The majestic skyline of New York City. The pyramids of Giza. The hustle and bustle of Rio de Janeiro.
For many of us, these have been locations that we’ve long dreamed of visiting, but we never got the chance thanks to the world being plunged into absolute viral chaos since 2020. International tourism has been a no-go area for all but the obscenely rich who can afford private island getaways or a trip into space, but there was a digital jab of global travel last year with Microsoft Flight Simulator.
Released on PC in 2020, developer Asobo’s globe-trotting simulation is a stunning showcase of technology, precision, and authenticity on the grandest scale possible. It’s now also on Xbox Series X|S, bringing over a hundred gigabytes of air travel to Microsoft’s latest video game consoles.
Microsoft Flight Simulator is the full PC experience on console, making for an ambitious take-off and a bit of a rough landing. Before we get to that bit of turbulence though, check that your seat trays are folded into the upright position, put your seatbelts on, and please do observe the no-smoking sign, because we’re in for one heck of a scenic flight.
First, the good stuff: Microsoft Flight Simulator is easily the biggest game ever in terms of actual digital real estate. Just like the PC version, the entire world is waiting to be explored. Literally! Using Bing Maps integration, the game has thousands of terabytes of satellite and high-altitude photography to draw from to create not only the world around you but a highly detailed and authentic representation.
Heck, I took off from the Port Elizabeth airport just so that I could hover over my suburb, and yup, there was my home right there on my rinky-dinky little street.
If you’d prefer a more international flavour to your jet-setting, you can book a ticket from one of the dozens of iconic airports such as LAX or Heathrow, or you can launch yourself from the runway of more than 37,000 other airports. That’s insane.
The real genius though is seeing what’s beneath you, with the aforementioned petabytes of data recreating a world of famous landmarks, scenic vistas, and endless horizons. There’s a certain joy in seeing all of these real-world locations brought to life, beautifully rendered in pristine glory, and available for you to reach cruising altitude over – an anathema for anyone who yearns to visit the world in a manner that was commonplace before 2020 struck.
How you play Microsoft Flight Simulator is also part of the package, as the game has numerous options on hand for novices behind the rudder, and seasoned pilots looking to flick a few hundred switches on a red-eye flight between London and New York City. How complex you want a flight to be is up to you, as the game provides a number of AI assists that can be toggled on and off to help you create your perfect smile-high club experience.
That layer of authenticity goes even further, as it’s not just incredibly detailed cockpits that you’ll be exploring, but also a world that changes around you. Real-world weather conditions with live air traffic, customisable options that let you take off in a dangerous rainstorm or land just as the sun is rising; it’s all there. It’s worth noting, though, that Microsoft Flight Simulator is a bit of a hog when it comes to data, so depending on your connection and speed, some areas may look a bit more low-resolution.
There are fortunately a number of menu settings to get around this, ranging from data-caps that you can impose to pre-loaded options, and an offline mode, just in case you want to avoid your internet account being throttled by your ISP.
Just like the PC game, there’s also a small but chunky collection of aircraft that range from nimble Cessna 172 Skyhawks to massive carriages for ferrying people in scum class to their destinations. You might also be wondering what it is that you even do besides keep your aircraft steady and as far away from the ground as possible. On that end, Microsoft Flight Simulator has a number of training modes to help you learn how to fly an airplane without needing to worry about your time on the planet coming to an end, a selection of remote and challenging airstrips to park your big metal bird on like a pro, and pure tourism with a selection of flights around some of the greatest wonders of the modern world.
If this is what Italy looks like in real life, then I HAVE to go and visit it one day.
So what’s a PC experience like on Xbox Series X and S? It’s not exactly smooth sailing. Visually the game holds up beautifully until you get to extremely dense areas of the world, but if you’re planning to play with a controller instead of the several peripherals that are coming out soon for the game, it’s going to be a laborious experience. Asobo has chosen to go with a virtual mouse in the console version of Microsoft Flight Simulator, which makes for tedious interactions that move at a snail’s pace. Trying to interact with the cockpit using this system is imprecise and as for graphics settings, the only option you have is to toggle HDR10 on and off.
It’s the menu interface where the game becomes a bit of a mess, as it’s not uncommon to have several windows open, each one overlapping the other and creating a stampede of options that you have to navigate through. Even getting to Active Pause, which allows you to stop your plane in mid-air so that you can take your time configuring the world around you or even grabbing a neat screenshot, is buried under multiple layers of the UI.
An AI pilot takes over while you try to work your way through that fustercluck of windows, but it’s a prime example of that a good user interface on a console can make a massive difference. This is one aspect of Microsoft Flight Simulator that doesn’t pass the pre-flight safety inspection checklist.
As for the in-flight controls, it’s a smoother selection of well-placed button layouts that also make good use of the triggers to create nuanced steering and solid camera movement. All of the world update content from the game’s first year on PC has also been included, so there’s going to be a lot of flying in your future if you’re a fan of that form of travel. I do need to stress that this analysis comes from a preview build that Microsoft gave me early access to, which was unlocked on July 23, so I’m hoping that the final build has a few of these rough edges smoothed out.
To look at the game though is to marvel at its grand design. It’s the entire world, captured and stored on a single solid-state drive and authentic in the feeling of explorative joy that it provides when you travel to the far corners of the globe. That rush of seeing alien vegetation, to be mesmerized by a modern metropolis at night, or the serenity of an endless ocean beneath you. This is a game that captures the sensation of flight, creating a modern miracle and a perfect flight sim for the ages.
| Microsoft Flight Simulator review | |
Microsoft Flight Simulator on Xbox Series X and S isn’t without some turbulence, but it’s easy to overlook a bumpy ride when you fully immerse yourself in the role of a pilot. It is incredibly awe-inspiring to travel the world and marvel at everything that you see, whether you’ve barely clocked any time in the air or you’re a seasoned aviation expert. |
9 |
| Microsoft Flight Simulator was reviewed on Xbox Series X | |