Microsoft Flight Simulator Review

Microsoft Flight Simulator (Microsoft Flight Sim 2020) is the latest flight simulator game in the long running series. Along with a huge range of aircraft you can learn to fly, the game recreates the entire Earth using textures and data from data Maps and three-dimensional models of famous cities and features. Add to this the real world weather and physics effects and you have an incredibly accurate flying simulator.

Flight Simulator populates the world with animals and roads with vehicles, water flows realistically based on wind direction, grass has individual grass blades and trees have individual leaves, creating the illusion of a living world. This includes over 2 million cities and towns. It adds trillions of trees, real-world airports and various animal species including birds, elephants, giraffes and bears.

Although the central tenant of the game, to recreate the complex expansive world of flight and its related protocols, it's also an amazing way to explore the world. You can use the game to learn about different areas of the planet and even scout, "chase" and interact with real-world storms as they occur in real time.

A tutorial takes you through the basics of flight instruments, takeoff and landing. These are complemented by more leisurely and low-pressure "sight-seeing bush trips, which include overflights of Nevada, Patagonia, and the Balkans."

For those wanting a more realistic experience there are features where players can talk with the air traffic controller, switch camera views, modify checklists, adjust AI systems, adjust fuel tanks, view the navigation log, see objectives, view the VFR map, and adjust the weather; buttons in the bar can be changed.

Out now on PC and coming to Xbox Series X|S in Summer 2021.