Microsoft Flight Simulator is the first game in the series to see a VR and console release, with it being released on the Xbox Series X and Series S on July 27, 2021. It was released on August 18, 2020, for Windows, with a virtual reality (VR) version released in December of the same year as part of the free Sim 2 update. The game is a return of the series after 14 years, with development beginning six years prior to its release. It is an entry in the Microsoft Flight Simulator series which began in 1982, and was preceded by Microsoft Flight Simulator X in 2006. Microsoft Flight Simulator is an amateur flight simulator developed by Asobo Studio and published by Xbox Game Studios.