Coming soon: Game of the Year Edition

It has been an amazing journey since Microsoft Flight Simulator launched on PC. The core flight simmer audience embraced the new experience immediately and with Xbox Game Pass for PC, a new audience of PC gamers was attracted who had previously never played a flight simulator before. Today, Asobo and Microsoft 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 fans – new and old – that have made Microsoft Flight Simulator such a phenomenon.

With the GOTY Edition, five brand new aircraft will be coming to the game, Microsoft says on their blog post:

• 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 AlexanderMetzger 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.

Moreover, the team has been working on eight handcrafted airports in Central Europe and 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)

Furthermore, the Game of the Year release is adding information about 545 previously missing airports in the United States. Based on the popularity of the recently introduced Discovery Flights, they are also are adding an additional 6 locations (Helsinki, Freiburg im Breisgau, Mecca, Monument Valley, Singapore, and Mount Cook) to this popular series.

Replay System in Dev mode and DX12

Finally, the team is 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, Microsoft and Asobo 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).

Launching on November 18th for free

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. It is planned to launch on November 18th, 2021.