After a closed beta in July, Microsoft has unveiled their latest flight simulator game to the world. It's being praised for its realistic simulation and cutting-edge graphics, but just how real is Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020? The answer, as it turns out, is pretty darn real.
For decades, Microsoft Flight Simulator has given people the chance to feel what it's like to fly through the skies in a wide range of aircraft while visiting exotic places all over the world. With their newest entry, Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 is pushing the boundaries not just in terms of graphics — but also in what a living, breathing game should feel like. Microsoft Flight Simulator features literally every airport in the world, with over 37,000 total and 40 hand-crafted replicas. But the realism doesn't stop there.
The purpose of Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 isn't just to give players an immersive flying experience. The game has been praised for successfully recreating the world down to the most minute detail. Fields have individual blades of grass, trees have individual leaves, and the world is populated with diverse animals from all around the globe. Volumetric lighting adds to various effects, from droplets of water on the cockpit windows to the scattering of light due to pollution and humidity. The game features 1.5 billion buildings and over 2 million cities and towns, complete with roads and vehicles. It's this great attention to detail that adds to Microsoft Flight Simulator's feeling of realism, and it doesn't stop there.
Real-World Features in Microsoft Flight Simulator
Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 is all about realism in real time. The game pulls from Microsoft's Bing Maps to recreate beautiful, photorealistic representations of buildings, landscapes, and even weather. In fact, Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 pulls real-world weather and puts it into the game, meaning players can track and chase storms to their hearts' content.
The realism of Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 doesn't stop with the weather, either. Additionally, the game has an option where players can experience air traffic as it's happening in real-time. Both the weather and air traffic are recreated and streamed live thanks to a combination of satellite information and flyover imagery. As the real world changes, so does the world of Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020.
There are currently three versions of Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020: Standard, Deluxe, and Premium. Each upgraded version offers more aircraft and replica airport options. No matter which version people choose, Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 is incredibly realistic in the way it pulls from the real-world in real time. It's these features that make Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 a breathtaking experience.