The Microsoft Flight Simulator Team says the Halo 25th-anniversary release is available across all platforms, covering PC, Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5 players. The important distinction: downloading during the promotional window does not secure permanent free access.
How to find the Pelican trial
Windows Central’s Ben Wilson reports successfully claiming the aircraft using this route in Flight Simulator 2024:
- Open Marketplace from the main menu.
- Look for the D77-TC Pelican (free trial) banner.
- If the banner is missing, use Search Full Catalog, search for Pelican, and find the Microsoft/Asobo listing.
- Select Get for Free.
- Open aircraft selection and look for Misriah Armory D77-TC Pelican. Wilson reports that it appears with a yellow New tag.
That is Windows Central’s tested route, rather than a guarantee that every platform will display the same promotional banner. Searching the catalog provides an alternative when the featured placement is not visible.
What the add-on includes
Microsoft lists four principal features:
- A flight model that switches between drone and jet propulsion.
- Halo-inspired custom avionics.
- A complete interior, including the cargo bay.
- 12 liveries.
Those are the simulator features to judge during the trial. Microsoft’s accompanying description also discusses the Pelican’s fictional military capabilities, but that lore should not be read as confirmation of combat, troop deployment or weapons functionality in the add-on.
A returning crossover, with different terms
Longtime simulator pilots may recognize this visitor. Xbox Wire’s June 12, 2022 announcement introduced a Halo Infinite Pelican as a free Marketplace add-on for owners of the earlier Microsoft Flight Simulator and Xbox Game Pass members. Microsoft’s development update four days later specifically identified that aircraft as the D77-TC Pelican.
That history makes the distinction worth spelling out: the earlier release was announced as a free add-on; this Flight Simulator 2024 offer is explicitly time-limited, with paid access following the trial. The two announcements should not be treated as interchangeable licensing promises.
For interested pilots, the sensible approach is to use the trial to decide whether this unconventional aircraft deserves a permanent place in the hangar. Nostalgia can handle the takeoff; it need not make the purchasing decision.
References
- Microsoft Flight Simulator adds Halo's Pelican in a free trial, before it becomes paid
- Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 Celebrates Halo’s 25th Anniversary with the Release of the Halo Pelican - Microsoft Flight Simulator
- Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 Celebrates Halo’s 25th Anniversary with the Release of the Halo Pelican - XBOX Wire