After several delays to its launch, Microsoft Flight Simulator’s Sim Update 15 is finally here. It’s the last update for MSFS 2020 for a while as the team turns to MSFS 2024 development, however, the update arrives with a tremendous list of updates and the new iniBuilds developed A320neo v2.

Here comes the NEO v2!

Microsoft and Asobo have been working through their originally released aircraft providing significant updates for some, such as the SR22, 747-8i and 787, and completely overhauling in other situations. iniBuilds, a frequent partner with Microsoft, were tapped to upgrade the existing A320neo but have instead opted to create an entirely new version from scratch. The aircraft is a free update to all MSFS users so we’re essentially getting a new high fidelity A320neo for free.

It does create a situation where the sim now has, in effect, three free A320neo options. The original A320neo from Asobo remains in place for compatibility reasons. FlyByWire’s A32nx project remains entirely relevant too with their own efforts continuing independently. And then the iniBuilds A320neo v2 (as we’re calling it) offer a new free option which is available for Xbox too – something not the case for the FlyByWire.

The aircraft also has an available enhancement pack that adds the passenger compartment for those who have the available computing performance to support it. A nice option similar to what the company did with their A310 that was added in the 40th Anniversary edition.

Consequential updates

In addition to the new aircraft, Sim Update 15 is also bringing in a ton of other updates and some of them like the new memory manager are set to be consequential ones that help improve the overall performance of the sim. That should help users with lower spec systems and some console configurations to run complex aircraft better. The change should also prevent crashes before they happen in some circumstances.

Glass cockpit instrumentation from the G1000 through the G3X have seen bug fixes and feature upgrades too with the folks at WorkTitle in particular lending their expertise to making the G3X into a highly detailed rendition of the glass display.

There are a lot of changes coming in on the physics side of things too as Microsoft and Asobo continue to bolster some of the weaker aspects of Microsoft Flight Simulator’s featureset. Multi-rotor helicopter support has been added, there’s a new physics system for engine vibrations and micro movements so some engine operation causes subtle rocking back and forth on the ground, new soft gear physics for the Cessna 172 and Cabri G2 have been added as testbeds for the technology (and several third party aircraft are already supporting the feature). There’s also more accurate ground contact and handling. It should pave the way for better handling aircraft on the ground.

All of that plus tons of fixes to other aircraft like the A310, SR22, and more are all listed on the Release Notes for Sim Update 15.

It may be a long wait between now and another update. Jorg Neumann seemed to suggest that it would happen but that it may well be sometime in 2025. But if this is indeed the last major update for several months, its clear that the sim is going out on a high note with new content and significant updates. More content is indeed on the way for the sim so its not “the end” by any stretch of the imagination either.

Now we wait and see what MSFS 2024 has to offer us!