Enjoy discounted pricing during our Microsoft Flight Simulator Spring Sale!

For 13 Days starting on March 29th, save up to 85% on more than 2250 items.

To purchase these discounted items, visit the Microsoft Flight Simulator Marketplace, select ‘Featured’, scroll down to ‘Special Offers’, then select ‘See All’ and look for the savings.

In case you missed it, we recently announced that the full release of Sim Update 15 (SU_15) will be slightly delayed from its earlier targeted release date of March 26. It's important that we take the time to get it right, and after careful consideration, the team concluded that SU_15 isn't quite ready yet. We're now targeting a release for some time in April (exact date TBD).


In other SU_15 news, we released a new pre-release test build to volunteer community beta testers earlier today. You can read the release notes for this build on our forums here. We want to once again thank everyone who has opted in to the SU_15 public test for your timely and detailed feedback and bug reports.

On the lighter side, there's an ongoing discussion on our forums where players are sharing their memories of their first flight simulator, either from the Microsoft Flight Simulator franchise or from another developer. Our Community Manager SeedyL responded thusly:

When I was a kid in the 1980s, my family had a Commodore VIC-20 and C64 with a variety of really primitive flight simulators. I was super young at the time and didn’t really know what I was doing in any of them.

The first memories I have of actually using a flight sim and feeling like it was a somewhat rough approximation of real flight came when I was a teenager in the 90s. By then, my family had swapped our C64 for an Intel 486-based Compaq Presario desktop running MS-DOS 6.0 and Windows 3.1. I had several popular flight sims from the era (both civilian and military) including:

• Microsoft Flight Simulator 5.0
• Chuck Yeager’s Air Combat
• Falcon 3.0
• Red Baron
• Aces Over Europe
• Aces of the Pacific
• Flight Unlimited
• Sierra Pro Pilot
• Fly!

We also asked several other members of the team to share their earliest memories of participating in the flight simulation hobby. Here are their responses:

Khoi, Quality Engineer:

My first sim was Microsoft Flight Simulator 4 on a 386. Or at least that's the one I remember. It could have also been been Flight Simulator 1 (or 2). I have a fuzzy memory of playing it, but for sure Flight Simulator 4.

Tyler, Pilot Tester:

Microsoft Flight Simulator 2002 on a Dell laptop my dad gave me. I used to bring an E6B and take my laptop on roadtrips and try to "fly" our route while we drove it!

Scott, Customer Support Agent:

I dabbled in FSX on PC, but I learned how to fly (sorta) in WW2 Online, a 24-year old MMO. My OG flying game was "Blue Max" for the Commodore 64.



Many, many others in the team have their own stories and backgrounds with flight simulators and we've been enjoying reading everyone's responses. If you have anything share, check out the discussion and post your own story!

– MSFS Team

Click here to continue reading the Development Update!

Public testing for the upcoming Sim Update 15 continues to progress. Thank you to all the volunteer beta participants who have been submitting bug reports and feedback on the forums so far!

Over the last several days, we've noticed many reports about an issue affecting PC players where the sim will always open in windowed mode even if full screen mode was set. Players using both the regular release build and the SU_15 beta build are affected by this issue. The team has identified the source of this bug, and a fix will be coming with SU_15. In the meantime, the workaround to restore full screen mode is to set this option in your General Settings each time you launch the sim or simply press Alt+Enter on your keyboard.

On Monday, March 25, we're hosting a Grand Canyon Race on our official Twitch channel in partnership with Tobii! One lucky viewer from Twitch chat will win a Tobii Eye Tracker 5. For the full details about this event, please see the Community section of this post below.

Finally, it's that time of year where many people get really obsessed with tournament brackets, and we couldn't resist creating one of our own! Over the next few weeks, we'll be posting a series of polls on X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram each weekday. Vote for your favorite aircraft to see it advance through the bracket. Which will be the one plane to rule them all? It's up to the Microsoft Flight Simulator community to decide! See all the details on our forums here.

– MSFS Team

Click here to continue reading the Development Update!

Earlier today, we released a new beta build (1.37.7.0) for all players enrolled in the Sim Update 15 (SU_15) beta test. You can see the release notes on our forums here.

As always, we'd like to thank the players who continually provide invaluable feedback during these beta tests. Be sure to share your feedback on our forums here.

Also today, we released updates to three Local Legends/Famous Flyers: the Bell 47J Ranger, Junkers F 13, and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries MU-2. These updates are available to download now from the in-sim Content Manager. The release notes are on our forums here.

Our next Developer Livestream is scheduled for March 13 at 10:30am PT (1730 UTC)! As always, it will be hosted on our official Twitch channel, so please follow it if you are not already to receive notifications whenever we go live.

If you missed the opportunity to pre-submit a question in advance, our panel will be taking live questions from Twitch chat during the event, so be sure to attend.

– MSFS Team

Click here to continue reading the Development Update!

On Wednesday, we released a new beta build (1.37.5.0) for those players enrolled in the optional Sim Update 15 (SU_15) public test. You can see the release notes on our forums here. Among other improvements, this build fixes a few known issues that were inadvertently introduced in the previous beta build, and it also has some stability enhancements.

We appreciate all the feedback and bug reports we've been receiving from the volunteer testers from the community. Your timely and detailed reports of issues really makes a huge difference to the development team. Thank you so much for your efforts!

If you're participating in the beta, be sure to share your feedback on our forums here.

As noted in the new Development Roadmap below, Sim Update 15 is now targeted to launch on March 26th, alongside the release of the hotly anticipated iniBuilds A320 NEO!

Our next Developer Livestream is scheduled for March 13! As always, it will be hosted on our official Twitch channel, so please follow it if you are not already to receive notifications whenever we go live.

We will be taking questions from the chat live during the session, but if you would like to pre-submit a question to the panel in advance, you may do so at this link. We will tabulate all the submissions to ensure the most popular concerns from the community are addressed during the livestream.

– MSFS Team

Click here to continue reading the Development Update!

Earlier today, we released a new beta build for those players enrolled in the optional Sim Update 15 (SU_15) public test. You can see the release notes on our forums here. Please note that this build contains a few known issues that will be resolved prior to the full release of SU_15, so please read the notes carefully.

Also, we released an unrelated small update to players on both the regular release build and the SU_15 beta build today. This patch contains updated navdata for AIRAC cycle 2402 and the first round of improved airports from community-sourced fixes using the World Hub tool! Simmers can expect to see regular updates to airports from the World Hub in the coming weeks and months.

Last but certainly not least, at the recent red carpet premiere of Dune: Part Two in London, the Microsoft Flight Simulator team was there to showcase the Dune Expansion. Stars of the upcoming film including Timothée Chalamet and Souheila Yacoub plus composer Hans Zimmer had a chance to fly the Royal Atreides Ornithopter in a life-size replica cockpit!

Check out our video footage of the premiere, and watch Dune: Part Two from Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures only in cinemas on March 1!

– MSFS Team

Click here to continue reading the Development Update!

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

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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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