Microsoft Flight Simulator is specifically designed to celebrate flight simulation fans through a focus on the authenticity of flying and visually stunning environments.

Microsoft Flight Simulator is the next generation of one of the most beloved simulation franchises. From light planes to wide-body jets, fly highly detailed and stunning aircraft in an incredibly realistic world. Create your flight plan and fly anywhere on the planet. Enjoy flying day or night and face realistic, challenging weather conditions.

By revamping our tech, working in close collaboration with the community and pursuing the best partnerships across the industry, we intend to deliver the best-in-class flight simulation experience.

At gamescom Microsoft announced and teased that Reno Air Races, the world’s fastest motorsport, would be coming to Microsoft Flight Simulator soon. We are excited to announce today that the Reno Air Races: Expansion Pack and Reno Air Races: Full Collection will be available for purchase in the Microsoft Flight Simulator marketplace starting on November 18, 2021.

The Microsoft Flight Simulator team worked closely with the Reno Air Racing Association (RARA) and dozens of pilots and owners to develop highly authentic recreations of many of the world’s most famous racing aircraft.

The Reno Air Races: Full Collection offers 40 officially licensed aircraft, including 10 North American P-51 Mustangs, 10 North American T-6 Texans, 10 Aero L-39 Albatros’, and 10 Aviat Pitts Special S1S. Among them are many famous “Gold” champions like Miss America, Strega, Voodoo, Baron’s Revenge, Radial Velocity, Six-Cat, American Spirit, and Pipsqueak, and many of the other top racers. All these amazing aircraft and the full online racing experience are included, all for $59.99.

Many of the planes can fly up to 500 mph at an altitude between 50 ft and 250 ft above ground. The Reno Air Races represent the first major expansion for Microsoft Flight Simulator. Simmers will now be able to race against their friends or pilots from around the world with the addition of competitive multiplayer to the sim.

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.

GOTY Edition

In July 2021, we launched Microsoft Flight Simulator on Xbox Series X|S and welcomed millions of console players to the flight simulation experience. We introduced new features such as Discovery Flights, expanded tutorials, Flight Assistant, Map Labels, and Land Anywhere, that are aimed to assist newcomers to successfully enter the world of Microsoft Flight Simulator. This release brought numerous improvements to the sim including significant performance gains that benefitted the PC audience as well.

And the launch was just the beginning. Throughout the past 14 months since the launch of Microsoft Flight Simulator on Xbox Series X|S, we delivered major monthly updates: six World Updates and six Sim Updates that constantly improve the experience. And today, we are pleased to announce the Microsoft Flight Simulator Game of the Year (GOTY) Edition. 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.

Here is what is included in the GOTY Edition:

New Aircraft

We are adding 5 brand new aircraft to Microsoft Flight Simulator:

• Boeing F/A-18 Super Hornet: Our first military jet and a highly requested feature from the community. The Top Gun: Maverick expansion will release with the movie next Spring, but we wanted simmers to have the opportunity to test their need for speed this holiday.
• VoloCity: We partnered with well-known German company Volocopter, which is working on an eVTOL called “VoloCity”, a vision for an urban air taxi. We worked closely with the Volocopter engineering team to develop an authentic version of the prototype aircraft for the simulator. This is our first aircraft that can perform pinpoint landings and is a teaser of what you can look forward to in 2022 when we intend to launch helicopters in the sim.
• Pilatus PC-6 Porter: This legendary short takeoff and landing (STOL) utility aircraft is a highly versatile plane from Switzerland and comes with several cockpits, cabins, and landing gear variations. It is the result of our close collaboration with the manufacturer and the development efforts by famed developers Hans Hartmann and Alexander Metzger resulted in a great and fun new aircraft with exception capabilities in the simulator.
• CubCrafters NX Cub: Yakima-based CubCrafters recently introduced a nosewheel option for their flagship CC-19 XCub Aircraft, popularly called the NX Cub, which we are pleased to introduce to the flight sim audience to further enhance our bush flying and off airport options.
• Aviat Pitts Special S1S: One of our most popular planes gets a single-seat option with the release of this aircraft.

New Airports

We are adding 8 handcrafted airports in Central Europe and the United States:

• Germany
  • Leipzig/Halle Airport (EDDP)
  • Allgäu Airport Memmingen (EDJA)
  • Kassel Airport (EDVK)
• Switzerland
  • Lugano Airport (LSZA)
  • Zurich Airport (LSZH)
  • Luzern-Beromunster Airport (LSZO)
• United States
  • Patrick Space Force Base (KCOF)
  • Marine Corps Air Station Miramar (KNKX)

The Game of the Year release is adding information about 545 previously missing airports in the United States.

New Missions

Based on the popularity of the recently introduced Discovery Flights, we are adding an additional 6 locations (Helsinki, Freiburg im Breisgau, Mecca, Monument Valley, Singapore, and Mount Cook) to this popular series.

New Tutorials

To further expand the onboarding experience, we are adding 14 new tutorials, introducing simmers to Bush flying (in an Icon A5) and IFR (in a Cessna 172).

New Features

We are also pleased to introduce several highly requested features by the community: an updated weather system, early access to DX12, and a dev mode replay system.

New Photogrammetry Cities

As part of our ongoing collaboration with Bing Maps, we are pleased to add a number of new photogrammetry cities: Helsinki (Finland), Freiburg im Breisgau (Germany), Brighton, Derby, Eastbourne, Newcastle, and Nottingham (UK) and Utrecht (Netherlands).

To celebrate the launch of Windows 11, from October 19th to November 18th, we have selected 11 landmarks across the globe that will be lit up in Windows blue within Microsoft Flight Simulator. In addition, we are releasing a special Windows 11 themed livery for the EXTRA 330LT for simmers to add to their collection.

And, best of all, the Microsoft Flight Simulator Game of the Year Edition will be available as a free update for existing players on PC and Xbox Series X|S. For new users, the GOTY Edition is the perfect entry point to flight simming as it offers an even richer experience, and it will be the item they purchase as we are retiring the original.

We can’t wait for you to experience this expanded edition of Microsoft Flight Simulator on November 18. We encourage you to invite your friends to experience the wonders of flight. The sky is calling!

Key Features:

• Vivid and Detailed Landscapes – Immerse yourself in the vast and beautiful world that is our planet with more than 37 thousand airports, 1.5 billion buildings, 2 trillion trees, mountains, roads, rivers and more.
• A Living World – Earth is vibrant and ever-changing and so is the world of Microsoft Flight Simulator which includes live traffic, real-time weather and animals.  
• Highly Detailed Aircraft – Hone your pilot skills in a variety of aircraft from light planes to commercial jets with comprehensive flight models. Every aircraft includes highly detailed and accurate cockpits with realistic instrumentation.
• New Checklist System – From pro to beginner, scale your level from full manual to full assist with interactive and highlighted instrument guidance and checklist.
• Dynamic Weather – The new weather engine enables users to switch on the live weather mode to experience real-time weather including accurate wind speed and direction, temperature, humidity, rain and more.
• New Day & Night Engine – Experience flight at any time of day or year allowing for night VFR, visual flight rules, navigation.
• Aerodynamic Modeling – A state-of-the-art physics engine with over 1,000 control surfaces per plane allows for a truly realistic experience.

Microsoft Flight Simulator is available for Xbox Series X|S and PC (Xbox Game Pass).