During the gamescom 2021 Xbox stream, Microsoft Flight Simulator showed off a huge host of updates and teased the potential future of the game. First off, the developers of the game discussed that they have a brand new update coming free-of-charge on September 7th.
The update will be World Update VI, and celebrates Germany, Austria & Switzerland specifically. There’s new aerial imagery, new 3-D cities and drastically enhanced visuals. As noted during the stream by a very excited developer, the Flight Simulator team has hand-crafted 100 famous locations and several airports across the area. The update will also have brand new challenges, discovery flights and bush trips to absorb even the most die-hard Microsoft Flight Simulator player.
But that’s not all.
Coinciding with the world updates, there’s a series of releases known as “Local Legends” that are aircrafts famous in whatever region the world update takes place in. For world update VI, the local legends is a German plane from 1930 known as the Junkers JU-52. It’ll be available on the same day as the world update for $15, and is lovingly recreated according to the developers. But as noted by the developer during the on-stage interview at Gamescom 2021, it’s not just the past that the game is looking to. They’re also looking to the future, with the game implementing technology that is being developed in the modern age, such as the Volocity air taxi which releases in November.
Finally, the Microsoft Flight Simulator team announced that they’ve partnered with RARA (the Reno Air Racing Association) to bring the STIHL National Championship Air Races to the game. They’re planed to be part of the first major expansion for Microsoft Flight Simulator, and players will be able to race each other across the world this Fall.
