Microsoft Flight Simulator’s next update will greatly improve performance

The next update for Microsoft Flight Simulator should provide a huge performance boost for many players.

That’s according to Asobo Studio CEO Sebastian Wloch, who showed off the difference between the current version of the game and the upcoming update in an official live stream.

In the video, Wloch shows footage from his own PC, which is running an Intel Core i7-900K CPU and an NVIDIA Geforce RTX 2060 Super GPU, running at Ultra graphics settings with a 4K upscale.

The test shows Wloch flying over Manhattan, with the on-screen specs showing the game’s frame rate going between 30-40 frames per second.

Wloch also shows that while playing the current version, his CPU is running at 100% capacity while his GPU runs between 50-75%.

He then switches to the same scene running on the upcoming Update 5 patch, using the same PC with the same settings. Now the frame rate goes between 55-60 frames per second.

Meanwhile, Wloch’s Task Manager shows that the CPU and GPU’s roles have reversed, with the GPU now running at nearly 100% capacity and the CPU running at around 75%.

“You can even run other stuff in the background, which isn’t going to make your sim stutter anymore”, he states.

He concludes: “On my computer it’s up by 20-30 frames per second, with 25% CPU freed on the system.”

further reading

4

Microsoft Flight Simulator is getting five new user-friendly features on Xbox

The game is being made more accessible to console players without being 'dumbed down'

Update 5 is expected to release alongside the Series X and S versions of Microsoft Flight Simulator on July 27, which should also mean the console versions will similarly benefit from the boost.

Last month Jorg Neumann, the head of Flight Simulator at Microsoft, explained five main improvements coming to the Xbox Series X and S versions that are designed to make the game more approachable for console players.