When you bought your Xbox Series X, you probably did so to play the latest Halo game. Maybe you wanted to show all your friends Forza Horizon 5 on the latest system with a fantastic high-end TV. Or maybe you really wanted to see all the retro games boosted with better resolutions and higher frames per second. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with any of that, but if you have Game Pass, it’s literally a crime to not download Microsoft Flight Simulator 2000.
No, you might not enjoy Flight Simulator in the way that you enjoy normal games. It’s no Rocket League. In fact, it’s mostly slow despite traveling usually over 200 mph… and it’s hard, as in really, really hard. The difficulty for this simulator (I’m not even sure I’d classify it as a game) is remarkable. And yet, learning how to land a Cessna on a little air strip located on an island in the Baltic Sea is so rewarding, so tranquil, and so pleasant, that everyone should at least try this thing. If you showed something like this to someone twenty years ago, they’d think it was worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. If you showed it to someone forty years ago, it would be witchcraft. But today, unbelievably, if you have Game Pass, Microsoft Flight Simulator 2000 is free.
Free.
That means you have an ultra powerful, photorealistic simulator for zero cost. How in the world could you not download it? On a TV with great HDR, the experience is on par with the first time you tried good virtual reality. You can play the simulator with current weather conditions, you can travel anywhere on the entire globe, and the Xbox Series X plays this thing at marvelous settings. It really is something to behold.
But Microsoft Flight Simulator is a year old… why review it now? Well, the bugs and glitches have been worked out over the past year. The game is available now on Game Pass. There are finally enough people on Xbox Series X to chat about it. The chip shortage over the last twelve months has meant that few players had the chance to enjoy this amazing sim on an amazing next gen box. And yes, if you have a $5,000 gaming PC or better, I’m sure that’s the way to go. But there’s no doubt that the Series X with a great TV will provide the best experience for the most people.
We’ve come a long way since games like Sim Copter and the original Flight Simulator. If you have Game Pass and an Xbox Series X, just go download this simulator now. You might not even like it, but you’ll have to admit this is something unparalleled. It’s an experience, not a game.
