The first MSFS Sim Update of the year (SU12), scheduled to go live next month, on March 21st, promises to be another major upgrade to the simulator experience across the board. With numerous changes and improvements in the pocket, SU12 is just a few weeks away and can now be tested by the intrepid simmers enrolled in the Beta program: the first SU12 Beta is now available to install!
Sim Update 12 will bring a long list of changes to Microsoft Flight Simulator, from new features to fixes and enhancements to the existing experience. One of the most important new additions to this version will be WASM support on the Xbox. This will enable many existing PC add-ons to be available in the console as well, but it’s a feature that is not yet available to test with SU12 Beta.
Sim Update 11, launched in November by the time the 40th Anniversary Edition of MSFS was also released, brought us a bunch of new free airplanes, such as the Airbus A310, the Douglas DC-3, the Grumman G-21 Goose, and more. SU12 will include a series of changes and fixes to most of these aircraft, which beta testers can now preview in the newest beta. This also applies to fixes aimed at the previous World Updates. No release notes have been provided regarding these specific changes, but the MSFS team promises to detail that in a future update.
An interesting new feature included in SU12 is a new assistance option to customize the intensity of turbulence experienced during flight. Other important changes are related to improving startup loading times and introducing many much-needed improvements pertaining to the Live Traffic.
The weather simulation in MSFS should also be improved in a few key areas with SU12. Live weather updates during flight should now be smoother, as the MSFS team promises to fix a jarring cloud-popping issue that sometimes showed up as the weather got updated. Glider pilots are likely to see the most changes, though, due to plentiful adjustments to thermals.
The list of changes is long and also affects the avionics systems and specific aircraft. The excellent Aircraft & Avionics Update 1 brought many impressive improvements in this area, which will continue to be fine-tuned with Sim Update 12. Expect to see important fixes in the G3000/G5000, the CJ4, TBM 930, and more.
The full Release Notes for Sim Update 12 (v1.31.18.0) are now published, along with Sim Update 12 itself, for simmers who have joined the Beta program. As always, since this is a beta, you should be very aware of installation risks. It’s important to read this before getting into this adventure. Existing add-ons that you may have can also stop working correctly (PMDG has already confirmed issues with the 737 in SU12 Beta).
Sim Update 12 will roll out to the general public on March 21st.
