The PMDG 737NG has been a slow burn in Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024. The -800 arrived in December, the -900 and -600 followed in February after a brief delay caused by a nasty micro-stutter bug, and the -700 kept getting pushed back.
Through all of that, there was always one more thing in the works: a High Detail Update that PMDG had promised since the -800 launched, one that would significantly increase the exterior detail level of the 737 over what was possible in MSFS 2020, taking fuller advantage of the 2024 rendering platform.
That update is now complete, and it’s making its debut with the -700 on April 9th.
PMDG announced the release in a forum post from Robert Randazzo, accompanied by a comparison video that walks through the visual changes side by side. The update has been a long time coming. Back in late February, Randazzo held back the release because he wasn’t satisfied with the state of the work in a few key areas. He kept it in development, and the scope expanded well beyond what was originally planned.
So what’s actually changed?
According to PMDG, the team added tens of thousands of hand-placed rivets, screws, and fasteners to the airframe, alongside improvements to skin mapping, equipment hatches, exterior controls, ground equipment, doorways, cargo holds, cabin interiors, the cockpit, landing gear assemblies, gear bays, engines, and lighting.
The comparison video shows some of these touches in detail: notably, a fully modeled cargo hold and interior spaces including lavatories, galleys, and overhead bins that now actually open. Ground equipment got attention too, with new models for the external power receptacle, ground power units, and air conditioning carts. Randazzo specifically calls out the Power-Pit ground power model as worth a close look. It all looks like a significant glow up!
PMDG says all of this was implemented through the MSFS 2024 SDK and that performance was not sacrificed in the process.
One point worth noting for livery users: Randazzo acknowledged in the forum thread that he’s not entirely across the impact on third-party repaints, having been deep in 747 development for the past few months. He said he’ll get clarification. It’s worth holding off on any livery questions until PMDG follows up officially.
It’s worth remembering that the PMDG 737 has been a fixture of this hobby for over two decades, and this announcement traces the product’s evolution from FS2004 in 2004, through FSX in 2011, Prepar3D in 2019, and the original MSFS release in 2022. The comparison video leans into that history before getting into the side-by-side with the new MSFS 2024 build. It’s a bit of a victory lap, and it’s easy to agree it’s earned. Randazzo himself hinted that the 747, now in active development, is already reaching a level he describes as “incredible.” But that’s a story for another day.
The -700 is the last of the four NG variants to arrive in MSFS 2024, and with it comes the completed High Detail Update. PMDG says the same visual overhaul will roll out to the -600, -800, and -900 as a regular product update in the days following. The -600 is already in testing, the -900 enters testing this Monday, and the -800 will follow. Randazzo stopped short of committing to exact dates for those rollouts, which, given the bumpy road this update has had, is probably the right call.
The 737-700NG for MSFS 2024 will be available through pmdg.com and the Microsoft Marketplace from April 9th. Previous owners of the PMDG 737NG product line in MSFS 2020 are eligible for an automatic discount at purchase.
