February 27, 2025 Development Update

This week’s Screenshot Challenge winner is Forum user HolmesCZ6127! If you’re interested in participating in our weekly Screenshot Challenges, check out the details in the Community section below!

The biggest news in the flight sim world this week is the release of the A350 Airliner from developer iniBuilds! This highly-anticipated aircraft is available now for PC simmers via the MSFS (2020) in-sim Marketplace and from the iniBuilds website. To celebrate the release, we have partnered with iniBuilds to give away a free A350 Airliner to the winner of this week’s Screenshot Challenge! Read on below in the Community section for more information on how to enter the contest.

Feedback opportunity! The dev team is currently looking for player feedback about the speech quality (text-to-speech) in Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024, particularly for languages other than English. If you would like to help the team improve the quality of the spoken dialog in MSFS 2024, please take a few moments to complete this short web form.

Finally, the team remains hard at work on Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 Sim Update 1 (SU1) and the in-sim Marketplace that will release alongside it. While we currently do not have a launch date to share, we are planning to release a new beta build to testers in the near future. Stay tuned for updates.

– MSFS Team

Development Update

Feedback Snapshot

SDK Update

Asobo

No update this week.

Working Title

No update this week.

Marketplace

Featured Release

This week, we’re excited to highlight the A350 Airliner from developer iniBuilds which releases for PC today!

Get ready to experience flight simulation like never before with the iniBuilds A350 Airliner for Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 & 2020. The iniBuilds team has carefully crafted almost every element of this next-gen widebody, blending cutting-edge simulation technology with real-world performance data and pilot feedback. Created from the ground up for MSFS 2024 & 2020, this premium aircraft offers unparalleled immersion and realism, from the cockpit to the cabin, delivering a breathtaking simulation experience. Explore the incredible feature set that makes this release a must-have for all serious flight simmers.

Marketplace Releases (MSFS 2020)

Click here for the web-friendly version of the Marketplace Update.

There are 50 NEW and 36 UPDATED products in this week’s Marketplace Update.

Released Monday, February 24:
8 NEW Products: 4 ON PC, 4 ON XBOX
New on PC and Xbox	New on PC and Xbox	New on PC and Xbox
	New on PC and Xbox

Released Thursday, February 27:
42 NEW Products: 22 ON PC, 20 ON XBOX
New on PC	New on PC and Xbox	New on PC and Xbox
New on PC and Xbox	New on PC and Xbox	New on PC and Xbox
New on PC and Xbox	New on PC and Xbox	New on PC and Xbox
New on PC and Xbox	New on PC and Xbox	New on PC and Xbox
New on PC and Xbox	New on PC and Xbox	New on PC and Xbox
New on PC and Xbox	New on PC and Xbox	New on PC and Xbox
New on PC	New on PC and Xbox	New on PC and Xbox
	New on PC and Xbox

Updated Monday, February 24:
14 UPDATED PRODUCTS: 7 ON PC, 7 ON XBOX
Updated on PC and Xbox	Updated on PC and Xbox	Updated on PC and Xbox
Updated on PC and Xbox	Updated on PC and Xbox	Updated on PC and Xbox
	Updated on PC and Xbox

Updated Thursday, February 27:
22 UPDATED PRODUCTS: 11 ON PC, 11 ON XBOX
Updated on PC and Xbox	Updated on PC and Xbox	Updated on PC and Xbox
Updated on PC and Xbox	Updated on PC and Xbox	Updated on PC and Xbox
Updated on PC and Xbox	Updated on PC and Xbox	Updated on PC and Xbox
Updated on PC and Xbox	Updated on PC and Xbox	Updated on PC and Xbox

Marketplace Backlog

Current Backlog: 443 Total

BACKLOG: NEW PRODUCTS

Content Type	In MS Processing	In MS Testing	In 3P Testing	Total
	*Testing Status*
Aircraft	19	2	3	24
Mission	44	33	87	164
Scenery	16	5	5	26
Livery	2	0	2	4
Airport	13	7	16	36
Other	3	4	6	13
Total	97	51	119	267

BACKLOG: UPDATED PRODUCTS

Content Type	In MS Processing	In MS Testing	In 3P Testing	Total
	*Testing Status*
Aircraft	17	7	28	52
Mission	20	0	0	20
Scenery	4	2	6	12
Livery	0	0	7	7
Airport	35	30	14	79
Other	2	1	3	6
Total	78	40	58	176

Third Party Update

As of 02/09, we have now approved 295 (+0) third parties into the in-sim marketplace and – so far 247 (+0) have released 4,778 products on PC (+392) and 4,539 153 on Xbox (+386).
In total, 5,443 products (+452) have already been released in 3^rd party stores and the in-sim marketplace. Beyond that, another 803 products (-10) from 3^rd party developers are in production (319 announced, 484 unannounced). In total, over 6,246 3^rd party products (+441) have either been released or are in development.
Airports:
- 2,593 airports (+181) are either released or are in various stages of development.
  - 2,401 airports (+171) have been released on the platform so far in various stores.
  - 1,935 airports (+199) have been released in the in-sim marketplace.
  - 89 airports (-8) beyond the released airports have been announced.
  - 103 airports (+18) are not announced, but the dev let us know that an airport is in production.
Aircraft:
- 943 aircraft (+15) are either released or are in various stages of development.
  - 473 aircraft (+25) have been released on the platform so far in various stores.
  - 395 aircraft (+27) have been released in the in-sim PC marketplace.
  - 381 aircraft (+29) have been released in the in-sim Xbox marketplace.
  - 209 aircraft (-2) beyond the released aircraft have been announced.
  - 261 aircraft (-8) are not announced, but the dev let us know that an aircraft is in production.
Scenery:
- 1,302 scenery packs (+56) are either released or are in various stages of development.
  - 1,261 scenery packs (+52) have been released on the platform so far in various stores.
  - 822 scenery packs (+53) have been released in the in-sim marketplace.
  - 20 scenery packs (+0) beyond the released scenery have been announced.
  - 21 scenery packs (+4) are not announced but the dev let us know that scenery is in production
Mission Packs:
- 781 mission packs (+153) are either released or are in various stages of development.
  - 746 mission packs (+159) have been released on the platform so far in various stores.
  - 685 mission packs (+161) have been released in the in-sim marketplace.
  - 0 mission packs (+0) beyond the released missions have been announced.
  - 35 mission packs (-8) are not announced, but the dev let us know that they are in production.
Livery Packs:
- 580 livery packs (+35) are either released or are in various stages of development.
  - 526 livery packs (+37) have been released on the platform so far in various stores.
  - 517 livery packs (+37) have been released in the in-sim marketplace.
  - 1 livery pack (+0) beyond the released scenery has been announced.
  - 53 livery packs (-2) are not announced, but the dev let us know that scenery is in production.
Ships & Watercraft:
- 47 ships & watercraft (+1) are either released or are in various stages of development.
  - 36 ships (+6) have been released on the platform so far in various stores.
  - 27 ships (+2) have been released in the in-sim marketplace.
  - 0 ships (+0) beyond the released ships have been announced.
  - 11 ships (-5) are not announced, but dev let us know that ships are in production.

Community

Creator Highlight: Practically Geek

For our February Creator Highlight, we’re focusing on cinematic video creator, in-sim screenshot photographer and self confessed all round aviation geek Bryan, more commonly known as Practically Geek in the world of flight simulation!

The love for aviation and technology started at an early age where at 12 years old, he was given his first computer and was keen to try running Flight Simulator 2000. With the launch of Microsoft Flight Simulator in 2020, Bryan set up his YouTube channel in order to begin sharing his passion.

The Practically Geek channel began with flight tours of the world’s most iconic landmarks. As more and more add-ons were released for MSFS, however, he noticed that the community was holding out for detailed reviews so they could decide which ones were worth purchasing or downloading. It encouraged him to focus on detailed analysis of freeware and payware add-ons and share the experience with the community. Proceeding to make stunning cinematic videos, Bryan creates content which is as visually beautiful in MSFS and incorporates his passion for aviation and cinematic narratives.

Bryan’s tips for those wishing to create their own cinematic videos is simple yet useful: get creative! Bryan suggests referencing actual world clips, particularly drone flight videos, for off-beat ideas of inspiration. To maintain smooth, accurate control over cameras, Bryan also recommends using an Xbox controller.

Recently, Bryan was afforded an opportunity to create the official trailer for AzurPoly’s Sepecat Jaguar military jet add-on, and is looking forward to upcoming 3rd party projects like Pyreegue Dev Co’s Birmingham Airport, and developer releases from organizations such as Burning Blue Design, NZA Simulations, and Hype Performance.

Check out Practically Geek’s YouTube, as well as their Instagram, Facebook, and X / Twitter!

Community Fly-In Friday

It’s another flight to a Northern locale again this week! After flying over Norway last time, for this Fly-In we’re off to the other side of the Atlantic to visit Yukon, one of Canada’s three territories. Will MSFS 2024 pilots see aurora borealis again?

Though sparsely populated today with a density of only 0.1 persons per square kilometer, Yukon is rich in minerals and other natural resources. The discovery of gold in 1896 led to an estimated 100,000 prospectors arriving from places such as Seattle and San Francisco in search of fortune during what became known as the Klondike Gold Rush. The biggest boom town of the gold rush, Dawson City, will be our full-stop destination during this flight.

For the best experience, MSFS (2020) pilots should download the free World Update XI: Canada from the in-sim Marketplace.

Event details are available here. All are welcome to participate!

Rise of a Pilot – Career Mode Livestream

Join Microsoft Flight Simulator Community Manager SeedyL – a real-life private and glider pilot and former ground school (classroom) instructor at a flying school – as he teaches viewers about aviation using the Career Mode in Microsoft Flight Simualtor 2024!

In this livestream video series, SeedyL will start a new pilot career in MSFS 2024 and progress through the training and certifications, using the sim to explain aviation concepts and flight techniques encountered throughout Career Mode. If you’re new to flight simming, this will be a great opportunity to learn more about flying, and if you’re an experienced simmer, you can be entertained by SeedyL’s commentary or share your aviation expertise with other viewers in the chat who may have questions.

Viewers in Twitch chat will have the opportunity to vote on how SeedyL’s pilot career should proceed, for example voting on which missions to take next or which certifications to pursue.

SeedyL will be back in the cockpit next week on Tuesday, March 4th. All episodes will be broadcast on our official Twitch channel starting at 11:00am PT (1900 UTC).

Community Video

For this week’s Community Video, Practically Geek showcases the new iniBuilds A350 Airliner. Check out his cinematic presentation of this popular new aircraft on YouTube below!