GamingPickz

Microsoft Flight Simulator

Microsoft Flight Simulator is a 2020 flight simulation video game developed by Asobo Studio and published by Xbox Game Studios. It is a sequel to Microsoft Flight Simulator X (2006) and a reboot of the Microsoft Flight Simulator series, which began in 1982. The game's development began six years prior to its release. It was released on August 18, 2020 for Windows, with a virtual reality (VR) version released in December of the same year as part of a free update. Microsoft Flight Simulator is the first installment in the series to see a VR and console release, being released on the Xbox Series X and Series S on July 27, 2021.

Summary from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA, read 5 September 2026.

Simulation

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Would you recommend it?
Released
2020
Developer
Asobo Studio
Platforms
1 systems
Critics
Not scored
Steam Deck
Unknown
Download
Not stated
We have not written a full review of this game.This is a catalogue entry: everything below comes from a source we can link, checked on a stated date. There is no score and no verdict here, because we only publish those after a reviewer has played the game and written it up properly. Our team may well have played this one. Until someone writes the review, we are not going to imply a verdict we have not put our name to.

The record

Catalogue facts
First released18 August 2020
DeveloperAsobo Studio
PublisherXbox Game Studios
PlatformsXbox Series X and Series S
GenresSimulation

Source. Catalogue facts from Wikidata Q69523972, seeded 30 August 2026.

How long is Microsoft Flight Simulator? How long to beat it

Total play time for Microsoft Flight Simulator is about 1281.6 hours to do everything, and around 25.7 hours to reach the end of the main story. These are player-submitted times from HowLongToBeat, not our own, shown with the number of players behind each.

Microsoft Flight Simulator length by how much you play
How you playHoursPlayers logged
Just the main story: straight through the critical path25.7h31
Main + the extras: story plus the side content most people do185.9h10
Completionist: everything: 100% the game1281.6h4

Source: HowLongToBeat community submissions, read 2026-10-19.

Where Microsoft Flight Simulator sits on the grid

The grid places every game in the catalogue on measured axes rather than on an opinion. This is where Microsoft Flight Simulator lands on each map it has the data for, with the share of the catalogue it beats on each axis.

The whole catalogueRecent and quiet
Year
91ahead of 61% of the catalogue
Reach
45ahead of 84% of the catalogue

Percentiles are against the games that carry a reading on that axis, not the whole catalogue: counting a game with no figure as a zero would flatter everything that has one. How the grid works.

What readers say about Microsoft Flight Simulator

Reviews written by people who have played it. These are separate from the GamingPickz Score and are never averaged into it: that score comes from thousands of Steam reviews with a sample-size correction, and a handful of unverified ratings would distort it rather than improve it.

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Where Microsoft Flight Simulator appears

The ranked lists and finder pages Microsoft Flight Simulator qualifies for, from its own genre and platform to what it takes to run.

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Common questions about Microsoft Flight Simulator

What platforms is Microsoft Flight Simulator on?

Microsoft Flight Simulator is available on Xbox Series X and Series S. It first released in 2020.

Who made Microsoft Flight Simulator?

Microsoft Flight Simulator was developed by Asobo Studio and published by Xbox Game Studios.

How long does it take to beat Microsoft Flight Simulator?

about 25.7 hours for the main story, 185.9 hours with the main extras, 1281.6 hours to complete everything, from HowLongToBeat's player-submitted times. These are community medians, so your own run may be shorter or longer.