Microsoft Flight Simulator is a massive package full of content, which shouldn’t surprise, considering that it features the while world. Yet, Xbox users will be able to enjoy even more content at launch than PC users did.
While the simulator includes over 37,000 airports, most of them are procedurally-generated based on Bing Maps, so they’re not as “true-to-life” as you would expect from bespoke airport created manually by artists.
Most are not terrible, but the experience of taking-off and landing at an enhanced airport is much more immersive.
If you look at the official lists, the $59.99 Standard Edition includes 30 of those hand-crafted airports. The $89.99 Deluxe Edition grants 35, and the $119.99 Premium Deluxe Edition includes 40.
Yet, those lists date back to the PC release and are now outdated. In reality, you’ll get 53 hand-crafted airports with the Standard Edition, 58 with the Deluxe Edition, and 63 with the premium edition, which is a lot more.
The reason behind this is in the bi-monthly World Updates that Microsoft has been releasing for the PC version, adding better details, many points of interest, enhanced cities, and more hand-crafted airports to specific nations or regions. The good news is that Xbox users will be able to enjoy all that additional content from the get-go.
Five World Updates have been released so far. The World Update featuring Japan added 6 airports, the World Update for the USA added 4, the update for the UK added 5, the update for France and Benelux added 3, and the recently-released update for Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, & Iceland added another 5, for a total of 23 additional hand-crafted airports included in every edition.
If you’re wondering about the difference, below you can see the bespoke Stockholm Arlanda Airport added in the latest update (in the first image), compared to its default procedurally-generated version (in the second image). Let’s just say that the former is a pretty realistic and faithful reproduction of the real airport. The latter is… not.
So, which airports are you getting with each edition? Below you can find an updated table with a full list. Do keep in mind that the pricier editions also grant you additional aircraft, but since none were added in updates, the Xbox version will get exactly the same as the PC version.
Recently, we published our massive interview with head of Microsoft Flight Simulator Jorg Neumann, who provided a lot of new info about the present and future of the sim.
If you’d like to read more about Microsoft Flight Simulator add-ons, you can enjoy our recent reviews of Chongqiung, Manila Airport, Santiago Airport, the Frankfurt City Pack, Key West Airport, the Okavango Delta, Bali Airport, London Oxford Airport, Berlin Brandenburg Airport, the CRJ 550/700, the PA-28R Arrow III, Kristiansand Airport, Macau City & Airport, Bonaire Flamingo Airport, Milano Linate Airport, the Singapore City Pack, Tokyo Narita Airport, Yao Airport, the F-15 Eagle, the Paris City Pack, Greater Moncton Airport, Tweed New Haven Airport, Santorini Airport, Sydney Airport, Helsinki-Vantaa Airport, Reggio Calabria Airport, Bastia Poretta Airport, Munich Airport, Paris Orly Airport, Newcastle International Airport, Sankt Johann Airfield, Dublin International Airport, and Seoul City Wow. We also have a beta preview of Singapore Changi airport.
If you want to learn more about the game itself, you can read our review that will tell you everything you need to know about Asobo Studio’s game.
Microsoft Flight Simulator is already available for Windows 10 and Steam and will release on July 27, 2021 for Xbox Series X ad Series S.
About the author
