Microsoft Flight Simulator GOTY edition will be a free update to existing players

Microsoft Flight Simulator will receive a Game of the Year edition and update on November 18. 

The GOTY edition of the beloved flight sim will be a free update for existing players and has been positioned as the ideal starting point for new players, per game head Jorg Neumann. 

Five new aircraft headline the new content in the expanded edition: the Boeing F/A-18 Super Hornet, which will be the game's first military jet; the VoloCity, based on a German air taxi prototype; the Pilatus PC-6 Porter utility aircraft; the CubCrafters NX Cub, complete with a newly introduced nosewheel option; and the Aviat Pitts Special S1S, now with a single seat. 

The GOTY update will also introduce eight airports based in Europe and the United States, six more locations for Discovery Flights, 14 new tutorials, and additional photogrammetry cities including Helsinki, Brighton, Newcastle, Nottingham, and several others. 

In addition to bespoke content, the expanded edition will add several features requested by flight sim enthusiasts. These include unspecified updates to the weather system, early DirectX 12 support, and "a dev mode replay system" which will seemingly make it easier to watch back flights. 

All of this will roll out alongside the Reno Air Races expansion pack and collection, also launching November 18. This paid update packs 40 aircraft and a multiplayer racing experience into a $59.99 collection, or if you really just want access to the race, you can get the $20 expansion pack which comes with four aircraft.

Microsoft Flight Simulator's Top Gun: Maverick DLC has been delayed to 2022.