Microsoft Flight Simulator release date, launch time news and Xbox One latest

The Microsoft Flight Simulator release date has been set for this week, following a lengthy period in closed beta. Gamers on Windows and Steam can already pre-install the game via the Xbox Game Pass, and they will need plenty of space available. According to the Microsoft Store page, Microsoft Flight Simulator will need around 130GB of hard drive space, meaning it could take a while to download. There are a lot of different ways to buy the game, and fans of the franchise have just a short time to wait until everything goes live this week.

WHEN DOES MICROSOFT FLIGHT SIMULATOR RELEASE?

According to the tech giant, the Microsoft Flight Simulator release date has been set for Tuesday, August 18, 2020.

This will be the day that MFS fans on PC platforms get access to the game, although a console version is also in the works.

An Xbox One Microsoft Flight Simulator release date is also expected to be announced in the coming months, although this version of the game might not arrive until early 2021.

Speaking about the ambitious console project, Martial Bossard, lead software engineer at Asobo Studio, spoke about the benefit of having such a port in development.

“We are trying to have the best visuals on every single platform, and it’s another layer of optimisation,” he revealed during a 2020 Q&A development call.

“By the way, the Xbox will help us to optimize the product, so it will also be a benefit for PC. There is nothing PC will lose from the Xbox.

“It’s basically the opposite. We’re doing the work to have a better experience on the Xbox family, then we will improve the PC version at the same time.”

When it comes to a set release time, Microsoft Flight Simulator has not had one announced yet.

A recent message posted by Microsoft confirms that will be made revealed, telling fans online: “Microsoft Flight Simulator will become available for download on August 18th, 2020 12:00 AM via the Microsoft Store.

“To know the exact release time on Steam, bookmark this article or follow us our social media channels – Twitter – Facebook.”

The official Microsoft Store page states the Microsoft Flight Simulator release date time as August 17, 2020, at 11pm, PST.

It should be noted that the current closed beta for the game was scheduled to end on August 17, at 10am PT, or 6pm BST, if you live in the UK.

As mentioned above, an official launch time is expected to be announced by Microsoft in the coming days.

Here are some of the confirmed features for MFS 2020 that Microsoft wants you to know about:

Vivid and Detailed Landscapes – Immerse yourself in the vast and beautiful world that is our planet with more than 37 thousand airports, 1.5 billion buildings, 2 trillion trees, mountains, roads, rivers and more.

A Living World – Earth is vibrant and ever-changing and so is the world of Microsoft Flight Simulator which includes live traffic, real-time weather and animals.

Highly Detailed Aircraft – Hone your pilot skills in a variety of aircraft from light planes to commercial jets with comprehensive flight models. Every aircraft includes highly detailed and accurate cockpits with realistic instrumentation.

New Checklist System – From pro to beginner, scale your level from full manual to full assist with interactive and highlighted instrument guidance and checklist.

Dynamic Weather – The new weather engine enables users to switch on the live weather mode to experience real-time weather including accurate wind speed and direction, temperature, humidity, rain and more.

New Day & Night Engine – Experience flight at any time of day or year allowing for night VFR, visual flight rules, navigation.

Aerodynamic Modeling – A state-of-the-art physics engine with over 1,000 control surfaces per plane allows for a truly realistic experience.

source: express.co.uk