It’s become a pattern: every few months, a game or technology originally developed by Microsoft shows up on PlayStation. And it seems like another one just arrived.
Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 is coming to PlayStation 5 on December 8, 2025, as revealed at yesterday’s State of Play event. It’s the third live service game to launch on the PlayStation platform, joining Sea of Thieves and Forza Horizon 5.
It’s actually more surprising to me that games like Gears of War came to PlayStation before Microsoft Flight Simulator. Games that are constantly updated and supported – these ‘live service’ games – are really what’s driving the gaming industry right now, even if some people don’t love that.
The dawning of a new gaming era
While games like Expedition 33, Hades 2, and Hollow Knight: Silksong generate excitement, players tend to stick with games that are constantly updated and evolve over time – often called ‘live service’ titles.
As a researcher looking at the gaming landscape, I’ve noticed Microsoft has a pretty robust offering of games that encourage ongoing player engagement, including titles like Sea of Thieves, Fallout 76, Elder Scrolls Online, and Microsoft Flight Simulator. PlayStation, while having fewer games focused on this model, still features popular options like Helldivers 2, Gran Turismo 7, and MLB The Show, with the new Marathon game on the horizon.
Several games previously exclusive to other platforms are now playable on Xbox, and more are coming soon. This shift reflects a growing trend in the gaming industry, with Microsoft Flight Simulator being a prime example of a game that’s constantly updated and available on multiple platforms.
Expect more
What other Microsoft projects do they have in the works that could fit this criteria?
It wouldn’t be shocking if a Halo game appeared on PlayStation at some point. However, a full collection like Master Chief Collection seems unlikely, considering the difficulties Xbox had getting that running smoothly on its own network. Bringing it to PlayStation and enabling cross-platform play would be a huge challenge.
It’s unclear where the limit will be for game exclusivity. Currently, every multiplayer game released has been a re-release of something older, and that makes me doubt we’ll see the new Gears of War on PlayStation.
It’s possible that restriction only applies to major, exclusive releases. I might be wrong, but if State of Decay 3 evolves into a bigger, ongoing game with regular updates, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Undead Labs release a game on PlayStation for the first time.
From both sides
Helldivers 2 recently topped sales charts on Xbox, and Xbox players generally play a lot of different games. This raises the question: will PlayStation stop releasing their titles on Xbox? If the reports about a Horizon MMO are true, that game might be an exception and could still come to Xbox.
Both Sony and Microsoft are driven by profit, so if an idea proves successful, they’re likely to pursue it.
How about a smaller game like Returnal? Or, who knows, maybe we’ll even get a really upgraded version of The Last of Us Part II!
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2025-09-25 14:47