Microsoft Flight Simulator hotfix for Sim Update 5 announced

Just a few days ago, the long-awaited Sim Update 5 was released. Make sure to check out our news post over here. Additionally, Microsoft will release a hotfix for PC and Xbox tomorrow at 8 am PT (1500 UTC). For many users, the update brought the hoped-for and promised performance boost. On some PC systems, users were able to boost up to 100% or even more FPS, significantly increasing their gaming experience. However, there are also indications that the patch brings problems such as more frequent crashes and poorer visuals. Users complain that visuals have suffered massively - objects are said to fade, pop in and pop out too quickly when zooming out, and some users complain about a "downgrade" in graphics in general. Although stuttering has been fixed for most users, for some users the sim keeps randomly crashing, making it unplayable.

Microsoft has published a whole list of known issues with Sim Update 5. A hotfix will be live tomorrow, July 30th, at 8 am PT (1500 UTC) to download on both PC and Xbox Series X|S consoles. On the official Microsoft Flight Simulator forums, dozens of users are raging about the problems associated with Sim Update 5. Some want to see a connection with the Xbox release, speaking of a "Xbox-ification of Sim Update 5". But it's not just PC players who are frustrated; the VR experience is also said to have suffered since Sim Update 5. Now we have to wait and see how the whole thing develops.

There are also some compatibility issues with sceneries and liveries that have been shared on Flightsim.to. Some creators have already updated their files to fix these issues. We are already working on a system to show the compatibility status of an add-on for the current game version. Until then, make sure you have removed add-ons whose developers have not yet updated them.

If you are experiencing crashes, here is what helped other users most:

• Make sure to remove all mods and add-ons from your Community folder. You can temporarily move them to your Desktop for example.
• Disable Offline AI traffic, Live Traffic, Multiplayer and Live Weather.
• Lock your FPS to 30 or 60 FPS by using your graphics card control panel / hardware settings.
• Make sure that your graphics card driver is up to date.

The team has been working on some bugs in the meantime, you can find the changelogs here, they sound promising.

Changelogs 👇

TABILITY/PERFORMANCE

• Fixed various crashes in game and on the world map
• Fixed crashes related to the offline AI traffic
• Fixed minor memory leaks

INPUT

• The title should no longer freeze for a very long time when connecting / disconnecting peripherals

NAVIGATION

• Fixed broken flight plan for Garmin devices when adding an enroute waypoint that was inserted as a destination
• Fixed flightplanner not resetting when going from one activity to another
• Fixed flightplan from flight assistant not displaying on certain planes when VFR map is open after the destination is set
• Fixed freezes happening when using the flight assistant when setting a new destination

UI

• VR options should no longer be duplicated in the Option menu
• Marketplace “Get and download” and “Download” buttons will now function as expected on the Content Page
• User unable to interact with UI elements with the in game cursor for free flight in some cases

PLANES

• Improvements of pitot static system to fix altimeter bugs, improve accuracy and correctly simulate temperature impact
• Fixed AutoBrakes Button Behavior on the Airbus A320Neo

ACTIVITY / GAMEPLAY

• The correct runway is now taken into account for the Landing challenge at Nice
• Pilots are now displayed in external view at the Isafjordur Landing challenge
• Title will no longer become unresponsive after using Fuel Supply and using a fuel or payload as a numerical value via ATC Ground Services
• Some achievements will no longer be awarded in error for certain landing scenarios

WEATHER

• Fixed big temperature spikes at high altitudes

SDK

• Added new airspace to nearest facility JS API
• Fixed crashes on WASM modules for older CPUs

Read the full post on their website here.