Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 Reviews

Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 is ranked in the 60th percentile of games scored on OpenCritic.
Eurogamer
Top Critic
4 / 5
Dec 9, 2024

It might not have quite the same wow factor second time around, but Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 builds on its astonishing predecessor with intelligence and precision - making an already impressive achievement richer and more welcoming.

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IGN
Top Critic
9 / 10.0
Dec 5, 2024

After a very bumpy take-off, Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 has hit a smooth cruising altitude, with impressive new features and exciting modes that once again make it an outstanding achievement.

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PC Gamer
Top Critic
90 / 100
Nov 27, 2024

Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 fulfills the promise of being the most true-to-life and detailed game of its kind.

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Unscored
Dec 12, 2024

A visually astonishing simulation of real flight in all aspects, Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 now accurately recreates the energy-sapping demands of an actual commercial pilot.

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5 / 10
Dec 18, 2024

If there is a piece of good news here, I feel confident that Asobo will continue to resolve these issues, and, given enough time, we'll end up with a Microsoft Flight Simulator that is as stable as 2020 was and benefits from all the additional technical improvements. We're not there now though, and now is when folks have spent their money on this product. The '2024' title feels premature; this game needed another 6-12 months of development and testing. It's apparent that it's simply not ready and much more work is required before it is. Flight simmers now have to decide if they want to go back to 2020, like many have, or be the beta testers for 2024 and accept that it'll take time before things are better.

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8 / 10.0
Nov 25, 2024

Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 is a simulator that, despite its flaws, continues to be one of the best flight simulation experiences out there today. The improvement in graphics and detail is impressive, and the level of realism is hard to beat. However, not everything is perfect: inconsistent performance, issues with control configuration, and the lack of some key airports mean that the experience is still not as smooth as it could be.

Review in Spanish | Read full review

80 / 100
Nov 26, 2024

There's something unique about Flight Simulator 2024 that keeps you coming back, even if you've never been drawn to planes. It's a shame that we're met with such inconsistent performance and glitches along the way, because everything else is as ambitious as it is commendable

Review in Spanish | Read full review

Dec 19, 2024

Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 is more of a live service than a standalone game, one that continues to recover from a catastrophic launch. It relies so heavily on streaming its assets and world textures from the cloud that it's plain to see how its offerings could disappear should the service ever shut down. Nonetheless, Asobo Studio's developers have worked tirelessly to recover this visually breathtaking but temperamental simulator into something that appeals to a broader audience rather than a tight-knit niche. It could become a category-leading example of post-launch improvements if it continues its upward trajectory, and I encourage everyone to try it at least once.

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80 / 100
Nov 25, 2024

aveats aside, Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 offers a wide array of structured activities, plenty of guidance and, you know, the whole world to explore. It’s a great point of entry for armchair pilots and pretty satisfying for all but the most hardcore flight enthusiasts.

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68 / 100
Dec 13, 2024

Everyone here in this newsroom and the loyal readers of this website may know about my fanaticism for Microsoft Flight Simulator, either because of how I talk about the production or because of the number of notes I have dedicated to it in this space, and that is why I would have loved the 2024 installment of the saga to be something that I could not criticize even if I wanted to, almost as it happened to me with the previous edition.

Review in Spanish | Read full review

75 / 100
Nov 28, 2024

Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 is a pretty solid product but very rough around the edges at the time. It may be a simple expansion for MSFS 2020, but a great career mode saves the day.

Review in Spanish | Read full review

8 / 10.0
Nov 28, 2024

Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 is a complex, comprehensive and realistic simulator that is just as ambitious as the game that came before it and brought so many people closer to the world of aviation.

Review in Italian | Read full review

80 / 100
Dec 16, 2024

The move to a cloud-focused game has caused some turbulence on takeoff, and it would be good to be able to decouple from that decision with an "install-all" option, but Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 elevates the game in just about every other way.  It'd just be nice if it did it more cleanly.  That said, if you have even a passing interest in flight, this simulator is still the best out there.

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8.5 / 10.0
Dec 9, 2024

Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 is the best title in the franchise and provides a non-intimidating onboard ramp to the simulator franchise, but game crashes and performance issues can be frustrating.

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7 / 10.0
Dec 3, 2024

Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 is an unique feat of engineering with elements of a game. We get another graphical revolution that – as revolutions tend to do – is quite bumpy. But at the same time it allows you to feel like a professional pilot or simply have fun by flying directly over your house.

Review in Polish | Read full review

6.5 / 10.0
Dec 3, 2024

Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 is an incredible feat when you look behind at all the issues it currently has. It's ambitious and quite possibly a leap in terms of simulations but your experience will often differ a lot depending on how lucky you are with the bugs and cloud streaming issues.

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Checkpoint Gaming
Checkpoint Staff
Top Critic
9 / 10.0
Dec 2, 2024

Overall, Microsoft Flight Simulator is an absolute technical marvel when everything is running as it should. While there were significant hiccups at launch, the level of ambition Asobo brought to the table is clear. With numerous challenges, missions, and a vast and beautiful world to explore, Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 is sure to keep you entertained. While the learning curve for newbie pilots may be steep, Flight Simulator has plenty on offer for beginning players and veterans alike, no matter whether you're keen to just do some in-flight sightseeing, or embark on a career mode to get all possible qualifications in-game.

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8 / 10.0
Nov 25, 2024

Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 is packed full of content with exceptional visuals and improved physics but it desperately needs patches focused on optimization for a smoother experience.

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60 / 100
Dec 2, 2024

Although still impressive and unmatched in its scale, the 2024 sequel to Microsoft Flight Simulator can't be carried by its novelty alone. The added career mode seems competent on paper, and being able to step outside your aircraft adds immersion. But the entire experience is hamstrung by very disappointing visuals and data streaming issues, as well as plentiful bugs and design shortcomings.

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6 / 10.0
Dec 2, 2024

The prospect of playing this game on a portable device like the Steam Deck is tempting, but it isn't possible at the moment. The game will get through the opening company logos, but the game will try to have you connect to Xbox Live once the opening movie starts. Before you can proceed to log in, the game produces an error message related to logging in, and every option you choose has the game crash out and the system gets thrown back to the dashboard. Looking at reports from Proton.db on the previous game, it looks as if the Xbox login process is buggy for that title as well, so those hoping to fly on a portable will have to hold out hope that the issue gets fixed eventually, especially since you can't use the GE version of Proton for some reason on the Deck. There is potential with Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024, but for every positive thing the game does, there's at least one big negative to counteract it. The variety of aircraft you can pilot is more varied than before, but you'll need to brush up on the various controls to get the most out of each craft. The ability to take photos while flying and on the ground is neat, but be prepared to only be wowed in certain areas. Those hoping for some detailed shots in more populated areas on foot will be sorely disappointed (or horrified). The inclusion of actual people would've been nice if they didn't look so last generation, and while the game has an abundance of activities and a full-fledged career mode, it would have been nice if the experience had faster loading times and was more stable overall. If this follows the trajectory of the previous game, then what you'll get in time is a flight sim that will cater to the hardcore but still be accessible enough for the casual player. Unless you're dedicated enough to want to get in right now with the latest and greatest or need more variety and objectives in a campaign, you might want to stick with the 2020 edition of Microsoft Flight Simulator for a little while longer to get your casual flight fix.

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