Four years after successfully revitalizing the Flight Sim franchise, Microsoft is set to follow up on it with a new entry in the form of Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024, and sure enough, after that four-year gap, the new iteration is touting a number of improvements, changes, and additions. As its launch draws closer, here, we’re going to take a look at some of the key ways Flight Sim 2024 is going to be different from its 2020 predecessor.
CAREER MODE
The biggest addition in Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 is its Career mode. Players will be able to start out as a rookie pilot at any airport in the world they choose, and after taking their lessons there from a mentor, will begin advancing through their aviation career. Progressing through a certification tree will allow you to learn new skills that, in turn, will let you fly new kinds of aircraft, while new, more advanced mission types will also become available later in your career.
MISSION TYPES
Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 is also set to offer players a much, much larger variety of mission types than the 2020 title, which means you’ll be asked to use your aviation skills in many different kinds of aircraft, and for many different purposes. Different mission types will include search and rescue, cargo transport, commercial flights, firefighting, cropdusting, skydiving, weather recon, experimental aircraft testing, and many, many others.
NEW AIRCRAFT
This should go without saying, but Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 is also going to expand on the 2020 title’s already sizeable roster of aircraft with even more new options. In total, the game will have over 120 aircraft at launch across its multiple editions, and of these, over 40 will be entirely new additions that we didn’t get to fly in the 2020 title.
WEATHER AND ENVIRONMENT IMPROVEMENTS
The aircraft that you’ll be flying will obviously be the stars of the show in Flight Sim 2024, but the game is also going the extra mile with its recreation of our entire planet in its continued drive for authenticity. Weather elements like storms, tornadoes, the full flow of seasons, and more have been added, as well as environmental elements such as aurora borealis, snow, and more.
LIVING WORLD IMPROVEMENTS
There are plenty more elements that Flight Sim 2024’s world touts to make players more immersed in the authenticity of its world. For instance, players will now spot live worldwide air traffic as well as ship traffic, while the game is also promising improvements to vehicle traffic and a greater variety in character models, so expect to see passengers in trains and ships, people moving about airports, and even “locally significant vehicles”, as Microsoft puts it. You will also find fresh elements such as oil rigs, helipads, and more scattered throughout what Microsoft and developer Asobo Studio have dubbed the game’s “digital twin” for Earth.
STATIC WORLD IMPROVEMENTS
We’re not yet done talking about the many improvements players can expect in Flight Sim 2024 compared to the 2020 game. From 3D tessellated ground materials to enhanced 3D tree models with greater diversity, the upcoming entry is promising visual improvements in a number of areas, which means players can expect much more detailed environments.
WILDLIFE
Another major addition that is promising to bring the game’s world alive is wildlife. Working with Planet Zoo developer Frontier Developments, Flight Sim 2024’s dev team has added a bunch of different wildlife species into the game. As you’re flying around the globe, you’ll spot many different kinds of animals, and the species that you’ll spot will, of course, depend on where in the world you find yourself. You can also expect realistic herds and migration patterns, and hell, you can even cows and sheep with helicopters.
CHALLENGE LEAGUE
Career mode, which we spoke of earlier, is clearly one of Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024’s headlining additions, but another one that a fair few players are likely to be interested in is Challenge League. For those looking for content with a competitive edge, Challenge League will see you going up against other pilots in a variety of different mission types, including air races, rally races, low altitude challenges, precision landings, and more.
PHOTOGRAPHY
Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 is looking like it’ll make a concerted effort to offer players different ways to engage with the game. Career mode is obviously one, while Challenge League is another. Meanwhile, the photography fanatics will probably gravitate towards World Photographer mode, which will task players with visiting different locations and landmarks around the globe to capture photos, complete challenges, and record their travels. This game in particular is one that brings out the photography nut in a lot of us, thanks to its virtual tourism aspect, so World Photographer mode certainly sounds like an ideal fit.
PRE-FLIGHT PLANNING
Flight Sim 2020 was admirably dedicated to its mission of being the most authentic flight simulator it could be, but not having in-built pre-flight planning systems was a bit of a bummer for a number of enthusiasts out there. In the upcoming entry, however, players can expect extensive flight planning, entailing planning your routes across different kinds of map layers, fuel and payload planning, briefing for weather, and much more. From short and snappy flights to more complex and elaborate routes, Microsoft says the game’s new pre-flight planning tools will give players plenty of flexibility and options.
FLEET MANAGEMENT
Flight Sim 2024 is also introducing fleet management elements into the proceedings- or, at the very least, a greater emphasis on such elements. As you progress deeper into the game, your fleet of owned aircraft will slowly expand, and managing and maintaining each individual aircraft will become a key part of the experience. You will be managing the warranties and management costs of your aircraft yourself, which means you’re also going to have to be that much more careful with how you fly them.
CLOUD-POWERED STREAMING
One of the biggest barriers to entry with Flight Sim 2020 was the game’s ridiculously massive installation size, and that, too, is an area where Flight Sim 2024 is looking to make improvements. Microsoft has confirmed that the game will have an installation size of just about 30 GB, because the vast majority of the assets and elements needed for the game will be streamed via the cloud, with only a small portion of the game’s more necessary elements being installed locally. Of course, that could potentially pose problems of its own, but hopefully it will be a net positive.
WALKING AROUND
Obviously, flying different kinds of aircraft around the world is what we’re coming to Flight Sim for, but Flight Sim 2024 is going to go the extra mile by allowing players to step outside of their aircraft at any time. Whenever you want, you can land your plane (or whatever it is that you’re flying), step outside, and walk around as your human avatar. Do you want to take a closer look at some of the many landmarks scattered throughout the world? Want to get up close and personal with some local wildlife? Want to walk around an airport to see just how detailed the game’s recreation of it is? Flight Sim 2024 is going to let you do just that.