World Update 23: Poland and the Baltics is now available for Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 and Microsoft Flight Simulator (2020). The free update refreshes scenery across Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland, with 12 areas of interest, 77 points of interest, five handcrafted airports, and new activities for both simulator editions. The World Update 23 release page details the new locations and missions.
World Update 23 reaches Poland and the Baltics
The scenery work brought together Bing Places, Asobo, and Gaya, using refreshed photogrammetry, triangulated irregular network surface texturing, and digital elevation model data. Eight of the 12 areas of interest are in Poland, two are in Lithuania, and one each is in Latvia and Estonia. The cities include Tallinn, Riga, Kaunas, Vilnius, Gdansk, Katowice, Krakow, Lodz, Poznan, Warsaw, and Wroclaw.
Among the 77 points of interest are castles, lighthouses, cathedrals, bridges, and towers. Featured landmarks include Malbork Castle, Trakai Island Castle, Rundāle Palace, Keri Lighthouse, and Kolka Lighthouse.
Five handcrafted airports join the scenery
Gaya created five airports for the update, including locations across all four countries:
- Kärdla Airport (EEKA) in Estonia
- Jūrmala Airport (EVJA) in Latvia
- Palanga International Airport (EYPA) in Lithuania
- Warsaw-Babice Airport (EPBC) in Poland
- Opole-Kamień Śląski Airport (EPKN) in Poland
The range includes an airport on Estonia’s Hiiumaa island and a private airfield near Warsaw. Together with the refreshed city scenery, the locations give pilots several new places to take off and explore the region.
Flight activities span both simulator editions
Both versions receive three Discovery Flights over Warsaw, Sigulda, and Tallinn. Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 adds four Precision Landings at the new airports. Kärdla pairs with a Textron Aviation Cessna Citation CJ4, Jūrmala with an Airbus A310-300, Palanga with an Airbus A320neo, and Opole-Kamień Śląski with a Textron Aviation Beechcraft King Air 350i. Microsoft Flight Simulator (2020) gets four Landing Challenges using those same airport and aircraft pairings.
The 2024 activities also include a Sopot Landing Challenge based on Łukasz Czepiela’s landing of a custom-modified CubCrafters STOL aircraft on the city’s wooden pier, a Guided Tour through Tatra National Park, and a Rally Race.
Aircraft releases from the September roadmap
The September 17 development update had scheduled Aircraft & Avionics Update 6 for September 29. Its planned aircraft, which were to receive native Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 standards, were the Dornier DO J “WAL,” Dornier DO X, Dornier DO 31, Junkers F13, and Junkers JU52.
The roadmap also paired Local Legend 26: Antonov AN-28 with World Update 23. AT Simulations’ planned aircraft features included more than 10 liveries, multiple cabin options, and authentic systems. The Antonov AN-28 release arrived on October 26.
Expert Series 03: Embraer 600 Praetor was scheduled for November 24. Asobo and Working Title are developing the aircraft, with sound work from Boris Audio Works and Microsoft. The announced features include pilot-accessible hydraulics, fueling and defueling, Ram Air Turbine panels, individually controllable cabin lighting, interactable tray tables, and lavatory equipment.
The Praetor’s planned avionics include a HUD, more than 900 pages of electronic checklists, on-screen charts, advanced flight planning, and a fly-by-wire control system. Its systems modeling covers individual valves, pumps, actuators, and circuit breakers, while an EFB app provides systems pages for interactable components.
Sim Update 7 and the National Championship Air Races
The September roadmap targeted Sim Update 7 for October 13 on PC, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, and PlayStation 5 Pro. The National Championship Air Races returned to Activities on that date, with a recreated course in Roswell, New Mexico, and a new STOL Drag class.
The roadmap described updates to 44 aircraft and race features that account for wake turbulence, wear and tear, and engine management. It also outlined private lobby races, with scheduled races planned for 2027. The activity was to be free, with an optional $40 aircraft package offering real-world National Championship Air Races paint schemes. Owners of the Reno Air Races DLC for Microsoft Flight Simulator (2020) were to receive that package at no additional cost. The October 13 return followed the previously announced air-racing plans.
Which World Update 23 activity would you try first, the Sopot pier landing, a Precision Landing, or the Tatra National Park tour? Follow us for more on the simulator’s new airports, scenery, and aircraft on X, Bluesky, YouTube, Instagram, Steam, and Telegram.
Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024
Developed by Asobo Studio
Pursue your dream of an aviation career with Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024. This brand-new simulator is designed to take advantage of the latest technologies in simulation, cloud, machine learning, graphics and gaming to create the most sophisticated, immersive and awe-inspiring flight simulator of all time. To achieve this unprecedented level of accuracy, Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 is powered by the significantly evolved Asobo Studio engine.
- Genre Simulator
- Platforms Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation VR2, PC (Microsoft Windows), PlayStation 5
- Perspective First person, Third person, Virtual Reality
- Modes Single player, Multiplayer
- Release November 19, 2024
- Publisher Xbox Game Studios
-
Age Rating
