Fast forward to E3 2021 and we now have an official confirmation with a launch date.
As part of the Xbox E3 2021 showcase, Microsoft revealed that Microsoft Flight Simulator for Xbox Series S/X will launch later this year. Naturally, the console version of the acclaimed simulator game will also be available on the Xbox Game Pass at launch. But, that’s not all that Microsoft confirmed at E3 2021. If you’d like to know everything there is to know about Microsoft Flight Simulator for Xbox Series S/X, be sure to scroll down below.
How Will Microsoft Flight Simulator Perform on the Xbox Series S/X?
Microsoft didn’t reveal how well Microsoft Flight Simulator will perform on the next-gen consoles. We also highly doubt that the trailer was fully captured on the Xbox Series X as per Microsoft’s claims. Not that we don’t trust Microsoft. We just know that Flight Simulator is a taxing game. Even on a PC with the RTX 3080ti will struggle to play Flight Simulator at 4K, which Microsoft claims was the resolution that the E3 2021 ran at. Of course, we could be wrong. Asobo Studio could have done an amazing job at porting the game to DirectX 12 and make it play just as well on the Xbox Series S/X. According to the official Microsoft Flight Simulator account on Twitter, the game is expected to have a base frame rate of 30 frames per second on the Xbox Series S/X.
When is the Microsoft Flight Simulator for Xbox Series S/X Release Date?
Before E3 2021, GameStop had already let it slip that Microsoft Flight Simulator will be launching on the Xbox Series S/X soon. This information was later refuted by Microsoft. The publisher confirmed at E3 2021 that Microsoft Flight Simulator will not be releasing on the Xbox Series S/X on June 15. Instead, the flight simulator game will be landing on the Xbox Series S/X on July 27, a little over a month later than GameStop’s claims.
Will Microsoft Flight Simulator for Xbox Series S/X Have Cross-Play?
Microsoft confirmed that Flight Simulator will support cross-play between the Xbox Series S/X, Steam, and the Windows Store versions of the game. Flight Simulator is also expected to have cross-save, so players on Xbox Series S/X can transfer their progress and first-party DLC between the different platforms. As for third-party DLC, Microsoft claims that it’s all up to the developers if it will be transferrable. Microsoft also added that any DLC purchased on Steam will not work on the Xbox Series S/X.
Is There Going to be a Microsoft Flight Simulator Expansion?
Just in case you haven’t watched the trailer yet or you weren’t paying attention, the list of the fastest planes in Microsoft Flight Simulator is about to get bigger. Microsoft confirmed that Microsoft Flight Simulator will be getting a free DLC later this year. The additional content will be part of its collaboration with Paramount Studios to help promote Tom Cruise’s upcoming sequel to the 1986 movie, Top Gun: Maverick. The Top Gun expansion for Microsoft Flight Simulator is expected to hit sometime in Fall 2021.
