Around the world, travel restrictions remain in place due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Even within the United States, travel between the majority of states is prohibited or only allowed when following strict quarantine rules. Luckily, there’s now a way to explore the United States without having to risk exposure to the coronavirus: via the game Microsoft Flight Simulator.
Microsoft and developer Asobo Studios recently announced the second major update to Flight Simulator, which was released for PC on August 18, 2020, with a planned Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S release coming in 2021. The update focuses on the United States, visually improving cities and areas around the country as well as adding new points of interest which players can fly over.
Fittingly, the United States of America update features fifty new points of interest, including the Statue of Liberty, Yellowstone National Park, Mount Rushmore, the Kennedy Space Center, and the Grand Canyon. Four new airports were also added: Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta, Georgia, Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport in Texas, Stewart International Airport in the Hudson Valley of New York, and Friday Harbor Airport on San Juan Island in Washington State. All other airports in the United States received small upgrades and improvements, as did a number of major cities including Boston, Miami, New York City and San Diego.
The World Update can be downloaded for free. Once you install the patch, simply head to the in-game marketplace to claim the free update.
This is the second major update released for Microsoft Flight Simulator. The first, which released in September, added locations, airports and improvements to the country of Japan. Future updates improving other areas of the globe will likely be released in the future.
Happy travels, Flight Simulator fans!
