Microsoft Flight Simulator Free Upgrade 'World Update 1: Japan' Will Include Cultural Sites

The first free upgrade for “Microsoft Flight Simulator” is set for a Sept. 29 release and will focus on a specific country.

Dubbed “World Update 1: Japan,” the developers previously announced that the updates for “Microsoft Flight Simulator” would let them revisit different parts of the world and slightly dress them up. Asobo Studio and Xbox Game Studios have not specified how regularly those updates would be rolled out.

“Microsoft Flight Simulator” was launched on Aug. 18 and uses satellite images, photographs, and publicly and privately available data sets to recreate an approximation of the globe for players to explore and fly around in.

“The update features an upgraded digital elevation map across the entire country, high-resolution 3D photogrammetry for six prominent Japanese cities (Sendai, Takamatsu, Tokushima, Tokyo, Utsunomiya and Yokohama), and six handcrafted local airports (Hachijojima, Kerama, Kushiro, Nagasaki, Shimojishima, and Suwanosejima),” said Jeremy Hinton, head of Xbox Asia, in an Xbox Wire article.

Soon after the game’s launch, Polygon reported that some players noticed some inconsistencies in certain areas of Japan. “World Update 1: Japan” will allow the developers to fix those problems while also giving them room to alter the look and feel of those spaces in one fell swoop.

With new Landing Challenges in Japanese airports being introduced in the update, it won’t be a stretch to expect more realistic terrain at all altitudes throughout the Land of the Rising Sun. These are evident in the new trailer that introduces several new buildings and locations including cultural sites like Himeji Castle and Miyajima’s Itsukushima Shrine and its famed “floating” torii gate.

While fixing the game’s virtual reality systems were given priority, the developers were then able to focus on these details of “Microsoft Flight Simulator.” The next free update will shine a light on the actual airplanes that are used.

To be called “Sim Update 1,” the as-yet unscheduled update could possibly include improved flight models on top of new planes although it will be followed by the game’s first paid downloadable content. This will be followed by a new cycle of World Update, Sim Update, and paid DLC.

Although no update beyond “World Update 1: Japan” has been announced, the developers have told Polygon that their goal for the next decade is to highlight the “Microsoft Flight Simulator” platform.