Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 – Pre-Order Available Now!

So today Microsoft made the big announcement that they were going to be releasing the new Flight Simulator on August 18th. With this announcement they began to take PRE-ORDERS. These are exciting times and I suspect that Microsoft Flight Simulator is going to revolutionize the Flight Sim industry. 

Please note that this post does include affiliate links, which means that if you make a purchase after using my link, then I will receive a commision. The links will not affect your purchase or price in anyway. If you use my link, I really appreciate the support as this helps keep VR Flight World running. 

What is the difference between Standard and Premium Deluxe Pre-Orders?

So Microsoft has released their new Flight Simulator with three different versions: Standard, Deluxe and Premium Deluxe.

So, you might be wondering, what is the difference between these three.

Well essentially at this point the difference is that you get more aircrafts and more airports… But isn’t Microsoft Flight Simulator, simulating the entire world.

Well, they are providing us with the entire world for each version, however the premium versions will have more detailed airports. So essentially you will be paying for the hand crafted airports that have been designed to perfection. It doesn’t restrict you in anyway, but allows you to experience flight with more detail at those specific airports.

Standard Edition

For the standard Edition you will received 20 aircraft and 30 hand crafted airports.

Deluxe Edition

For the Deluxe Edition you will receive 25 aircrafts and 30 hand crafted airports.

Premium Deluxe Edition

For the Premium Deluxe Edition you will receive 30 aircrafts and 40 hand crafted airports.

Upgrade Possiblility?

Yes, after you have purchased one of the PRE-ORDERS, their will be an ability to upgrade later. Microsoft states that this will be a more expensive option.

Below, I have included the list of airports that have been hand crafted by the developers. I have also included the list of aircrafts that have been announced for each different edition of the Flight Simulator.

Airport List

AircraftMANUFACTURERSTANDARDDELUXEPREMIUM
A320neoAirbusYesYesYes
Pitts Special S2SAviatYesYesYes
747-8 IntercontinentalThe Boeing CompanyYesYesYes
XCubCubCraftersYesYesYes
TBM 930DaherYesYes Yes
DA62Diamond AircraftYesYesYes
DA40 NGDiamond AircraftYesYesYes
EXTRA 330LT EXTRAYesYesYes
Flight Design CTSLFlight DesignYes YesYes
ICON A5ICON AircraftYes YesYes
VL-3JMB Aircraft s.r.oYesYesYes
CAP 10Robin Aircraft SASYesYesYes
DR400-100 CadetRobin Aircraft SASYesYesYes
Beechcraft Bonanza G36Textron Aviation Inc.YesYesYes
Beechcraft Bonanza 350iTextron Aviation Inc.YesYesYes
Cessna 152Textron Aviation Inc.YesYesYes
Cessna 172 Skyhawk (G1000)Textron Aviation Inc.YesYesYes
Cessna 208 B Grand Caravan EXTextron Aviation Inc.YesYesYes
Cessna Citation CJ4Textron Aviation Inc.YesYesYes
Savage CubZlin AviationYesYesYes
DA40-TDIDiamond Aircraft YesYes
DV20Diamond Aircraft YesYes
Beechcraft Baron G58Textron Aviation Inc. YesYes
Cessna 152 AerobatTextron Aviation Inc. YesYes
Cessna 172 SkyhawkTextron Aviation Inc. YesYes
787-10 DreamlinerThe Boeing Company  Yes
SR22Cirrus Aircraft  Yes
Virus SW 121Pipistrel  Yes
Cessna Citation LongitudeTextron Aviation Inc.  Yes
Shock UltraZlin Aviation  Yes
TOTAL 202530

Aircraft List

AIRPORTICAOSTANDARDDELUXEPREMIUM
Aspen/Pitkin County Airport (USA)KASEYesYesYes
Bugalaga Airstrip (CAMA) (Indonesia)WX53YesYesYes
Chagual Airport (Peru)SPGLYesYesYes
Courchevel Altiport (France)LFLJYesYesYes
Donegal Airport (Ireland)EIDLYesYes Yes
Entebbe International Airport (Uganda)HUENYesYesYes
Cristiano Ronaldo Madeira International Airport (Portugal)        LPMAYesYesYes
Gibraltar International Airport (Gibraltar/UK)LXGBYesYesYes
Innsbruck Airport (Austria) LOWIYes YesYes
Los Angeles International Airport (USA)KLAXYes YesYes
Tenzing-Hillary Airport (Nepal)VNLKYesYesYes
Nanwalek Airport (USA)KEBYesYesYes
John F. Kennedy International Airport (USA)KJFKYesYesYes
Orlando International Airport (USA)KMCOYesYesYes
Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport (France)LFPGYesYesYes
Paro International Airport (Bhutan)VQPRYesYesYes
Queenstown Airport (New Zealand)NZQNYesYesYes
Mariscal Sucre International Airport (Ecuador) SEQMYesYesYes
Rio de Janeiro-Antonio Carlos Jobim/Galeão Int’l Airport (Brazil) SBGLYesYesYes
Juancho E. Yrausquin Airport (Dutch Saba)TNCSYesYesYes
Gustaf lll Airport (France/Saint Barthélemy)TFFJ YesYesYes
Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (USA)KSEA YesYesYes
Sedona Airport (USA)KSEZ YesYesYes
Sirena Aerodrome (Costa Rica)MRSN YesYesYes
Stewart Airport (Canada)CZST YesYesYes
Sydney Airport (Australia)YSSY Yes YesYes
Telluride Regional Airport (USA)KTEX YesYes Yes
Haneda Airport (Japan)RJTT YesYes Yes
Toncontin International Airport (Honduras)MHTG YesYes Yes
Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport (Canada)CYTZ YesYes Yes
Amsterdam Airport Schiphol (Netherlands)EHAM YesYes
Cairo International Airport (Egypt)HECA YesYes
Cape Town International Airport (South Africa)FACT YesYes
O’Hare International Airport (USA)KORD YesYes
Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas Airport (Spain)LEMD YesYes
Denver International Airport (USA)KDEN  Yes
Dubai International Airport (United Arab Emirates)OMDB  Yes
Frankfurt Airport (Germany)EDDF  Yes
Heathrow Airport (United Kingdom)EGLL  Yes
San Francisco International Airport (USA)KSFO  Yes
TOTAL 303540

What About Xbox?

Well, at this point Microsoft Flight Simulator will not be releasing a version for Xbox. The Xbox version is coming and will be released in the future, however at this point in time you cannot get it for Xbox.

How Much does it Cost?

Each version comes at a significantly different price point. At this point, the prices are as follows.

  • Standard Edition – $59.99 USD
  • Deluxe Edition – $89.99 USD
  • Premium Edition – $119.99 USD
  • Xbox Game Pass – $14.99 USD – Ongoing Monthly subscription

Xbox Game Pass is a subscription that Microsoft Uses for their platform. The only downside to accessing it through your Xbox Game Pass, is that you will only have the Standard Edition. I am assuming their will be a way to upgrade this as well, however I have not heard if this will be possible.

When will it be released?

August 18, 2020 is the official release date for Microsoft Flight Simulator.

What are the specifications for the simulator?

OSWindows 10 version 18362.0 or higher
Architecturex64
KeyboardIntegrated Keyboard
MouseIntegrated Mouse
DirectXVersion 11
Memory8 GB
Video Memory2 GB
ProcessorIntel i5-4460 | AMD Ryzen 3 1200
GraphicsNVIDIA GTX 770 | AMD Radeon RX 570
OSWindows 10 version 18362.0 or higher
Architecturex64
KeyboardIntegrated Keyboard
MouseIntegrated Mouse
DirectXVersion 11
Memory16 GB
Video Memory4 GB
ProcessorIntel i5-8400 | AMD Ryzen 5 1500X
GraphicsNVIDIA GTX 970 | AMD Radeon RX 590

What About VR?

Up until this point there has been no official announcement to say that they will be supporting VR when the simulator gets released.

There have been unofficial announcements where developers have stated that VR would be a priority, however in my opinion we might not get VR right out of the gate.

I do however suspect that VR will be coming in a future release.

How Do I Get This Flight Simulator?

In order to purchase this sim, I will leave a link below. This link will bring you to the PRE-ORDERS page, where you can purchase the simulator. Of course, you won’t have access to the sim until August 18. After you make the purchase, it will install on your computer. The link below will be an affiliate link, which means that I will earn a small commision if you buy through my link. This won’t effect your purchase or price in anyway and I really appreciate the support. This helps us keep VR Flight World running strong. Thanks in advance!

Microsoft Flight Simulator – Pre-Order (Microsoft Ad Link)

Hope you have an awesome day!
Dan

Dan

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