Microsoft is rolling out a new graphical update today for the 2020 edition of Microsoft Flight Simulator. This time, the update will allow the virtual pilots to see upgraded views of locations in the United Kingdom and Ireland.
In a post on the game"s website, Microsoft says the World Update XVII that"s available today will include improved graphics for the following cities and points of interest, along with five updated airports:
16 TIN cities:
- Bristol, Brighton, Greater London, Heathrow, Leeds-Bradford, Liverpool, Newcastle-Sunderland, Welling, and Wembley in England
- Cork, Dublin, and Cliffs of Moher / Liscannor in Ireland
- Edinburgh and Glasgow in Scotland
- Cardiff in Wales
- Gibraltar
79 points of interest (POIs):
- 31 in England, 13 in Ireland, 5 in Isle of Man, 11 in Northern Ireland, 1 in Orkney / Scotland, 9 in Scotland, and 10 in Wales.
5 handcrafted airports:
- Farnborough Airport (EGLF) and London Stansted Airport (EGSS) in England
- Cork Airport (EICK) in Ireland
- Sumburgh Airport (EGPB) in Scotland
- Cardiff (EGFF) in Wales
Today"s update will also add eight new activities for virtual pilots to take on, including "three discovery flights, two landing challenges, and three bush trips." The world update was created in collaboration with Microsoft"s own Bing Maps division, along with Gaya Simulations, and iniBuilds. Owners of the flight sim must have version 1.37.19.0 or above in order to download the new World Update.
The company recently announced that the current 2020 edition of Microsoft Flight Simulator hit a new milestone of 15 million unique players. The game will also continue to get content updates until at least 2028. That"s even with the upcoming launch of the stand-alone sequel, Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024. That game is currently scheduled for launch on November 19 for the PC and Xbox Series X and S consoles, along with PC Game Pass and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate.