Britain gets a little greater in new Microsoft Flight Simulator update

Microsoft Flight Simulator's third major update has released, which introduces major changes to the terrain of the UK and Ireland, and it comes with the above trailer, which I find oddly stirring. Maybe it's because we've all been stuck indoors for a year, but a reminder of the scale and beauty of the UK and Ireland from the skies... it's just the ticket right now.

"Take flight into a region rich with tradition, culture and heritage—not to mention a fair share of myth and legend," writes Jorg Neumann, head of Microsoft Flight Simulator. "From seats of royalty to centers of finance, bustling metropolitan hubs to sprawling farmsteads and cliffside villages, the splendor of the United Kingdom and Ireland is on full display with dramatic upgrades and visual enhancements."

The blog post goes into some detail on the update, which features high-resolution 3D photogrammetry for the cities of Birmingham, Bristol, Cambridge, London and Oxford, five new airports (Barra, Liverpool, Land’s End, Manchester-Barton and Out Skerries), and adds "compelling architectural elements throughout the region, ranging from British manors and Victorian homes to countryside stone structures, castles and churches—and even some drive-thru restaurants."

The update also adds landmarks and points of interest, several of which are highlighted in the above trailer, including a wonderful flyover of Anthony Gormley's Angel of the North. The update also, in keeping with the interests of these isles' inhabitants, goes out of its way to add some famous football stadiums.

Rich is a games journalist with 15 years' experience, beginning his career on Edge magazine before working for a wide range of outlets, including Ars Technica, Eurogamer, GamesRadar+, Gamespot, the Guardian, IGN, the New Statesman, Polygon, and Vice. He was the editor of Kotaku UK, the UK arm of Kotaku, for three years before joining PC Gamer. He is the author of a Brief History of Video Games, a full history of the medium, which the Midwest Book Review described as "[a] must-read for serious minded game historians and curious video game connoisseurs alike."