Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024, or MSFS 2024 for short, is a game where you fly planes, helicopters, gliders, airliners, and military jets over a detailed recreation of Earth. The world is full of airports, landmarks, live weather, changing seasons, and air and sea traffic, so there is always something to see on the way. It launched on PC and Xbox in November 2024, and the PlayStation versions followed in December 2025. You can fly just for the fun of it, or build a virtual aviation career over time.
Most flights follow the same basic pattern: you pick a mode, an aircraft, and a starting place on the world map. The mode sets your goal, with Free Flight for exploring at your own pace, Activities for specific tasks like precision landings or races, and Flight Training for learning the basics. Before you take off, you go through preflight checks and a walkaround, since each aircraft has detailed fuel, electrical, and hydraulic systems to look over. Then you take off, follow a route or mission instructions, and land, and once you're on the ground you can step out and explore on foot.
The long-term goal is a full virtual aviation career, and Career Mode starts you on the path to a Private Pilot License. As you gain experience, reputation, and credits, you unlock more certificates, specializations, paid jobs, and eventually the chance to own a company. Along the way you can compete against other pilots in Challenge League or Red Bull Air Races, or try World Photographer and capture landmarks and wildlife under set conditions. That steady progress gives every flight a purpose beyond the scenery.
- Developer
- Asobo Studio
- Publisher
- Xbox Game Studios
- Release
- PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 5 Pro: 2025-12-08 · Windows PC, Xbox Series X|S, and Xbox Cloud Gaming: 2024-11-19
- Platforms
- Windows PC, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox Cloud Gaming, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 5 Pro
Game data
Aircraft
Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 offers a broad range of aircraft, from light training planes and gliders to airliners, military jets, helicopters, flying boats and hot-air balloons. They come in Standard, Deluxe, Premium Deluxe and Aviator editions, and each higher edition includes everything in the lower ones. Free Flight lets you fly any aircraft your edition includes, while Career Mode is built around the default planes from the Standard edition.
Career Specializations
Career specializations are the job tracks in Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024's career mode, and each one decides which kinds of missions appear on your world map. You unlock a track by completing its general career objectives, flying a special golden-icon cradle mission and meeting its level or reputation requirement. Every track also needs at least one certification, which you buy with credits and earn through training and an exam. Early tracks cover everyday flying, while higher ones add rescue, firefighting, airline and cargo work.
MSFS 2024 gameplay tips
Start with a Discovery Flight. Open Activities and choose Discovery Flights. These begin with your aircraft already in the air, so you skip takeoff and go straight to views of places like the Pyramids of Giza, Yosemite National Park, and Mount Everest. It's a low-pressure way to get comfortable with flying before anything harder.
Finish Flight Training before Free Flight. The lessons with virtual instructor Jess use a Cessna 152, a popular training aircraft, and cover taxiing, takeoff, in-flight maneuvers, navigation, and landing. Free Flight opens up gliders, helicopters, airliners, and military jets, so the basics are already in your hands when you try something bigger.
Plan your route in the flight planner before a longer trip. It covers route, fuel, payload, vertical profile, and ETOPS planning, and it offers IFR and VFR map layers along with IFR charts. Working out fuel and load before you take off means fewer surprises mid-flight. The planner also runs on mobile devices and web browsers, so you can plan before you launch.
Earn the Private Pilot License first. It's the cheapest certification on the Career list, and the rest of your certifications come after it. Starting here keeps your early credits focused on the one goal that every other unlock follows.
Fly the golden-icon mission to open a specialization's jobs. Once a specialization unlocks, fly its golden-icon mission at its designated spot in the world. Without that first mission, the rest of its jobs stay off the map. Check the level and certificate needs first, since Cargo Transport - Light, for example, requires level 10 and a Commercial Pilot License - Airplane.
Own a company if you want the full payout. Employee missions pay you only a small share, because the employer keeps almost 95% of the credits. If you want the full reward, work as a freelancer with your own company and an aircraft that fits its missions. Good reputation also boosts income, so keep it high as you go.