Microsoft Flight Simulator Performance Patch Tested – Huge Gains!

Conclusion – Well done Asobo

Microsoft Flight Simulator has undergone some major changes since the game was released in 2020, so much so that it’s easy to see how the game was brought to consoles with stable performance levels. 

At launch, Microsoft Flight Simulator was heralded as the next Crysis, a game that offered truly next-level visuals and a showcase of ambition rarely seen within this industry. Microsoft Flight Simulator is a title that pushed many hardware enthusiasts to upgrade their systems, be it with a new CPU, graphics card or a new flight stick. Yes, the game was demanding, but the Microsoft Flight Simulator’s sheer scale and level of detail presented more than justified the game’s steep hardware requirements. 

The only flaw with Microsoft Flight Simulator was its performance. Stuttering was frequent at launch, and flying close to large cities (especially when near ground level) could often see framerates plummet, even on high-end gaming systems. While it was clear to see how performance could tank in this ambitious game, it was clear that improvements could be made to the game to deliver smoother framerates on PC. 

Microsoft Flight Simulator’s July 27th Patch

Alongside Microsoft Flight Simulator’s Xbox Series X/S launch came a PC patch that promised to deliver fewer stutters and boosted performance throughout the game. While Flight Simulator had performance patches before, none of them promised gains that were this significant. 

To say the least, Microsoft Flight Simulator’s latest patch is transformative. Framerate consistency is drastically improved, and performance is dramatically higher throughout the game. Now, 60 FPS framerates across most of the game are a reality for high-end systems owners, assuming that they have their settings dialled in right on the GPU side. 

Those stutters that plagued the game are gone, and now take-offs and landings in cities are dramatically smoother. Asobo has done a great job improving the performance of Microsoft Flight Simulator, and those changes have not come with any noticeable visual downsides. 
  

Before and after the game’s July 27th patch, we looked at the game’s CPU utilisation in like-for-like scenes to see how CPU core utilisation changes. Strangely, core utilisation did not appear to change, though it was clear that the game’s performance has improved. 

It is clear that Microsoft Flight Simulator’s July 27th patch does not allow Microsoft Flight Simulator to use more CPU cores/threads; it allows the game to utilise the resources that are available to it in a faster, more efficient manner. That is why this patch delivers notable performance improvements to all players, not just those with huge CPU core counts. 

Whether you are playing Microsoft Flight Simulator at 1080p or 4K or in primarily CPU-limited or GPU-limited scenarios, the game’s July 27th patch will give you more stable framerates and higher framerates. 

  
  

The Future of Microsoft Flight Simulator

Asobo and Microsoft plan to support Microsoft Flight Simulator over the long term. As an Xbox Game Pass title, Microsoft Flight Simulator is a game that is designed to bring players back to itself time and time again. Over time, the game’s technology is set to improve, and over time more and more content will be added to the game. One thing’s for sure, Microsoft Flight Simulator’s story isn’t over yet. 

In older interviews, Asobo has expressed interest in releasing a DirectX 12 update for Microsoft Flight Simulator, introducing new DirectX 12 Ultimate features like ray tracing into the game, and delivering further updates to the company’s simulation technology. 

Next month, Asobo plans to release the next world update for Microsoft Flight Simulator, focusing on Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. In time more updates like this will be delivered to the game, making Flight Sim’s interpretation of the world all the more accurate. 

Well done Asobo, for improving Microsoft Flight Simulator’s PC performance. We look forward to seeing what you do next with the game. 

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