See how the new Microsoft Flight Simulator's airports compare to its predecessor

It's unsurprising that the forthcoming Microsoft Flight Simulator will look better than its 2006 predecessor: not even a cat would be surprised by that. Flight Sim X released in the same year as the first Saints Row, the first Gears of War, and Company of Heroes, and in the fourteen years since it's remained the benchmark for flight sims, albeit neglected.

No small amount of praise has been heaped on its forthcoming reboot: it's going to be brilliant. But the above-embedded video by YouTube channel Flight Sim really seals the deal, comparing airports in Flight Sim X with the 2020 game. In 2006, airports looked like a handful of cereal boxes plonked on low detail terrain. In 2020, airports look like airports. Perhaps even prettier than real airports.

You'll be able to fly anywhere in the world in the new Flight Simulator, and it'll simulate actual real time flight activity. Short of actually dying if you crash, it's bizarrely close to real life. There's a closed beta kicking off next month, and the official release window is still this year.

Shaun Prescott is the Australian editor of PC Gamer. With over ten years experience covering the games industry, his work has appeared on GamesRadar+, TechRadar, The Guardian, PLAY Magazine, the Sydney Morning Herald, and more. Specific interests include indie games, obscure Metroidvanias, speedrunning, experimental games and FPSs. He thinks Lulu by Metallica and Lou Reed is an all-time classic that will receive its due critical reappraisal one day.