Microsoft Flight Simulator Is Coming To Xbox, But Not Everyone Gets To Play

Ever since Microsoft Flight Simulator launched on PC earlier this year, Xbox owners have been asking for Microsoft to port the game over from PC. Last night, Microsoft shared some more news on that front, but it was a mix of good and bad news. The good news is that Microsoft Flight Simulator is indeed coming to consoles, but the bad news is that the Xbox One won't be one of them.

Yes, that means Microsoft Flight Simulator will be an Xbox Series X|S exclusive when it launches in summer 2021. It seems that the Xbox One – and even the Xbox One X, for that matter – don't have the horsepower to run Microsoft Flight Simulator in a way that the big M is happy with, because the last-gen console is absent from Microsoft's announcement.

Details about the Xbox Series X|S version of Microsoft Flight Simulator are pretty slim at the moment, but the expectation Microsoft is setting suggests that it be more or less the same as the PC version. "Simmers on Xbox Series X|S can expect the same level of depth as the PC version, allowing you to experience the most authentic and realistic flight simulator we have ever created," Microsoft Flight Simulator boss Jorg Neumann wrote on Xbox Wire.

Those playing on Xbox Series X|S can expect to receive the same World Updates and DLC that PC players get, though it's unclear if Microsoft will ship PC and console updates side-by-side or if console patches will lag behind PC. As you'd expect, the console version of Microsoft Flight Simulator will be available on Xbox Game Pass from day one, which comes as little shock since it's a first-party Microsoft game.

Microsoft also says that it's "working with several third-party partners" to create additional peripherals for Xbox Series X|S, so it sounds like console players will even get to experience the frustration of perpetually sold out HOTAS and flight sticks as well. We'll let you know when Microsoft shares more about the console version of Microsoft Flight Simulator, but otherwise, look for it to land on Xbox Series X|S in summer 2021.