Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 is the next installment in the Microsoft Flight Simulator franchise. It is the most ambitious consumer flight simulator ever undertaken. It features the largest, most diverse and detailed fleet of aircraft, the most complete representation of airports and air traffic, and the most visually stunning rendition of Earth ever created.

This brand-new simulator is designed to take advantage of the latest technologies in simulation, cloud, machine learning, graphics and gaming. Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 goes beyond merely operating the aircraft; it will allow simmers to pursue their dream of an aviation career.

With features like aerial firefighting, search and rescue, commercial flights, remote cargo ops, VIP charter service, air racing, and more, simmers will not only be experiencing the joy of flight, but also dive into the pilot career they always dreamed of. The sky is calling!

In October we’re hosting a technical alpha to gather feedback on some of Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024’s new services. Please note the focus of this technical alpha is validating new services in Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024, and the scope of available content will be limited. Because the focus of this technical alpha is services, it will also be limited to the Windows PC (Windows Store) platform.

Please review the PC System Requirements before signing-up to participate. As part of the sign-up process, you will be asked to provide your PC specs (DxDiag). If your PC does not meet the minimum requirements, you may not be selected to participate.

Space for the technical alpha is limited and not all those who sign-up may be selected to participate. Those selected to participate will be notified via e-mail to their preferred contact e-mail address (collected during sign-up). The technical alpha will be available for a limited period of time (about 2-3 days) and will no longer be accessible once the period ends. The exact date(s) of the technical alpha will be announced closer to the start.

If you’re interested in participating, you can sign-up for the technical alpha now on the Microsoft Flight Simulator website via the Insider Sign-up survey here.

Participation in the technical alpha will be governed by the Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 Insider Program Terms and Conditions found here.

Participating in the Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 Technical Alpha

Your participation in the technical alpha will automatically provide us with most of the data we need. While the technical alpha is ongoing, we’ll be tracking health and usage of the new online services through telemetry. The technical alpha is not intended to gather feedback on the overall design or features of Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 and the scope of what is available will be limited.

From a user perspective, we encourage participants to experience as much as possible of the Career and Challenges modes, as these are new to Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024.

Below is a list and basic description of some of the core services we’ll be validating during the technical alpha. Please note this list is not comprehensive and could change.

• CDS – Package and content streaming
• EntitlementService – User entitlements related to the sim and player inventory
• TokenService (Auth) – User authentication service
• Career – Manages missions and progression for career mode
• Challenge Series – Provides the list of challenges and manages the rotation of challenges each week
• UserStorage – Storage of content for cross platform usage (avatar, career, statistics, etc.)
• World – Used for improvements to the world map
• Multiplayer – Service which replicates aircraft and allows users to see each other
• ClientDispatcher – Primary service for multiplayer servers
• WorldMap – Display other aircraft on the world map
• CognitiveCache – Stores TTS requests
• Live AirTraffic 24H – Display air traffic in gameplay
• Live MarineTraffic 24H – Display Marine traffic in gameplay
• WeatherWeb – Displays live weather data
• ServerCoordinator – Monitor the number of users in multiplayer and add/remove game servers as needed
• WeatherDownloader – Downloads the weather files / METAR data
• WeatherProcessor – Parse downloaded weather files and process into a format usable by the sim

Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 Technical Alpha FAQs

When will the Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 Technical Alpha begin?

We’re currently targeting a weekend in October. The exact date will be announced closer to the start of the technical alpha. Those selected to participate will be notified via e-mail to their preferred contact e-mail address.

Who is eligible to participate in the technical alpha? Do I need to pre-order Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024?

Anyone may sign-up to participate in the Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 technical alpha, but limited space is available and not all who sign-up may be selected to participate. Windows PC users, please review the PC System Requirements before signing-up to participate. As part of the sign-up process you will be asked to provide your PC specs (DxDiag). If your PC does not meet the minimum requirements, you may be not be selected to participate. You do not need to pre-order Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 to sign-up or participate in the technical alpha.

What kind of feedback are you looking for during the technical alpha?

Much of the feedback we’re looking for will be provided just by participating. While the technical alpha is ongoing, we’ll be tracking health and usage of the new online services through telemetry. Should you encounter any sim-breaking bugs or issues, we’d also love to hear about it (more info on how to provide feedback will be shared with those selected to participate). The technical alpha is not intended to gather feedback on the overall design or features of Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 and the scope of what is available will be limited.

Will I be able to access the content I own from Microsoft Flight Simulator (2020) during the technical alpha?

No, owned content from Microsoft Flight Simulator (2020) will not be accessible during the technical alpha.

Will the entire sim be accessible during the technical alpha?

No, the technical alpha has been designed to gather feedback on specific areas and features, and the scope of what is available is limited.

What content will be available during the technical alpha?

Free Flight and a limited amount of Career, Challenges, and Discovery will be accessible during the Technical Alpha. The Marketplace, Training, and other modes will not be accessible. In addition, aircraft are limited to a handful of options.

Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 takes off on PC and Xbox Series X|S on November 19, 2024, and will be available with Game Pass on console, PC, and cloud on day one.