Since its release in November 2024, Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 has faced a rocky start. Many players were frustrated by cloud server issues, bugs, and technical problems, which made the experience less enjoyable than expected.
A rocky launch and ongoing issues
You might have noticed that, despite the game’s promising features, plenty of glitches affected gameplay. From graphical errors to aircraft model problems, the game struggled with stability and performance. While Microsoft and Aerosoft delivered a solid flight sim, several areas clearly needed improvement.
Last week, Aerosoft rolled out a huge patch known as Sim Update 2. This update, numbered 1.4.20.0, fixes over 5,000 bugs across the game. The patch covers various issues, from general gameplay to graphical glitches, aircraft details, and overall stability. It’s the biggest update MSFS 2024 has seen, tackling many of the worst problems and making the game more playable.
Will the update bring players back?
However, even with this massive update, the question remains: will players who left return? According to SteamDB, MSFS 2024’s peak player count over the last 30 days has been around 4,000—far below the 24,000 concurrent players it reached at launch in November. Meanwhile, the Anniversary Edition of MSFS 2020 still enjoys greater popularity on Steam. Since the game is also available on Xbox Game Pass, you might expect higher player numbers, but that hasn’t shown much impact.
It’s been a week since Sim Update 2 was released, and although the patch includes useful additions like improved weather effects and a new career mode, player numbers haven’t notably increased. Despite this, the developers are not slowing down. A new major patch is already in development and is available for beta testing.
If you’ve been waiting to see whether Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 will fully deliver on its promise, the latest update is a big step forward. But it may take more time and continued improvements to win back the player base and keep the skies busy again.
