Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 Review – To the Skies

Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 Review – To the Skies

After spending countless hours soaring through the skies and exploring breathtaking landscapes, I must say that Microsoft Flight Simulator 24 has truly taken my breath away. As a seasoned traveler who has visited many of these real-world locations, I can attest to the game’s incredible attention to detail and immersive experience. The career mode is addictive, the challenges are exhilarating, and the photographer mode allows me to capture memories in a way that words never could.


On its debut day, my first encounter with Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 was marked by annoyance and disillusionment. If you were one of the unlucky ones who attempted to play the game on the initial release, you would have probably encountered painfully slow loading times and crashes. Both veterans and novices shared a common sentiment of exasperation due to Microsoft’s inadequacy in managing their servers, given that this game demands continuous internet connectivity. However, Microsoft promptly addressed these issues, and by the following day, I was able to navigate through the game without much hassle.

Initially, while composing this review, I’ve come across claims that certain players haven’t been able to embark on even one flight. Even if they somehow boarded an aircraft, their flying experience has been marred by audio malfunctions, inconsistent textures, and character models protruding from the plane’s roof. Sounds unbelievable? Browse through various gaming forums, and you’ll find a plethora of strange glitches and bugs. The developers are currently working on expanding their server capacity, but considering this game relies heavily on cloud services, one might wonder why such preparations weren’t made earlier. Couldn’t they have leveraged their past experience with Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 to ensure a smoother launch? It’s certainly a question worth pondering.

Aircraft models have experienced an improvement not just in their graphic quality, but also in the way they handle different physics aspects. This enhancement leads to a flight simulation that feels more authentic.

It turned out to be fortunate for me as I managed to accumulate a significant amount of flight time without encountering many issues or malfunctions. When Microsoft Flight Simulator 24 functions correctly, it offers an unmatched experience. There’s something strangely gratifying about navigating an aircraft over the tranquil landscapes of the Golden Gate Bridge or peering at Mount Everest through the cockpit window from a plane. As soon as my aircraft reached cruising speed, I was captivated by the stunning vistas, tall pine trees, and the swift current below, as my aircraft moved gracefully among the clouds.

The degree of precision can be incredibly lifelike at times, verging on real-world visuals. You’re even able to exit the aircraft and explore various environments, immersing yourself in stunning visuals. However, it’s important to mention that not all items and structures are highly detailed. Since most of the world details are being loaded from the cloud, missing data or textures may be common unless Asobo addresses the server optimization problems.

The Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 offers a highly realistic flying experience, but it might be challenging for newcomers due to its detailed, slow-paced gameplay. While there’s a comprehensive tutorial, mastering the intricacies of aircraft handling may demand prior knowledge about aviation. Still, anyone can play casually, but expect a significant learning curve to understand and control the simulator effectively.

Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 Review – To the Skies

In the Microsoft Flight Simulator 24, there’s an expansive career mode that presents you with numerous challenges. Successfully finishing these tasks will earn you grades and credits.

In the year 2024, Flight Simulator starts off with a delightful twist: an extensive character customization feature where you can tailor a variety of aspects, such as headgear, eyewear, shirts, pants, shoes, body shape, voice, and even your co-pilot’s appearance. While this customization doesn’t influence the gameplay, it adds a nice touch to have more choices at hand. Nevertheless, I eagerly anticipate that in future versions, Asobo Studio could implement a system based on traits, which would enable unique pilot characteristics and ultimately affect how they handle flights.

As a gamer, I can tell you that Microsoft Flight Simulator 24 offers an immersive career mode where I find myself juggling numerous tasks to progress. Successfully finishing these tasks earns me grades and credits, with each completed mission bringing me closer to unlocking new licenses and specializations.

In addition, there’s a rotating Challenge Mode that updates weekly, some of which are incredibly tough. My trip through the Grand Canyon was particularly grueling and I won’t deny that I didn’t measure up. On the other hand, challenges such as Precision Landing offer thrilling scenarios where you’re tasked with executing tricky landings, like on a hilltop. Another unique feature is the Photographer Mode, which not only lets you capture breathtaking landscapes but also requires you to fulfill objectives that enhance your photo composition. For instance, while snapping a photo, you must make sure the moon or Tokyo Tower are visible within the frame. While these tasks can be enjoyable, it’s worth noting they can be quite challenging for some players.

Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 Review – To the Skies

The game is packed with a detailed Career Mode, an engaging Photographer Mode, and Challenges, ensuring there’s always something exciting to explore.

I recently tested Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 using a Ryzen 5950x processor, an RTX 3080 Ti graphics card, and 32 GB of RAM. I cranked up most settings to Ultra with DLSS in Quality mode at a 4K resolution. My system managed to deliver acceptable performance, with frame rates generally between 30-45 frames per second, though this varied based on the intensity of each scene. Unfortunately, the game occasionally experiences stuttering.

Initially, everything seems fine with the game running at 30 frames per second. However, unexpectedly, there are instances where a frame is skipped, leading to an inconsistent gaming experience. Additionally, the transition between maps happens abruptly, which makes it seem like the game might crash. It’s unclear whether these issues stem from my hardware or server problems. Regardless, improvements in optimization are necessary to ensure a smoother gameplay. On a side note, I tried playing the game on an Xbox Series X and found that the frame rate was more stable compared to my PC setup. Furthermore, the issue of abrupt map loading was less prevalent, resulting in a better gaming experience overall.

I found myself really appreciating my experience playing Microsoft Flight Simulator 24. The intricate career mode, engaging Photographer setting, and Challenges make the game a treasure trove of content. Nevertheless, there are some technical issues that require attention. There’s been much discussion about whether all the game’s assets should be downloadable instead of streaming most from the cloud. While this might seem like a perfect solution on the surface, it could necessitate significant alterations to the engine’s infrastructure by Asobo and Microsoft. Nevertheless, despite needing optimization, Microsoft Flight Simulator 24 is generally worth recommending.

This game was reviewed on PC.

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2024-11-24 22:11