Microsoft Flight Simulator is Xbox Game Pass for PC's biggest launch

(Image credit: Microsoft)

Microsoft Flight Simulator was one of the highlights of E3 2019, and it managed to keep up the momentum all the way to launch, making it the biggest Xbox Game Pass for PC launch, as well as the biggest launch in the series' 38-year history.

Flight Sim boss Jorg Neumann shared some of the numbers today, which included an astronomical number of flights and miles flown.

"It’s been wonderful to see the reactions to Microsoft Flight Simulator from the community, who have flown more than 26 million flights and logged more than 1 billion miles flown to date," said Neumann, "the equivalent of flying around the world over 40 thousand times."

Players have flown into hurricanes, uncovered multiple giant obelisks, and taken real-time flights all the way across the world, and with the whole planet simulated, it'll be a while before we run out of things to do—but there is more coming. While the first patch was focused on fixing stuff, world updates, sim updates and themed DLC are also on their way.

In the meantime, why not join James on a trip into the strange with Fright Stimulator, our new video series that explores spooky real-world locations from the safety of the cockpit.

Fraser is the UK online editor and has actually met The Internet in person. With over a decade of experience, he's been around the block a few times, serving as a freelancer, news editor and prolific reviewer. Strategy games have been a 30-year-long obsession, from tiny RTSs to sprawling political sims, and he never turns down the chance to rave about Total War or Crusader Kings. He's also been known to set up shop in the latest MMO and likes to wind down with an endlessly deep, systemic RPG. These days, when he's not editing, he can usually be found writing features that are 1,000 words too long or talking about his dog.