In the patch notes for Sim Update 4, aka patch 1.16.20.0, the development team said it had performed optimisations for the initial full download of Microsoft Flight Simulator so the base game is 83GB instead of over 170GB. It’s good news to see the game’s download halved, although 83GB is still a chunky old effort. According to Microsoft Flight Simulator’s official specifications, you’ll still need 150GB of space on your hard-drive for the installation. The game’s Microsoft Store page says it weighs in at 127.01GB. Is Microsoft Flight Simulator worth the download? Absolutely. Martin Robinson gave it a coveted Essential badge in Eurogamer’s review, calling Microsoft Flight Simulator “a technical marvel, as well as an education and exploration of the joys of flight”. As for what’s next, an Xbox version is in the works. Perhaps we’ll see more of that during Microsoft’s E3 media briefing.

Microsoft Flight Simulator patch reduces download from over 170GB to 83GB - 45