The reviews are in for the latest iteration of Microsoft Flight Simulator, and the response has been overwhelmingly positive. First announced during Microsoft's E3 2019 conference, Microsoft Flight Simulator is the newest game in one of Microsoft's signature gaming franchises. Since the pixelated runways of 1982, these prestige flying games have taken things very seriously. Developed by Asobo Studio (The Crew 2, A Plague Tale: Innocence), Microsoft Flight Simulator promises a 4K vision of flying once thought a pie in the sky dream. Considering the scores floating around the web right now, it seems like the game has delivered on its promise.
Not only is 2020's Microsoft Flight Simulator a game that critics love, but it's also a big return for a classic franchise. This is the first entry from Microsoft since the launch of the Xbox 360, an era where the publisher shifted to a console-first strategy that didn't fit traditional entries in the Flight Simulator series. While Microsoft Flight released as a free-to-play title on the ill-fated Games for Windows - Live platform, it crashed to the ground only four months after takeoff. In 2020, Microsoft's PC Game Pass service and the more advanced porting options developers have between PC and consoles means that a new full-fledged entry in the series can reach greater heights than ever before.
Based on 28 critic reviews so far, Microsoft Flight Simulator holds an impressive 93 Metascore on Metacritic. Things look similar on OpenCritic, where 34 critics give the game a Mighty average of 92, with 100% of those critics recommending the game. The high points in the review involve the game's impressive, fully mapped representation of planet Earth and the gorgeous graphics that render each environment with loving detail. Critics also found this Flight Simulator to be imminently approachable, even if a player has never piloted a virtual plane in their lives. Here are quotes from a few of the notable reviews to give further context:
PC Gamer - Review in Progress - Phil Iwaniuk
"It can be a medium for virtual tourism with an Xbox controller in your hands, managing a simplified flight model and gawking at the Kola superdeep borehole or the Vredefort crater, or your house, or the Vinicunca rainbow mountain. It’s worth the price of admission on those terms alone."
Eurogamer - Essential - Martin Robinson
"Microsoft Flight Simulator's biggest trick is its representation of Earth in as much detail as possible, an alchemy of map data, streaming technology, photogrammetry and procedural generation making for something that's mighty convincing, and frequently breathtaking."
IGN - 10/10 - Seth Macy
"Unparalleled realism and an entire planet to explore makes Microsoft Flight Simulator a simulation like no other."
TechRaptor - 8/10 - Andrew Stretch
"Microsoft Flight Simulator is back with gorgeous graphics and even more beautiful planes to look at. Returning players will be pleased to see how many enhancements have been made while the tutorial and assist modes give an entry point to even a novice flyer."
PCGamesN - Unscored - Ben Maxwell
"Dipping into the Grand Canyon in an Aviat Pitts Special S2S, sun in my eyes. Exploring the haunting landscape around Reykjavik in an Icon A5. Or giving the imagined passengers in my A320 a brief but really quite worryingly close glimpse of Christ the Redeemer. Microsoft Flight Simulator is full of such moments."
VG247 - 5 Stars - Alex Donaldson
"It’s a technical achievement and an excellent training aid, but it’s also a brilliant piece of escapism, transcending its purpose as a tool to become something far more widely enjoyable – and I can’t recommend it enough."
Despite rave reviews, Microsoft has been surprisingly quiet about the release of Microsoft Flight Simulator on PC. While marketing pushed the now-delayed Halo Infinite to global recognition, this Microsoft exclusive was left to quietly launch with barely a whisper. Perhaps it's the fact that the promised Xbox One version of this gorgeous game is nowhere to be seen, or perhaps it's the hope that the company can position the game as a big Xbox Series X release when it's ready for the console. Either way, Microsoft is biding its time when it comes to letting people know about this undeniable success story.
Of course, it's also possible that Microsoft is skittish about putting so much money behind Microsoft Flight Simulator, an entry in what is undoubtedly a niche genre. Simulators haven't been mainstream in decades, partially due to Microsoft shifting focus to the Xbox brand over its PC heritage. Either way, Xbox is desperate for first-party releases of any sort, and more promotion from the mothership could help convince fans and those in the Sony camp that things aren't as dire as they might see.
Microsoft Flight Simulator will be available on PC on August 18, 2020. An announced Xbox One version is assumed to also be forthcoming at a later date.