The Microsoft Flight Simulator 40th Anniversary update is here, and it includes a rather delightful easter egg for fans of one of the best plane games on PC. The mammoth update includes the introduction of gliders and helicopters, numerous additional aircraft, four classic airports, and a selection of iconic missions from past entries in the simulation game series. However, one of its most fun new additions is the ability to play several of the original games on your plane’s dashboard while sitting on the tarmac.
That’s right, this update puts Flight Simulator in your Flight Simulator, so you can simulate flight while you… you get it. Anyway, the long and short of it is that the first four games in the series, ranging from 1982’s Microsoft Flight Simulator 1.0 to 1989’s Microsoft Flight Simulator 4.0, can now be played using your plane’s interface in the modern game.
If you want to do so, Tom Warren at The Verge shows exactly how it works in a short video. Firstly, you’ll need to set up a flight in the Diamond DA62, and head to cockpit view once you’re sitting on the tarmac. Then, simply locate the ‘ELT’ switch to the lower right of the right-hand display and flip it to the on position. Then you should see the left display change to fully playable versions of the four games, complete with an on-screen keyboard. A toggle at the top allows you to switch which version you want to play.
Of course, this is more for novelty value than anything – though it’s certainly cool to check out where the series began if you weren’t around to see it. Personally, I didn’t get hands-on with the games until the release of Microsoft Flight Simulator for Windows 95, so it’s fun to check out these 80s editions first-hand. However, you’ll probably want to get back to the modern one soon enough once you’ve got a feel for things.
You can read the full Microsoft Flight Simulator 40th Anniversary update patch notes on the game’s website, or on Steam. There’s also a hefty sale in the in-game marketplace as part of the anniversary celebrations, running from November 11-14.
2022 has also seen developer Asobo add several fun collaborations added to the game, including some Top Gun Flight Sim DLC to tie into the release of Maverick and a Halo Flight Sim DLC that lets you fly a Pelican around the real-world locations of your choice. If you’d rather check out more of the best old PC games, we’ve got plenty of great options there as well.
