Total waste of money.
I've paid 160€ for this just to be stuck in an infinite loading loop for 7hrs.
Got the previous version on Microsoft Store and thought I'll switch to Steam for the 24 version to avoid the hrs I've spend downloading updates because of their ♥♥♥♥ servers.
Initial steam download was fine with around 8 mins, but then...oh boy: spent almost 2 hrs looking at the same 1 minute long render scene. Then when I was looking at 97% for almost a full hour Microsoft came up with the brilliant "solution" that players who are stuck above 90% should restart the game. That left me in the loading screen again, this time at 0% for another 20 mins. Again restart and since then I get an infinite loop of "login-queue" and "server-error" screens.
The few streamers I was able to watch who actually made it into the game find themselves there with only a handful of planes and pixel graphics. No option to play career mode or whatsoever because planes that have been purchased are simply not there, including the most basic training planes.
And the best thing: Officially you aren't even eligible for a refund, as all the time spend in loading and error screens counts as actual playtime.
This launch is a disgrace for a company with the ambition to be the market leader in cloud computing. Nothing learned from the miserable launch in 2020. Definitely the last time I spend money on this series.

Total waste of money. I've paid 160€ for this just to be stuck in an infinite loading loop for 7hrs. Got the previous version on Microsoft Store and thought I'll switch to Steam for the 24 version to avoid the hrs I've spend downloading updates because of their shit servers. Initial steam download was fine with around 8 mins, but then...oh boy: spent almost 2 hrs looking at the same 1 minute long render scene. Then when I was looking at 97% for almost a full hour Microsoft came up with the brilliant "solution" that players who are stuck above 90% should restart the game. That left me in the loading screen again, this time at 0% for another 20 mins. Again restart and since then I get an infinite loop of "login-queue" and "server-error" screens. The few streamers I was able to watch who actually made it into the game find themselves there with only a handful of planes and pixel graphics. No option to play career mode or whatsoever because planes that have been purchased are simply not there, including the most basic training planes. And the best thing: Officially you aren't even eligible for a refund, as all the time spend in loading and error screens counts as actual playtime. This launch is a disgrace for a company with the ambition to be the market leader in cloud computing. Nothing learned from the miserable launch in 2020. Definitely the last time I spend money on this series.