40 years of flight: free update for Microsoft Flight Simulator

During its attendance at Gamescom and to celebrate the in-person return of the German trade show, Xbox announced the 40th Anniversary Update for Microsoft Flight Simulator, which will be free and available for PC, Xbox Series and Xbox Game Pass.

This update adds the first photogrammetric improvement of five German cities: Cologne (home of Gamescom), Hanover, Dortmund, Bonn and Dusseldorf. In fact, the patch with this City Update 1 is available for download right now.

It will also bring the long-awaited update that introduces gliders and helicopters into the game, one of the biggest demands from the title's fans.

In addition to new missions and airports, there will of course be new classic aircraft, such as the 1903 Wright Flyer (yes, the Wright Brothers' plane), the 1915 Curtiss JN-4 Jenny, the Grumman G-21 A Goose and the famous Hughes H-4 Hercules, better known as the Spruce Goose.

While the cities update is already live, the rest of the content is scheduled to land in the game on 11 November.