Microsoft Flight Sim's latest update makes the Nordic countries even prettier, somehow

The latest stop in Microsoft Flight Simulator's globetrotting mission to polish up the planet, this week's World Update was given the unenviable task of somehow making the Nordic countries of Denmark, Sweden, Finland and Norway somehow look even prettier.

Scandinavia (and Finland) are known almost as much for their architectural creativity as their stunning environments. In the showcase trailer, we get a brief tour of some of the weirder and wilder structures now included in MSFS—from the vast, off-shore wind farms of Denmark and Sweden's prism-like Arctic Cathedral to Norway's imposing Holmenkollbakken ski jump.

The update also arrives with five landing challenges daring you to brave a range of wintery conditions, their associated airports recreated with brand new models.

All's well enough for a summer holiday in the Nordics, then. But for a more intense flight, MSFS is feeling the need for speed with free Top Gun-themed DLC. Expect fighter jets, touchy carrier landings, and some absolutely stellar eyewear when that drops later this year.

20 years ago, Nat played Jet Set Radio Future for the first time, and she's not stopped thinking about games since. Joining PC Gamer in 2020, she comes from three years of freelance reporting at Rock Paper Shotgun, Waypoint, VG247 and more. Embedded in the European indie scene and a part-time game developer herself, Nat is always looking for a new curiosity to scream about—whether it's the next best indie darling, or simply someone modding a Scotmid into Black Mesa. She also unofficially appears in Apex Legends under the pseudonym Horizon.