Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 may be preparing to land on PlayStation 5 this November, according to fresh retail‑insider tips picked up by multiple outlets — but the rumour arrives with a heavy asterisk: the simulator’s troubled console launch last year, ongoing performance concerns tied to cloud streaming, and an unclear VR story make a PS5 port both a huge opportunity and a major risk for Microsoft and Asobo. (playstationlifestyle.net) (play3.de)
Microsoft Flight Simulator has long been the crown jewel of realistic consumer flight simulation: a data‑heavy, globe‑spanning title that blends satellite mapping, live weather, and deep aircraft systems. The 2024 edition launched on PC and Xbox Series X|S on November 19, 2024, promising a leaner install, more environmental systems, a career mode, and “walkaround” features that expand what players can do outside an aircraft. (store.steampowered.com)
The launch did not go smoothly. Players reported extremely long loads, installs stuck at 97%, frequent crashes, and severe performance drops in populated areas such as airports. Major outlets and community threads documented those issues and traced many to overloaded or misconfigured cloud services used by the game to stream its world data. Microsoft and Asobo publicly acknowledged the scalability problems and committed to fixes, but the early impression left scars among players and critics. (theverge.com)
For now, this remains an exciting but unconfirmed story. The next few weeks (and any official PlayStation Store listing or developer announcement) will determine whether Microsoft is ready to make the sim truly platform‑agnostic — or whether this will become another case of a great game arriving on a new platform before it’s fully ready for the skies. (play3.de)
Source: powerupgaming.co.uk Rumor: Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 Set for PS5 Release in Fall - Power Up Gaming
Background / Overview
Microsoft Flight Simulator has long been the crown jewel of realistic consumer flight simulation: a data‑heavy, globe‑spanning title that blends satellite mapping, live weather, and deep aircraft systems. The 2024 edition launched on PC and Xbox Series X|S on November 19, 2024, promising a leaner install, more environmental systems, a career mode, and “walkaround” features that expand what players can do outside an aircraft. (store.steampowered.com)The launch did not go smoothly. Players reported extremely long loads, installs stuck at 97%, frequent crashes, and severe performance drops in populated areas such as airports. Major outlets and community threads documented those issues and traced many to overloaded or misconfigured cloud services used by the game to stream its world data. Microsoft and Asobo publicly acknowledged the scalability problems and committed to fixes, but the early impression left scars among players and critics. (theverge.com)
What the new rumour says
- The rumour, first amplified on social and by a number of websites on September 18, 2025, says Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 (MSFS 2024) is set for a PlayStation 5 release in November 2025, with retail sources pointing to a possible physical disc edition. (playstationlifestyle.net)
- The report traces back to a Polish outlet’s retail tip and has been picked up by several regional gaming sites and forum conversations. Independent leakers have previously suggested Microsoft is preparing a wider multiplatform push for some first‑party titles, which would make MSFS a logical — if ambitious — candidate. (ppe.pl)
Why Microsoft might bring Flight Simulator to PS5
Commercial and platform strategy reasons
Microsoft has quietly shifted its first‑party strategy toward multiplatform releases in recent years. Several Xbox Game Studios titles have been announced or released on rival platforms, a change that increases addressable markets and sales potential for high‑profile IP. Bringing a franchise as niche but prestigious as Flight Simulator to PlayStation could:- Expand the user base for premium editions, Marketplace content, and third‑party add‑ons.
- Boost sales for hardware peripherals (joysticks, HOTAS rigs) and third‑party scenery creators.
- Improve parity for cross‑platform multiplayer and community content ecosystems.
Technical feasibility
From a raw hardware standpoint, the PlayStation 5 is capable of running graphically ambitious titles and has shipped variants with upgraded cooling and storage options. A PS5 port is technically feasible — but feasible is not the same as straightforward. Flight Simulator’s architecture relies heavily on dynamic streaming of global photogrammetry, vector data, live weather, and other online services. Differences in OS, drivers, and available memory on consoles create a non‑trivial porting task that extends beyond a simple re‑compile. The development and QA overhead must be considered. (theverge.com)The elephant in the hangar: performance and stability history
Launch day and ongoing issues
The 2024 edition’s launch demonstrated several systemic problems:- Long load times and installs stalling (commonly around 97%).
- Random crashes to desktop or console dashboards during loading or gameplay.
- Micro‑stuttering and severe framerate drops — especially when entering or approaching dense environments such as major airports.
- Missing assets and mission service failures tied to backend databases and streaming services.
Community evidence
Community forums, Reddit threads, and internal monitoring showed widespread user reports and telemetry describing persistent problems well after launch. While patches and updates improved some scenarios, multiple sources and long forum threads indicate that console users continued to experience crashes, mission generation failures, and airport stutters months after release. These community signals add context that can’t be ignored when assessing the risk of a PS5 port. (reddit.com)Technical challenges Microsoft would face porting to PS5
Memory and storage constraints
- The original Flight Simulator 2024 pivoted to a smaller local install with on‑demand streaming of high‑fidelity assets. That reduces required disk space but increases reliance on a robust streaming pipeline.
- PS5 has strong I/O capabilities on PS5 Pro variants, but console memory and platform‑specific limits (e.g., unified memory budget, GPU/CPU differences) create trade‑offs: texture stream settings, object LODs, and parked aircraft culling need bespoke tuning per platform.
Cloud and streaming dependency
- The sim’s cloud dependencies (terrain tiles, photogrammetry, live traffic) mean Microsoft’s Azure infrastructure must provide consistent, low‑latency delivery to players on Sony’s network paths. Any port without platform‑specific CDN and cloud optimizations will inherit the same streaming bottlenecks that harmed the Xbox launch. Multiple investigative pieces and official statements pointed to Azure scaling as a core issue in the 2024 launch. (digitaltrends.com)
Control schemes and UX
- Flight sims rely on a broad ecosystem of peripherals: HOTAS, yokes, pedals, rudder controls, and multi‑monitor setups. The PS5 audience is more controller‑centric; Asobo would need to refine default controller mappings, onboard UI interactions, and cursor modes to avoid the controller/keyboard detection and switching bugs that frustrated Xbox players at launch. Community threads from consoles show this as a recurring friction point. (reddit.com)
VR: the wild card
Historical context: Flight Simulator and VR
The Flight Simulator franchise has supported VR on PC for years, and the 2020 edition shipped with robust VR capabilities. That established a precedent: a modern MSFS can run in VR on capable hardware. The question for a PS5 edition is whether a native PSVR2 experience would ship day‑one.PSVR2 on PC and the adapter story
Sony released a PSVR2 PC adapter that allows the headset to access SteamVR titles on PC, expanding the potential for PSVR2 owners to use PC VR content. That adapter confirms PSVR2’s usability on desktop setups, meaning a PC user can already use PSVR2 with Microsoft's simulator if drivers and SteamVR layers cooperate. However, reports and forum threads indicate MSFS 2024’s VR support remains unstable for many users, particularly with PSVR2 on PC, where performance inconsistencies and crashes have been reported. Sony’s adapter does not automatically mean a polished PSVR2 console build — a native port would require Asobo and Sony collaboration to implement platform‑specific features and performance tuning. (blog.playstation.com)Two likely outcomes for VR on PS5
- MSFS 2024 launches on PS5 without PSVR2 support (initial release focuses on base console experience).
- MSFS 2024 ships with PSVR2 support, but only after extensive optimization and likely as a later update.
What fans should watch for in the coming weeks
- Official press release or a PlayStation Store listing for Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 (PS5) — that would be definitive and will likely show whether the release includes a disc SKU, whether the game is a full native install or a launcher that downloads assets, and whether PSVR2 is listed as supported. (play3.de)
- Statements from Asobo Studio or the official Flight Simulator channels about platform support and features, including any console‑specific performance notes or parity commitments. Development updates in 2025 have shown the team communicates patch plans publicly; a cross‑platform announcement would probably follow the same channel. (flightsimulator.com)
- Community and early reviews for performance metrics: stable frame rates, crash rates, airport approach stuttering, and the fidelity of streamed photogrammetry on Sony network paths.
Critical analysis — strengths and risks
Notable strengths of a PS5 port
- Bigger audience and revenue opportunity. PlayStation’s install base remains enormous; even a fraction of core players converts to new sales, add‑ons, or Marketplace purchases.
- Strengthened third‑party ecosystem. A PS5 release would expand opportunities for scenery and aircraft developers to sell to a larger market, potentially revitalizing third‑party revenues.
- Competitive goodwill. A transparent, polished launch could be a PR win — showing Microsoft is committed to platform neutrality and that cross‑ecosystem availability is possible.
Major risks and potential downsides
- Repeat of launch pains. If MSFS PS5 ships with the same cloud‑streaming and stability problems that marked the Xbox release, Microsoft risks damaging its brand and consumer trust among PlayStation users who may expect higher polish from platform‑native releases. Coverage and community reactions around launch day already demonstrate the reputational cost. (theverge.com)
- Partitioning of development resources. Maintaining parity across PC, Xbox, PlayStation, and VR adds complexity. Asobo’s team must allocate engineering effort to platform‑specific optimizations, which can slow updates for all platforms unless the studio scales up resources.
- Peripherals and control mismatch. The PS5 audience may be less tolerant of keyboard and mouse workarounds or raw controller experiences for a simulation that historically shines with dedicated hardware.
- VR expectations. Promising PSVR2 support and delivering a sub‑par VR experience would be worse than no VR announcement. Given current PSVR2‑on‑PC teething issues, shipping a neat, performant VR mode on PS5 will require extra work. (forums.flightsimulator.com)
How Microsoft should approach a PS5 release (recommended roadmap)
- Ship a polished, native PS5 build that addresses console memory, I/O, and controller UX differences before announcing cross‑platform release dates.
- Coordinate with CDN and Azure teams to pre‑validate delivery paths and set up platform‑specific caching/edge rules to avoid the streaming choke points that impacted the Xbox launch.
- Defer PSVR2 support until the base experience is stable, then release VR as a separate, well‑tested update, ideally with Sony collaboration to match quality expectations.
- Publish clear post‑release support plans and a timeline for Sim Updates and hotfixes to rebuild community trust.
- Support a physical disc SKU only if it matches marketing expectations — clarify whether the disc will contain all game data or function as a license key for large streamed assets.
Red flags and unverifiable claims
- The retail tip pointing to November 2025 remains unconfirmed by Microsoft or Asobo; until a PS Store entry, official press release, or verified Microsoft channel confirmation appears, the claim should be treated as a credible rumour rather than fact. Multiple outlets have repeated the same retail whisper, which increases plausibility but does not equal verification. (playstationlifestyle.net)
- Past sightings of “Flight Simulator”‑branded titles on the PlayStation Store proved to be fraudulent or unrelated projects (AI‑generated cover art and shady publishers). That incident demonstrates how easily the marketplace can confuse consumers and why an official Sony or Microsoft announcement is necessary to confirm authenticity. (windowscentral.com)
Quick checklist for WindowsForum readers (what to do now)
- If you own PSVR2: avoid pre‑ordering any PlayStation Store listings titled “Flight Simulator” until the publisher is officially verified.
- If you’re a PC/Xbox player: keep an eye on official Dev Updates for performance patches, especially fixes addressing airport stutter and streaming reliability. The flight team has issued iterative updates and beta notes in 2025 that target these problems already. (flightsimulator.com)
- If you’re considering buying the PS5 mainly for MSFS: wait for official confirmation and early performance reports from trusted outlets and peer communities.
Conclusion
The rumour that Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 will land on PS5 in November 2025 is plausible and backed by retail tips and respected leakers — but it collides with a hard reality: the 2024 edition’s console debut revealed deep dependencies on cloud streaming and platform‑specific engineering that made the initial experience rocky for many players. A PS5 version could open the sim to a new generation of pilots and expand the ecosystem, but it would also carry substantial technical and reputational risk if Microsoft and Asobo do not resolve the underlying streaming, stability, and VR issues first.For now, this remains an exciting but unconfirmed story. The next few weeks (and any official PlayStation Store listing or developer announcement) will determine whether Microsoft is ready to make the sim truly platform‑agnostic — or whether this will become another case of a great game arriving on a new platform before it’s fully ready for the skies. (play3.de)
Source: powerupgaming.co.uk Rumor: Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 Set for PS5 Release in Fall - Power Up Gaming
