Microsoft Flight Simulator X: Steam Edition is the 2014 re-release of the 2006 classic from ACES Game Studio, produced by Dovetail Games, and it carries the depth that made FSX the sim so many virtual pilots grew up on. You get a whole planet to fly over, more than 24,000 airports to fly into, and two dozen aircraft that cover nearly every kind of flying, from a Piper J-3 Cub puttering over farmland to a Boeing 747-400 crossing an ocean.
Your Flight, Your Conditions
Every flight starts with a few simple choices. Pick a departure point anywhere in the world, set the time of day and the season, then dial in the weather, whether that means a calm summer morning or a gusty winter approach under low cloud. The same route can feel like a completely different trip once the conditions change, and that is a big part of why FSX rewards flying it again and again.
Busy airports feel like working places, too. AI-controlled jetways, fuel trucks and moving baggage carts go about their business on the apron, so the ramp around you looks lived in rather than like an empty stage waiting for your arrival.
A Hangar for Every Kind of Flying
The included fleet is broad enough to keep you busy for months, and each type asks something different of you as a pilot.
- Airliners
- The Airbus A321, Boeing 737-800, Boeing 747-400 and Bombardier CRJ700 cover everything from short regional hops to long-haul flights, with the 747 as the heavy that rewards careful planning on every descent and approach.
- Business and Utility
- The Bombardier Learjet 45, Beechcraft King Air 350, Beechcraft Baron 58 and Cessna C208B Grand Caravan fill the space between light aircraft and airliners, ideal for quick point-to-point trips and practical utility flying.
- Light Aircraft and Classics
- Learn the fundamentals in the Cessna C172SP Skyhawk, step up to the faster Mooney Bravo, throw the Extra 300S through aerobatics, or take the Piper J-3 Cub and the Douglas DC-3 back to an earlier era of flying.
- Backcountry, Water and Gliding
- The De Havilland DHC-2 Beaver floatplane, Grumman G-21A Goose, Maule M7 Orion on wheels or skis, AirCreation trike ultralight and DG Flugzeugbau DG-808S sailplane open up lakes, snowfields, remote strips and quiet soaring.
- Helicopters
- The Robinson R22 Beta II, Bell 206B JetRanger and AgustaWestland EH101 take you from a nimble light trainer to a heavy multi-role machine, with all the hovering and slow-flight challenges that rotorcraft bring.
- Fighters and Warbirds
- The F/A-18 Hornet brings jet-fighter speed and carrier work into the mix, while the North American P-51D Mustang delivers a classic piston warbird that is as much at home on a racecourse as on a scenic afternoon run.
Over 80 Missions to Test Your Skills
When you want a goal rather than a free flight, more than 80 missions are ready for you. Search and Rescue sends you out to help people in trouble, Test Pilot assignments push aircraft toward their limits, and Carrier Operations take you far out to sea, with plenty more scenarios in between.
Each mission keeps track of how you performed and earns rewards for success, so there is always a reason to go back, fly it cleaner and move on to the next challenge once you are ready for it.
Air Racing and a Shared Sky
Racing mode turns precision flying into competition. Four types of racing are on offer, including Red Bull Air Race courses, the unlimited Reno National Championship course, cross-country and competition sailplane courses, and fictional tracks like the Hoop and Jet Canyon. Three difficulty levels let you start with simple pylon racing and work up to demanding courses flown in a variety of weather conditions.
- Race against friends on the same course, trading pylons and split times until someone finally puts together a clean, fast lap that nobody else can match.
- Fly as pilot or co-pilot and share the workload in one aircraft, which turns a long airliner flight or a tricky approach in poor weather into a genuinely cooperative experience.
- Step into the role of air traffic controller and guide other pilots through busy airspace, a completely different way to enjoy the same connected world from the ground.
Whether you want to chase a perfect lap at Reno, fly a search and rescue sortie into the mountains, or simply watch the sun come up over a coastline from the seat of a Cub, FSX is ready when you are. And when you want more, FSX add-ons can grow your fleet and deepen the world around it. Choose your aircraft, set your weather and take off.
