This optional package allows Microsoft Flight Simulator pilots to fly the Royal Atreides Ornithopter as seen in the upcoming film Dune: Part II from Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures. Pilots can fly the ornithopter in both free flight anywhere in the world and in a series of new training missions and exciting challenges on the planet Arrakis.



Also this week, we launched the first pre-release public test build for the upcoming Sim Update 15 (SU_15)! To see the release notes, read our forum thread here. If you would like to join the optional public beta, you can find instructions here. The beta is available for players on PC/MS Store, PC/Steam, and Xbox Series X|S.

One of the biggest improvements included in SU_15 is Working Title's new implementation of the Garmin G3X Touch avionics suite. To learn more, please read the FAQ about the G3X in the SDK section of this blog post below.

Thank you to everyone who has enrolled in the beta and submitted feedback so far! We've received some excellent feedback after the first day of release, and we're looking forward to hearing more from participants as the public beta test progresses.

– MSFS Team

Click here to continue reading the Development Update!

Xbox and Microsoft Flight Simulator are immersing gamers worldwide in the captivating world of Arrakis, commemorating the highly anticipated release of “Dune: Part Two.”  Enthusiasts can anticipate a free game expansion for Microsoft Flight Simulator launching, bespoke Xbox hardware, and an awe-inspiring gaming simulator-all intricately inspired by the film.

To learn more about the Dune: Part Two Expansion, read the XBOX Wire Article: Xbox and Microsoft Flight Simulator unveil Dune Expansion and Floating Controller - Xbox Wire

The team is currently hard at work preparing Sim Update 15, with the public beta test expected to start soon. If you missed the January 31 Developer Livestream, some of the announced improvements coming in SU15 include:

• Memory optimizations
• New G3X avionics implementation courtesy of Working Title
• Support for multi-rotor helicopters
• Overall stability and performance improvements
• And more!

February 10 marks the beginning of the Lunar New Year! To everyone celebrating this holiday, the Microsoft Flight Simulator Community Team is proud to share this special video showcasing beautiful fireworks displays over several East Asian cities including Beijing, Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur, Shanghai, Singapore, and more. We hope you enjoy it!



Lastly, in celebration of Black History Month we're spotlighting several Black content creators from the Microsoft Flight Simulator player community throughout February on our X / Twitter channel! So far we've highlighted Blu Games and Bel Geode. Keep your eyes out for more throughout the month!

– MSFS Team

Click here to continue reading the Development Update!

On Tuesday, we released World Update XVI: Caribbean! Available now as a FREE download from the in-sim Marketplace, this World Update contains new Digital Elevation Model (DEM) data, 104 hand-crafted points of interest, seven bespoke airports, and new Landing Challenges, Bush Trips, and Discovery Flights for the beautiful and scenic Caribbean region.



Also launching alongside the World Update was a new aircraft, Local Legend 14: Bell 47J Ranger. Available from the in-sim Marketplace for USD $14.99, this is the first time our Local Legend series has featured a rotorcraft. Check it out!



Yesterday, we were pleased to host another Developer Livestream. Our panel of Jorg, Seb, Martial, and special guest Dominik Gallus from Working Title answered many questions from the community and discussed upcoming new features and improvements coming soon to Microsoft Flight Simualtor, including some details about Sim Update 15 which is currently targeted for release in March.

If you missed watching the session live, you can catch the VOD below. We will also have a written transcript posted on our forums next week for those of you who prefer text to video.



Finally, we'd like to announce a special collaborative Twitch stream with our friends at Next Level Racing scheduled for next week. Everyone is welcome to join a group flight in Australia from Gold Coast to Sydney. During the broadcast, we'll be giving away several prizes, including the Grand Prize of a Next Level Racing Flight Simulator home cockpit (USD $799 value!). The event starts at 6pm PST on Wednesday, February 7 (0200 UTC on Thursday, February 8) on the Official MSFS Twitch channel. The full event details are available on our forums here. We'll see you Down Under!



– MSFS Team

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Microsoft Flight Simulator celebrates a historic era of rotary wing aviation with this Local Legend release!


The single-engine, four-seat Bell 47J Ranger is one of the most important and successful helicopters developed in the early era of rotary wing aviation. Renowned for its versatility, ruggedness, and reliability, the Ranger traces its development to the Golden Age of Flight, the period from the end of World War I to the beginning of World War II aeronautical technology enjoyed remarkable strides. In the late 1920s, American Arthur Young, inspired by flight innovations of the time, began independently experimenting with basic helicopter design. In 1941, after more than a decade of work on his own, Young joined the Bell Aircraft Company to develop a full-size, fully functioning helicopter.

Continue reading about Local Legend 14: The Bell 47J Ranger!

Explore the white sand beaches and emerald waters of one of the most beautiful regions on the planet!

The Caribbean, a seemingly endless series of islands mostly located just east of Central America between the North and South American continental land masses, is globally recognized as one of the most exotic and beautiful regions on the planet. The Microsoft Flight Simulator team is pleased to add World Update XVI: Caribbean to its long and growing list of global enhancements so that aviators can experience this storied part of the globe like never before.



Continue reading about World Update XVI!

Earlier today, we released updated versions of four Local Legend add-on aircraft:

• Local Legend I: Junkers Ju 52
  
• Local Legend III: Dornier Do J Wal
  
• Local Legend VI: Junkers F 13
  
• Local Legend XII: Dornier Do X

The updates are available via the in-sim Content Manager. You can read the changelog on our forums here.

We’re also excited to confirm that World Update XVI: Caribbean is launching next week on Tuesday, January 30! As with all World Updates, this will include new Digital Elevation Model (DEM) data, 104 hand-crafted points of interest, seven bespoke airports, and new Landing Challenges, Bush Trips, and Discovery Flights.

Finally, we want to remind everyone that our next Developer Livestream is coming up next week on Wednesday, January 31 at 10:30am PT (1830 UTC). You can tune in to our official Twitch channel to watch our regular panel of Jorg, Seb, and Martial plus special guests answer questions from the community and discuss the future of Microsoft Flight Simulator. If you can’t watch the stream live, we will also post the VOD to our YouTube channel and post a written transcript on our forums.

We previously asked players to pre-submit their questions for the panel, and we’ve reviewed all your submissions to determine what are the most common issues the community would like to see discussed. As always, we will also be taking questions live from Twitch chat, so if you missed the opportunity to pre-submit your question, you will still have a chance to have it addressed by the panel.

– MSFS Team

Click here to continue reading the Development Update!

Earlier today, we released updated versions of two add-on aircraft: Expert Series 1: ATR 42-600 / 72-600 and Famous Flyer 7: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries MU-2. Both updates are available for download now from the in-sim Content Manager. You can read the changelog on our forums here.

We also sent the first batch of invitations to the closed alpha test of the upcoming World Hub today! If you registered for the alpha test, check your email to see if you were accepted and instructions on how you can begin using the World Hub tool. Due to overwhelming demand, we could not invite everyone who registered for the alpha immediately, but we will be adding more testers over the coming weeks. If you weren't selected in the first round, keep an eye on your email for an invitation in a future test batch!

Finally, we want to remind everyone that our next Developer Livestream is scheduled for Wednesday, January 31 at 10:30am PT (1830 UTC). As always, you can tune in to our official Twitch channel to watch our regular panel of Jorg, Seb, and Martial plus special guests answer questions from the community and discuss the future of Microsoft Flight Simulator. We previously asked players to pre-submit their questions for the panel, and we're currently reviewing all the submissions to pick out the most frequently-asked topics to answer during the livestream. As always, we will also be taking questions live from Twitch chat, so if you missed the opportunity to pre-submit your question, you will still have a chance to have it addressed by the panel.

– MSFS Team

Click here to continue reading the Development Update!

Earlier this week, we announced that applications to join the World Hub closed alpha test are now open! For those unaware, the World Hub is an upcoming tool which will allow any Microsoft Flight Simulator player (i.e. YOU!) to submit corrections and updates to any default airport so that they better match their real-world counterparts. If you would like to help test the World Hub as we get it ready for its full release, you can find instructions on how to apply to the closed alpha on our forums here.

We're also pleased to announce that our next Developer Livestream is coming up later this month on Wednesday, January 31 at 10:30am PT (18030 UTC). As always, you can tune in to our official Twitch channel to watch our regular panel of Jorg, Seb, and Martial plus special guests answer questions from the community and discuss the future of Microsoft Flight Simulator. If you would like to pre-submit a question to the panel, you can do so using this web form.

– MSFS Team


Click here to continue reading the Development Update!

Happy new year! Our team has returned to work following the holiday break refreshed and recharged. We hope everyone in our player community had a relaxing, peaceful, and safe holiday season.

In case you missed it, we had a few new releases just before the end of 2023: City Update V: European Cities I and Famous Flyer 8: Cessna T207A Turbo Stationair both launched on December 19th. We also have an ongoing optional stability test currently available for players on the Xbox platform. If you're an Xbox simmer and would like to help the development team diagnose memory-related crashes so they can be resolved in a future build, please see this forum topic for instructions on how to enroll in this optional beta.

We've got a huge year coming up, and we can't wait to share many exciting announcements with you throughout 2024! As always, please continue reading this weekly blog post for all the latest news about Microsoft Flight Simulator.

– MSFS Team


Click here to continue reading the Development Update!