Flight plans to Isla Nublar weren’t exactly expected this year, but that’s what Orbx has in store for the summer with Jurassic World: Archipelago, an officially licensed expansion for Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024, developed in partnership with Universal Products & Experiences.
This cinematic crossover brings the islands of Jurassic World into the flight sim world, complete with famous structures, custom airports, immersive activities, and, of course, animated dinosaurs.
This expansion lets simmers fly around the Muertes Archipelago—better known to fans as Isla Nublar, Isla Sorna, and the lesser-known Isla Matanceros, Muerta, Peña, and Tacaño—located off the coast of Costa Rica.
The team at Orbx has added custom airstrips, helipads, VIP terminals, and tour routes, all loosely tied to a timeline just before the chaos of the 2015 Jurassic World movie. This includes a fully modeled Innovation Center and animated monorail.
“Every moment you spend exploring feels like stepping right into the adventure,” said Orbx CEO Anna Cicognani in the press release.
Prehistoric airspace
These islands aren’t empty. Expect to encounter a range of prehistoric inhabitants in the wild—from Apatosaurus and Brachiosaurus roaming the interior of Nublar, to Velociraptors, Stegosaurus, Tyrannosaurus rex, and even a Mosasaurus lurking near the coast. Flying reptiles like Pteranodon and Dimorphodon also make appearances, raising a whole new kind of airspace awareness challenge. It’s not clear if they’re collision-enabled (probably not), but they’ll be visible in free flight and mission scenarios.
Animations are part of the package, and the creatures are distributed contextually across the map. Sorna, known in lore as “Site B,” features abandoned facilities overrun by nature, and not entirely deserted.
Structured flights and cinematic missions
While you’re free to explore the archipelago, Orbx is also including structured activities like VIP transport, guided photo tours, and skill-based landings at rough airfields. These are presented as optional missions, presumably integrated via MSFS 2024’s native activities framework.
On the mainland, the team has dressed up Juan Santamaría International Airport (MROC) with a Jurassic World-themed VIP terminal and added Herradura Bay Marina as a point of entry, including a custom ferry port.
Availability and launch timeline
The initial release will be for Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 on PC, distributed via OrbxDirect and the in-game Marketplace. The Xbox version will follow shortly after (Marketplace only), along with planned versions for MSFS 2020 and X-Plane 12.
Orbx is aiming for a late August or early September 2025 release window.
At first glance, this feels like the kind of thing MSFS purists might raise an eyebrow at. Fictional islands? Animated dinosaurs? Theme parks?
It’s not a replacement for high-fidelity airliners or real-world procedures. But it probably works as an optional playground, a way to let off steam, explore wild terrain, or fly a bush plane over a fully rendered Isla Sorna, just like you’ve seen in the movies. What makes it especially interesting is that this isn’t a fan-made tribute—it’s an officially licensed Jurassic World product inside MSFS.
Unusual, no doubt, but also intriguing. We’ll be keeping an eye on its release later this summer.
