Microsoft has released City Update 13: California for the Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 Released. The update is available now for free and expands the simulator with 18 meticulously recreated cities in the US state of California.
Technically, Microsoft is once again relying on TIN surface textures to render urban structures more precisely and realistically. This is primarily of interest to VFR pilots and simmers who value realistic cityscapes. The latest simulator version is required; after that, the City Update can be downloaded as usual via the in-game marketplace.
From Sacramento to San Diego: What's specifically new
The City Update covers almost all of California geographically. In the north, the journey begins in Sacramento, including the State Capitol, Tower Bridge, and Ziggurat Building. The San Francisco Bay Area has been particularly extensively expanded: San Francisco itself, Oakland, San Jose, Fremont, Novato, and San Rafael benefit from a noticeably higher level of detail, especially in skylines, bridges, and prominent buildings.
In the San Joaquin Valley, Modesto, Fresno, and Visalia have been added – less spectacular, but attractive for cross-country flights through the agricultural heart of the state. Along the Central Coast, Santa Maria and Santa Barbara have been added, including port facilities, missions, and coastlines.
The largest block comprises Greater Los Angeles, including Los Angeles, Glendale, Santa Clarita, Inglewood, Long Beach, Anaheim, and Irvine. This area offers the greatest benefit for low-level flights, as urban density, transportation routes, and well-known landmarks are more clearly separated. The block concludes with San Diego, featuring its harbor, skyline, and Coronado Bridge. The impressiveness of this is demonstrated below. Our review of Microsoft Flight Simulator on PS5.
More detail, but no miracles.
Microsoft is once again using TIN (Triangulated Irregular Network) textures to model cities more realistically. This results in sharper building shapes and more believable elevation profiles. However, don't expect a completely hand-built city, as City Update 13 remains firmly within the familiar World Update logic. Those expecting photogrammetric perfection will only find it in isolated instances.
In previous City Updates, the performance loss was minimal. Depending on hardware and region, some streaming buffering may still occur, especially in metropolitan areas like Los Angeles or San Francisco.
In summary, City Update 13 is a solid, expected update that visibly enhances California in Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 without making any false promises. It's worth downloading for simmers who focus on realistic landscapes.
