On Tuesday, we announced that Sim Update 15 will be delayed for a little longer[forums.flightsimulator.com] while the team works to resolve a few remaining issues which we consider release blockers. Delivering a Sim Update of very high quality is extremely important to us, so we are taking a bit of extra time to make sure SU_15 will be positively received by simmers.

Also on Tuesday, we released a new pre-release test build to those players enrolled in the optional SU_15 public beta. You can read the release notes for this build (1.37.17.0) on our forums here[forums.flightsimulator.com]. Notably, this build includes a bug fix for players on PC using DX12 which was previously causing some airport ground scenery to display improperly. This build also includes a fix to a bug introduced in the 1.37.15.0 test build which impacted players on Xbox by preventing add-on aircraft which use WASM from functioning correctly.

As always, we would like to thank all the volunteer testers from the community for your feedback and bug reports. Whether you're helping to test SU_15 or using the current release build, we wish everyone a great weekend in the virtual skies. Happy flying!

– MSFS Team

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Public beta testing for the upcoming Sim Update 15 continues with two new builds released to opt-in community testers this week. On Monday, we released test build[forums.flightsimulator.com] 1.37.15.0, and on Wednesday we released test build 1.37.16.0[forums.flightsimulator.com] which added a small number of other changes.

Please note that we are aware that the .15 test build introduced a bug that is preventing third-party add-on aircraft which use WASM from functioning correctly on Xbox. We are working to have this issue resolved in the next beta build. We are also carefully tracking feedback from Xbox testers who have reported that performance and stability has decreased in .15 compared to the previous .13 test build.

Last week, third-party developer Just Flight released the PA-38 Tomahawk for both PC and Xbox. This add-on plane has been receiving great reviews from simmers thus far, and yesterday our Community Manager SeedyL (a licensed pilot who completed his real-world PPL training on a Tomahawk) hosted a livestream on Twitch with developers Martyn and Mark from Just Flight to demonstrate the features of this single engine GA plane. In case you missed it live, you can watch the VOD on Twitch here[www.twitch.tv].

– MSFS Team

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Yesterday, our panel of Jorg, Seb, and Martial plus special guests from Working Title and iniBuilds appeared on our latest Developer Livestream. If you missed catching it live on Twitch, you can watch the replay on YouTube here:

In addition to answering dozens of questions from the community, some of the other highlights from the broadcast include:

• Overview from Working Title on the improvements to the G3X avionics coming in Sim Update 15 (SU_15)
• Presentation from iniBuilds about the Airbus A320neo V2, a free aircraft for all players on all platforms launching alongside SU_15
• Announcement of City Update VII: European Cities II which includes updated scenery for:
  
  • Barcelona
  • Madrid
  • Monte Carlo
  • Nice
  • Porto
  • Stockholm
• Announcement of Local Legend 16: Short Sc.7 Skyvan ("The Flying Shoebox") by developer iniBuilds

Both City Update VII and Local Legend 16 are targeted for release on May 28.

Also announced during the livestream was an update on the Sim Update 15 release date. While we had previously revealed a tentative launch date of April 30, we now think an additional week of development time is necessary. This will be the last Sim Update for Microsoft Flight Simulator (2020) prior to the launch of Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 later this year (but not the final Sim Update for MSFS2020 ever -- SU_16 is planned for early 2025), so the team really wants to make sure SU_15 in an excellent state before we release it.

In Marketplace news, the team feels like they have the backlog under control and can now begin accepting new developers into the Marketplace. We have a very lengthy list of pending applications and can't approve all of them at once, so in order to help us prioritize the developers most desired by you, the community, we are asking for your feedback. Please see this thread on our forums[forums.flightsimulator.com] where you can share your feedback on which developers you would most like to see added to the Marketplace.

– MSFS Team

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On Tuesday, we launched two new releases!

• City Update 06: Southwest Germany is a FREE download from the in-sim Marketplace that enhances the scenery in Germany's Baden-Württemberg state. Please see this page[www.flightsimulator.com] for more information.
• Local Legend 15: Dornier Do 31 is available from the in-sim Marketplace for USD $14.99. You can learn more about this experimental VTOL plane from Germany here[www.flightsimulator.com].

Also earlier this week, we released a new Xbox-only pre-release test build for simmers enrolled in the optional Sim Update 15 public beta. This build (1.37.13.0) improves performance and stability on Xbox Series X|S consoles. PC players enrolled in the beta will not receive this new build as the changes are for Xbox only.

There was also a small update released to all simmers earlier today. This release includes updated navdata (AIRAC cycle 2404)  plus improvements to over 150 airports submitted by community volunteers participating in the ongoing World Hub closed alpha test. You can read the full details on our forums here[forums.flightsimulator.com].

Our next Developer Livestream is coming up next week on Wednesday, April 24th at 10:30am PDT (1730 UTC). Don't miss this chance to hear our regular panel of Jorg, Seb, and Martial answer questions from the community and discuss future updates coming to Microsoft Flight Simulator. We are currently reviewing all the pre-submitted questions from the community and will ensure the most common topics are addressed by our panel. If you missed the opportunity to pre-submit a question, don't worry! As always, we will also be taking questions live from Twitch chat during the stream. The livestream will be broadcast on our official Twitch channel[twitch.tv], so please follow it to be notified when we go live if you have not already done so.


Finally, if you follow @MSFSOfficial on X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram[www.instagram.com], you may have noticed that we've been running an MSFS Madness tournament over the past three weeks where you, the community, voted for your favorite aircraft in a series of head-to-head matchups. From a starting field of 64 aircraft from the Standard, Deluxe, Premium Deluxe, Game of the Year Edition, and 40th Anniversary Edition, plus every Local Legend, Famous Flyer, and Expert Series aircraft, voters selected the Boeing 787-10 Dreamliner as the winner! We hope everyone who participated enjoyed MSFS Madness! You can see the entire tournament bracket with the community's choices in each round below.

– MSFS Team

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This latest update invites Microsoft Flight Simulator aviators to experience the allure of the cities of southwest Germany’s Baden-Württemberg state.

Southwest Germany is the latest exciting enhancement to Microsoft Flight Simulator’s immersive global experience with City Update 06. This update focuses on the Southwest German state of Baden-Württemberg, the nation’s third largest state in both population and area. The Microsoft Flight Simulator team and its partners selected seven cities that best represent this diverse and vibrant region of Europe: Mannheim, Heidelberg, Karlsruhe, Stuttgart, Esslingen, and Kehl in Germany, and the French city of Strasbourg, which lies just across the border from Kehl. The update also features Friedrichshafen Airport, Baden-Württemberg’s third largest airport.

Baden-Württemberg is one of Europe’s most geographically diverse regions. The state encompasses the famed Black Forest, rivers such as the Rhine, the Danube (including its source), and the Neckar, several lakes including Lake Constance, and rich farmland and vineyards. Its cities rank as some of the most prosperous and vibrant in all of Europe and include a juxtaposition of modern architectural marvels and centuries-old historic monuments.

Continue reading about City Update 06![www.flightsimulator.com]

This week, we're pleased to share an updated Development Roadmap which you can find below. A few highlights include:

• City Update 06: Southwest Germany and Local Legend 15: Dornier Do 31 are both releasing next week on April 17!
• Sim Update 15 and the Airbus A320neo (V2) are tentatively targeted for a full release on April 30.

Speaking of Sim Update 15, last Friday we released a new test build to those players enrolled in the optional public beta. You can find the release notes for this build on our forums here[forums.flightsimulator.com]. Once again, we would like to thank everyone participating in the pre-release test for your timely feedback and bug reports. If you would like to join the public beta test, you can find instructions (for PC/MS Store, PC/Steam, and Xbox Series X|S) here[forums.flightsimulator.com].

Our next Developer Livestream is scheduled for April 24th at 10:30am PDT (1730 UTC). If you would like to pre-submit a question for our panel, please complete the form at this link[forms.microsoft.com]. We will accept submissions until April 16th at 8:00am PDT (1500 UTC). Once the form is closed, our team will collate all your submissions to ensure the panel addresses the most frequently-asked questions from the community. As always, the livestream will be broadcast on our official Twitch channel[twitch.tv], so please follow it to be notified when we go live if you have not already done so.


– MSFS Team

Click here to continue reading the Development Update![www.flightsimulator.com]

We are now accepting questions for our next Developer Livestream! If you would like to pre-submit a question for our panel, please complete the form at this link[forms.microsoft.com]. Our team will collate all the submissions to ensure the panel addresses the most frequently-asked questions from the community. As always, the livestream will be broadcast on our official Twitch channel[twitch.tv], so please follow it to be notified when we go live if you have not already done so.

Recently on X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram[www.instagram.com], we've been running daily MSFS Madness polls where the community can vote for their favorite aircraft in head-to-head matchups. Voters have eliminated half the field from the original starting 64, and we're now onto the Round of 32. Check out the updated tournament bracket below. Do you think there were any surprise upsets in the first round? Which aircraft are you hoping wins it all? Let us know in the forums[forums.flightsimulator.com]! To participate in the voting yourself, follow our accounts on Twitter and Instagram[www.instagram.com]. You can make your vote count twice by voting on both platforms!

– MSFS Team

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Enjoy discounted pricing during our Microsoft Flight Simulator Spring Sale!

For 13 Days starting on March 29th, save up to 85% on more than 2250 items.

To purchase these discounted items, visit the Microsoft Flight Simulator Marketplace, select ‘Featured’, scroll down to ‘Special Offers’, then select ‘See All’ and look for the savings.

In case you missed it, we recently announced[forums.flightsimulator.com] that the full release of Sim Update 15 (SU_15) will be slightly delayed from its earlier targeted release date of March 26. It's important that we take the time to get it right, and after careful consideration, the team concluded that SU_15 isn't quite ready yet. We're now targeting a release for some time in April (exact date TBD).


In other SU_15 news, we released a new pre-release test build to volunteer community beta testers earlier today. You can read the release notes for this build on our forums here[forums.flightsimulator.com]. We want to once again thank everyone who has opted in to the SU_15 public test for your timely and detailed feedback and bug reports.

On the lighter side, there's an ongoing discussion on our forums[forums.flightsimulator.com] where players are sharing their memories of their first flight simulator, either from the Microsoft Flight Simulator franchise or from another developer. Our Community Manager SeedyL responded thusly:

When I was a kid in the 1980s, my family had a Commodore VIC-20 and C64 with a variety of really primitive flight simulators. I was super young at the time and didn’t really know what I was doing in any of them.

The first memories I have of actually using a flight sim and feeling like it was a somewhat rough approximation of real flight came when I was a teenager in the 90s. By then, my family had swapped our C64 for an Intel 486-based Compaq Presario desktop running MS-DOS 6.0 and Windows 3.1. I had several popular flight sims from the era (both civilian and military) including:

• Microsoft Flight Simulator 5.0
• Chuck Yeager’s Air Combat
• Falcon 3.0
• Red Baron
• Aces Over Europe
• Aces of the Pacific
• Flight Unlimited
• Sierra Pro Pilot
• Fly!

We also asked several other members of the team to share their earliest memories of participating in the flight simulation hobby. Here are their responses:

Khoi, Quality Engineer:

My first sim was Microsoft Flight Simulator 4 on a 386. Or at least that's the one I remember. It could have also been been Flight Simulator 1 (or 2). I have a fuzzy memory of playing it, but for sure Flight Simulator 4.

Tyler, Pilot Tester:

Microsoft Flight Simulator 2002 on a Dell laptop my dad gave me. I used to bring an E6B[en.wikipedia.org] and take my laptop on roadtrips and try to "fly" our route while we drove it!

Scott, Customer Support Agent:

I dabbled in FSX on PC, but I learned how to fly (sorta) in WW2 Online, a 24-year old MMO. My OG flying game was "Blue Max" for the Commodore 64.



Many, many others in the team have their own stories and backgrounds with flight simulators and we've been enjoying reading everyone's responses. If you have anything share, check out the discussion[forums.flightsimulator.com] and post your own story!

– MSFS Team

Click here to continue reading the Development Update![www.flightsimulator.com]