Microsoft Flight Simulator Update 21 is now available, bringing enhanced Australian scenery to both Microsoft Flight Simulator (2020) and Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024. To mark the release, Microsoft Australia invited me to an exclusive launch event in Sydney. Hosted by the New South Wales Rural Fire Service at its Bankstown hangar, the event featured a NSW RFS helicopter as a striking backdrop.

Members of the New South Wales Rural Fire Service were in attendance, alongside the head of Microsoft Flight Simulator, Jörg Neumann. Together, they discussed a very special new addition to the game.

For this second Australian update to Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024, the first being Update 7 released in 2022, Jörg Neumann and his team at Asobo Studio set out to include an iconic aerial firefighting experience. Partnering with the New South Wales Rural Fire Service, Asobo has added an authentic fixed-wing water-bombing mission that allows players to combat a simulated bushfire near Jervis Bay, NSW, as part of the new rescue challenge, Firefighting at Sussex Inlet.

In conversation, Jörg Neumann explained that the original concept had the Air Tractor AT-802 refilling at Coffs Harbour, but consultation with the New South Wales Rural Fire Service revealed the harbour would be too choppy under most conditions. As a result, the mission was relocated to Sussex Inlet, south of Sydney, where players can refill their tanks using one of the many lakes, inlets or waterways in the region.

The launch event featured two PC setups running Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024, each equipped with Thrustmaster Warthog HOTAS systems, alongside a PlayStation 5 Pro running the game with PlayStation VR2. The high-end PCs showcased the updated Australian scenery and the firefighting mission, while the PlayStation 5 demonstrated the newly released console VR experience with a flight over Sydney.

It was my first experience flying in Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 in VR on PlayStation 5. I’ve been using VR on PC for years, initially with the HTC Vive and more recently the Meta Quest 3, and even then the setup process can be something of an ordeal. By comparison, the PSVR2 offers by far the most painless path to high-performance VR gaming. Simply picking up a PSVR2 headset and jumping straight into MSFS 2024 delivers one of the most accessible high-end VR experiences available. Flying over Sydney in VR on PlayStation 5 was genuinely magical, thanks largely to the game’s impressive performance. Weaving smoothly through the buildings of the CBD felt effortless, with my session ending only after a poorly executed barrel roll.

The Firefighting at Sussex Inlet mission puts players in the cockpit of an Air Tractor AT-802 as they approach a plume of smoke rising from Jerrawangala National Park, between Nowra and Ulladulla. The first task is to refill the aircraft’s water tanks, with adventurous pilots able to choose from several rivers for a water-scooping run. I opted for the large lake north of Sussex Inlet. After setting down, the scoops must be opened manually while taxiing across the water as the tanks fill. Once the scoops are closed, it is time to apply power. Laden with water, the aircraft only just lifted off before the lake ran out. With the AT-802 turned back towards the fire, I flew the short three-kilometre leg and released the load over the smoke plume, bringing the mission to a close.

The water-bombing mission really highlights the incredible work carried out by the New South Wales Rural Fire Service and other firefighting agencies across Australia to protect rural communities. If you own Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024, the Firefighting at Sussex Inlet mission can be found in the Activities section under Custom Content.

Alongside the special firefighting mission, Microsoft Flight Simulator Update 21 adds 40 new areas of interest across Australia, enhanced with photogrammetry and customised surfaces to significantly boost scenery detail. These additions introduce new points of interest, including parks, dams and other major landmarks. The update also brings six new handcrafted airports, ranging from the dusty gravel strip at Coober Pedy to Lord Howe Island Airport.

Owners of Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 receive three new discovery flights, five precision landings, two low-altitude challenges and two rally race challenges, while Microsoft Flight Simulator (2020) players gain three discovery flights, three landing challenges and a bush trip along the Great Ocean Road.

The Microsoft Flight Simulator team continues to redefine simulated flight, bringing the world into the game with an ever?evolving level of visual detail. Update 21 is available now, free of charge for owners of Microsoft Flight Simulator (2020) and Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024. For those keen to explore the land down under, the sky is, most definitely, calling.