Microsoft has announced the first-ever Microsoft Flight Simulator city update at Gamescom 2022, bringing visual improvements to five German cities. Along with the city update, the company has shared details for the upcoming Microsoft Flight Simulator 40th Anniversary Edition, which will include 12 new aircraft, four classic airports, and more.

In a blog post, Microsoft notes that the city update brings photorealistic versions of five German cities, namely Hanover, Dortmund, Dusseldorf, Bonn, and Cologne, and it's now available for download through the in-sim marketplace. The company has also released a video showcasing the enhanced visuals, and you can check it out by clicking on the YouTube video embedded below.

As for the Microsoft Flight Simulator 40th Anniversary Edition, the company says that it will feature helicopters and gliders for the first time since 2006. "In addition to the helicopters and gliders, we will introduce another highly-requested community feature: a true-to-life airliner, the sophisticated Airbus A-310 where nearly every single button works just as expected," writes Jorg Neumann, head of Microsoft Flight Simulator.

Furthermore, the 40th Anniversary Edition will also include seven famous historic aircraft, including the 1903 Wright Flyer, the 1915 Curtiss JN-4 Jenny, the 1927 Ryan NYP Spirit of St. Louis, the 1935 Douglas DC-3, the 1937 Grumman G-21 Goose, the 1947 Havilland DHC-2 Beaver, and the 1947 Hughes H-4 Hercules (the largest seaplane and largest wooden plane ever made). In addition, the update will also brings 4 classic airports, 10 glider airports, 14 heliports, and 20 classic missions from past versions of Flight Simulator.

Microsoft Flight Simulator 40th Anniversary Edition will be available for free for all game owners and Xbox Game Pass members starting November 11. If you're a PC gamer and don't own Microsoft Flight Simulator, we recommend getting an Xbox Game Pass subscription as the service recently picked up Death Stranding, Hideo Kojima's popular open-world action-adventure game, which you can enjoy while waiting for the 40th Anniversary Edition.

Source: Xbox Wire