What you need to know
- Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 launched on November 19, 2024, for Xbox Series X|S and PC, with day-one availability on Xbox Game Pass.
- While the game promised substantial improvements over its predecessor, launch issues have marred the experience, resulting in a 'mostly negative' rating on Steam.
- Due to these technical problems, our review remains unrated as the game receives further updates.
- In response to community feedback, Microsoft has apologized on social media and is working to address the issues by increasing server capacity.
Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 debuted two days ago, poised for a landmark launch with its day-one availability on Xbox Game Pass, and promised substantial improvements, including enhanced terrain detail and a comprehensive career system. The build-up prepared many to don their pilot uniforms for the first time, attracting a broader audience beyond the franchise's usual niche.
However, Microsoft's apparent underestimation of this appeal has hampered what could have been. As revealed during a developer launch stream, the game was stress-tested with only 200,000 simulated users, a figure far below the actual demand. The result? It was a disastrous launch, with plenty of angry customers pushing 'mostly negative' ratings on Steam.
"We knew the excitement was high for Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024, but frankly we completely underestimated how high."
Our own Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 review remains unrated for now, as the game's current state has made meaningful testing nearly impossible. Senior Editor Ben Wilson is among many who are still encountering issues days after launch, refraining from scoring the game at all. Microsoft has apologized on social media for the widespread access problems and pledged to increase server capacity. However, a quick look at player responses reveals that these issues persist for a significant portion of the community.
We have increased our server capacity and are seeing more players accessing the sim, however, we are still seeing access issues continue. This is not the launch experience we want for our players and want to apologize to the community. We will continue to work around the clock…November 21, 2024
What is actually wrong with Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024?
Aside from overwhelmed servers preventing many from logging into the game, the game currently crashes at regular intervals with long wait times for logging back in. Additionally, as seen in several Reddit posts, those lucky enough to play for more than a few minutes are having issues with textures refusing to load.
Hmmm… Expectation vs. Reality 🥴 from r/MicrosoftFlightSim
Stunning graphics, right? from r/MicrosoftFlightSim
Some users are even having difficulty loading entire planes, with some meme-worthy shots of cockpits flying around in what looks more like a Starfield expansion than anything resembling Microsoft Flight Simulator.
I mean at least I'm getting some air 😂😂 pic.twitter.com/CJ99ZxWW6lNovember 21, 2024
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Steam 'review bombing' at launch
It's common for gamers to express dissatisfaction through Steam review bombing as a form of protest, but is this truly fair when many games encounter temporary launch hiccups? Should a game's rating suffer permanently due to issues that are ultimately fixable?
While it's true that Microsoft is actively addressing the problems and striving to improve the experience, and we're confident the game will shine once these initial bumps are smoothed out, the frustration of players is understandable. Whether they've paid full price or are accessing the game through Xbox Game Pass, consumers have every right to expect a polished product on launch day.
This situation is particularly frustrating for everyone involved, given the significant marketing push behind Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 alongside Xbox Game Pass, which aimed to attract a broader audience, and the fact that Microsoft — a server tech giant — should excel in managing server capacity. These make the launch issues all the more disappointing and raise questions about preparation. Did they really anticipate only 200,000 users?
Getting review bombed can also drown out constructive criticism, and It's for this reason that we've left our own review unrated for now, as the game's current state prevents us from providing thorough feedback. We remain hopeful that everyone, including our reviewer, will soon be able to enjoy smooth skies.
