Microsoft Flight Simulator will launch on August 18th on PC

Microsoft Flight Simulator will launch on August 18th for PC. Microsoft has been holding private alpha testing of the new game in recent months, and it’s ready for preorder and preinstall today. Microsoft Flight Simulator is the latest installment in the hyper-detailed series that has been running since the 1980s. It follows the release of Microsoft Flight Simulator X: Steam Edition in 2014.

“We have been thrilled and humbled by the support and dedication that has fueled the Flight Sim community for the past 38 years,” says Jorg Neumann, head of Microsoft Flight Simulator. “Since the launch of the very first Microsoft Flight Simulator in 1982, we knew it was finally the right time to develop the next-generation version of Microsoft Flight Simulator.”

The latest game includes a new day and night engine that allows players to fly at any time of day as well as a new checklist system that scales for beginners or pro players with instrument guidance and checklists before takeoff. Microsoft Flight Simulator also includes real-time weather, live traffic, and animals throughout its living world.

Microsoft is launching three different versions of Microsoft Flight Simulator, with the standard edition priced at $59.99 with 20 planes and 30 airports. The deluxe edition will be priced at $89.99 and includes five additional planes and five extra airports. The premium deluxe edition includes 10 additional planes in total and 10 extra airports and is priced at $119.99.

Airports like San Francisco or London’s Heathrow airport are locked behind the premium edition, while Chicago’s O’Hare airport and Amsterdam’s Schiphol are available in the deluxe version. Microsoft Flight Simulator will also launch free of charge as part of Xbox Game Pass for PC.