Microsoft Flight Simulator breaks down its multiplayer mode

Flight Simulator is one of the most hotly anticipated games of 2020 and, ahead of its eventual launch sometime this year, developer Asobo Studio has shared a video detailing Flight Simulator’s multiplayer mode.

The game’s main mode will see all the players playing in the same world together. Microsoft’s Azure servers will help bring you all together using the power of the cloud, meaning you’ll be able to see your fellow flight enthusiasts in real time.

Players will also be capable of forming groups to fly together, with one designated leader changing settings such as the weather and time. These changed settings will only affect those in the group.

Multiplayer mode also includes real-life flights occurring at the same time. Most of these flights will be accounted for in real time, with AI filling in the gaps if a plane’s flight path is momentarily lost. This real-time feature can be turned on or off without affecting multiplayer.

Asobo Studio CEO Sebastian Wloch says that Flight Simulator’s servers can handle “tens or hundred of thousands of planes at a time” but, to keep the player’s computer or Xbox One from frying as it attempts to process these thousands of flights, the game will only load real-time air traffic that’s within 200km of their location.

Flight Simulator will also only load up to 50 planes from fellow players within that 200km range at a time. The exact number will vary based on your system specs, so don’t expect to be seeing all 50 flights at a large render distance if your setup isn’t the best in the world.

Microsoft Flight Simulator will release this year on Windows 10 PCs and Xbox One. It’ll also be available through Xbox Game Pass.

In related Flight Simulator news, the game will have real-time weather that changes with the in-game seasons. That means that if it’s snowing up a storm outside your house, you’ll be able to snuggle up in front of your console or computer and fly a plane through that exact storm.

Flight Simulator will also have every single airport on the planet included in-game, with 80 of the world’s most iconic airports receiving special attention with unique features to bring them to life.