Typically, one would wait a few days—or even until the first patch—before installing a cloud-based AAA title. It’s common sense, right? That was my plan too. But with all the hyped negativity swirling around, I couldn’t resist and decided to try the “hot soup” just two days after release. And I was shocked—in a good way!
1. Fast and Smooth Installation
I was fully braced for a frustrating experience, but my stopwatch showed 03:12 when the installation finished—yes, just 3 minutes and 12 seconds! No issues, no complications. This is a huge leap forward compared to MSFS 2020. And I suspect it will only get better as server traffic stabilizes, which is still unusually high post-launch.
2. Improved Performance
I’m running the sim on Ultra settings at 4K, and my first test was a series of Discovery Flights. These are ideal for performance evaluation, providing a demanding yet standardized environment (same location, aircraft, and weather). The results? I’ve never experienced such a stable and fluid flight simulator, period.
The sim now handles DLSS + frame generation + G-Sync seamlessly, something MSFS 2020 struggled with. In two hours of testing, I encountered zero stutters, jitters, or graphical glitches—even in previously challenging scenarios like low-altitude, fast turns above dense photogrammetry areas.
Even pushing LOD to 400 (the maximum) didn’t faze it. The sim now dynamically adjusts settings to maintain a target internal FPS (30 in my case, which translates to 60 with frame generation enabled). Flying buttery-smooth above Manhattan at max LOD was not possible for me before. Hats off to Asobo for this accomplishment!
3. An Astonishing Virtual Globe
This is the stuff dreams are made of! We now have the technology to explore our whole planet from ground level to the skies like never before. MSFS 2020 was impressive, but the new sim takes ground-level immersion to an entirely new level.
For example, I landed on a random meadow in the middle of Copenhagen (as one does 
) and still felt like I was truly there. This level of immersion simply wouldn’t have been possible in MSFS 2020 or any other simulator, period. And, by the way, grass, stones, flowers, etc. fade in naturally, without abrupt pop-ins. This is a critical improvement which also seems to contribute to the general absence of the terrain “popping” that was common in MSFS 2020.
Much more testing lies ahead, but I’ll wait until the hype subsides and server loads decrease. For today’s tests, I chose a time when Americans were still asleep and Europeans weren’t yet back from school (judging by the forums, it seems many kids are involved 
). Common sense, right?
I don’t plan to test it again at busier times anytime soon—I prefer a smooth experience and, frankly, I have plenty of other things in life that make me happy. Plus, I absolutely hate queuing 
