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The next update for Microsoft Flight Simulator will add new locations in France, Belgium, Netherlands and Luxembourg. The amateur flight simulator launched in August of last year, with a virtual reality version released later in December. The game uses web mapping data to create a simulation of the entire planet, while also featuring some specific hand-crafted locations.

After its release last year, Microsoft Flight Simulator began receiving free post-launch content updates to continue fleshing out the immersive experience. Many of these updates worked to improve the game's simulated world by adding hand-crafted structures, enhancing the already impressive level of detail. A Microsoft Flight Simulator update in November focused on Great Britain, adding about 60 points of interest across England, Wales and Scotland. Major airports such as Manchester Barton and Land's End were included in this update.

Now Microsoft and Asobo Studio, in a livestream with gaming community Twinfinite, has detailed Microsoft Flight Simulator's upcoming France and Benelux update. According to Twinfinite, the fourth World Update for the simulator will include new aerials as well as a new digital elevation map for France. In January developer Asobo Studio announced that Flight Simulator's next update would focus on France and Benelux, a union of the three neighboring states of Belgium, Netherlands, and Luxembourg. A new trailer for the update focuses on several new landmarks that will be added to the game including Belgium's Museum aan de Stroom and France's Arc de Triomphe.

January's virtual reality update for Microsoft Flight Simulator brought the game's immersive experience to a previously unseen level. The update requires an OpenXR compatible headset, as well as a fairly powerful PC, to run the game in VR. Once all requirements are met, a simple keybinding is used to switch the simulation into virtual reality mode. Microsoft Flight Simulator's virtual reality mode brings the game even closer to a real-world flight experience, with the game being lauded as an extremely faithful adaptation of how it feels to fly a plane.

Microsoft Flight Simulator has received critical acclaim for its graphical fidelity and faithfulness to the feeling of flying an aircraft. The COVID-19 pandemic, in particular, has made it an extremely popular title for gamers who wish to simulate travel. Continued updates, such as the France and Benelux update, help to further improve the game's realistic and accurate world simulation.

Microsoft Flight Simulator is available now on Xbox One and PC.