The Sky Might Not Have Limits But Your Internet Connection Does…
A few years ago, we took to the skies in Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020, arguably one of the most technically impressive games of its kind. Four years later, the team at Asobo Studios is back with Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024, a better game all around but a weaker simulation in the end.
As a newer fan of the genre, Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 is the second Flight Sim that I’ve played, with the previous game being my debut to the world of flight simulators. One of the biggest differences between this entry and 2020’s is that there is a bigger emphasis on making this a game first and a simulator second. Flight Simulator 2024 is also largely the same experience as its predecessor on a mechanical level. You can fly planes, take on a variety of challenges, and visit your real-life home, which is something I feel people will immediately do once they load the game up.
As someone who wanted to play more of Microsoft Flight Sim 2020 but never really found a reason to, Microsoft Flight Sim 2024 provides more reasons to keep me engaged with its offerings. No longer are you just doing random free flights to locations you want to visit, the occasional challenge, or testing out a new vehicle; you now have missions that are what you’ll look to focus on.
These come in the form of job roles which are presented as ‘missions’. These range from mountain rescues to aerial firefighting and more. The problem at least in the two-week period I’ve had for this review is that these jobs are connected to career mode progression which requires you to complete certain tasks and pass in-game exams to get your relevant pilot’s license for the aircraft type you need in order to do the job missions. Fans of Gran Turismo will certainly be used to having the required licensee, making it a standard form of adding to the realism. Meaning that you must play many hours of content that you aren’t interested in to get to the cool stuff.
On one hand, this is amazing because it adds a reason to remain engaged and makes more of a game out of this simulation-heavy experience. Making it feel somewhat like Gran Turismo but for aircraft, to compare the game to that series again. Just like Gran Turismo, Microsoft Flight Sim 2024 is a game for lovers of planes but has an overly grindy loop to get to the best content.
Due to the level of grind required, I couldn’t reach enough of these job-based missions to discuss their quality. That said, they certainly are a carrot on the end of a tempting stick that I will be returning to the game for, which is more than I can say for 2020’s entry.
So, you might think that if you enjoyed the previous entry that Microsoft Flight Sim 2024 would have more varied content with the same great level of simulation, right? In some ways, yes that’s what it is. I just hope you have the internet connection for it.
Microsoft Flight Sim 2024 is one of the most turbulent experiences, I’ve had in the last few years. When it works, it runs superbly well and is scalable across a wide range of PC hardware. This is due to the game being powered by the cloud. While there was cloud usage in Microsoft Flight Sim 2020, Microsoft Flight Sim 2024 requires that everything in the game is streamed. Currently, you are not able to download the assets to store on your machine like you could on the previous title. The marketplace where you access DLC from map packs to aircraft for native storage is not yet available.
This means at this current time all assets for the game are streamed in while playing, if you have a very good internet speed such as mine the game will still look good. The problem is the amount of data used makes the game largely unplayable for anyone with capped usage. Microsoft Flight Sim 2024 can chew through internet data like a Concord chewing through the sound barrier. I can only imagine the issue players might encounter when trying to play this game over a Wi-Fi connection, I would not recommend it.
I have enjoyed what I’ve been able to play of Microsoft Flight Sim 2024. The career mode, while needlessly grindy gives people who want something more than just a simulator a reason to keep playing. The accessibility options available make this year’s release a more playable version than Microsoft Flight Sim 2020 and thankfully most of its options were on by default. That said, Microsoft Flight Sim 2024 is currently limited by your internet connection and offers no alternative to cloud streaming effectively everything in the game. At this moment, Microsoft Flight Sim 2024 is a great game, that should be better than its predecessor if not for the technical hurdles it places onto the player. With that in mind, it is probably worth waiting until you can play without the limitations of your internet connection or data usage.
Developer - Asobo Studio
Publisher - Xbox Game Studios
Released - 19th November 2024
Available On - Xbox Series X/S, PC.
Rated - (E) - Users Interact, In-Game Purchases
Platform Reviewed - PC.
Review Access - A review code was provided by Xbox via from www.game.press
I’m Jordan I have a background in game design and am deeply passionate about accessibility in gaming. My favourite games/franchises include Shenmue, Red Dead Redemption 2, Plague Tale: Requiem, Metal Gear Solid 3, Yakuza, Splinter Cell, and Assassin’s Creed.