[READ FIRST] Welcome to the Sim Update 3 Beta!

Sim Update 3 Beta | MSFS 2024 Beta News
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Welcome to the Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 Sim Update 3 public beta test!

The Sim Update 03 Beta is now available on Steam, Windows PC, and Xbox.

Memory Logging in the Sim Update 3 Beta

We will be enabling advanced memory debugging in a future build after 1.5.1.0. This will be active for at least one week, or until we have enough data, and will impact performance during that time. We appreciate your patience and support as this data is critical to improving overall stability.

Changes to Career/Challenge League in the Sim Update 3 Beta

Just like the recent Sim Update 2 Beta, Career and Challenge League will have separate progress and leaderboards from the live build.

This means Career mode progress in the live build will not carry over to the flighting build, and vice versa. In addition, Challenge League in the flighting build will have a separate leaderboard from the live build.

Making Career and Challenge League progress separate in the flighting build allows us to test additional changes and fixes that cannot be tested in the live build. All Career specializations will be unlocked by default in the flighting build to allow participants to preview changes that might not be available (based on Career mode progress) in the live build.

Will joining the Sim Update 3 Beta (and future Sim Update Betas) impact my progress in Career mode on the live build?

  • No, Career mode progress is locked to the live build. No Career progress made in the flighting build will carry over to the live build. However, all Career mode specializations are unlocked by default in the flighting build.

Will my leaderboard records in Challenge League transfer when the flighting build becomes the live build?

  • No, Challenge League leaderboards in the flighting build will always be separate from the live build.

Will progress in other game modes (Discovery, Free Flight, etc.) be separate in the flighting build and live build?

  • No, only progress in Career and Challenge League are affected. This could change in the future.

Will content I own or purchase in the Marketplace be available on both the flighting build and the live build?

  • Yes, all content owned or purchased in the live build or the flighting build will always be available in both builds.

Please find instructions to join the Sim Update 03 Beta below. You must own Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 (or have an appropriate Xbox Game Pass subscription) to participate on the platform of your choice.

What to Know Before You Join

MS Store PC Users: There is always a risk that you may have to re-install the sim when joining/leaving a flight, so please keep this in mind before participating.

If you have MSFS content installed completely on a custom path, you will have a much lower chance that a full re-install will be necessary when the update is officially released. However, if your sim content is installed in the default path selected by the in-game content manager, you may have to reinstall the whole sim when moving from the test build to the public build. We recommend that those who wish to test with us ensure your sim content is located in a custom path before joining the flight to avoid full reinstallations in the future (Details on how to do this can be found here). The best set up would be for your store app to live on the default C: drive and sim content on a custom drive.

Please remember if you decide to join the Beta and install the build, you will likely have to re-install your sim if you wish to leave the Beta before it ends. If you did not opt out of the last Beta, you will automatically stay in this Beta and receive the next build.

In addition, while in Multiplayer Mode, you will only see users who are in the same build as you.

Update to the Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 Insider Program

Beginning with Sim Update 3, we will transition to a website sign-up for Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 flighting on Xbox/Windows PC (Xbox app). Please note Steam will not be affected at this time. Moving forward this will improve our means of communication and gathering feedback from the flighting audience.

For participants who participated in Sim Update 2 flighting (or previous Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 flighting), no action is required at this time. New participants, or those who have unenrolled from flighting and wish to return, will now need to complete the website sign-up before navigating to the Xbox Insider Hub to join the flighting groups.

Please follow the instructions below to sign-up:

  1. Navigate to https://www.flightsimulator.com/insider-registration/
  2. Complete the sign-up survey.
  3. Once the survey is complete, open the ‘Xbox Insider Hub’ on your PC or Xbox (or install it via the Microsoft Store if you do not have it yet).
  4. On the left side, click ‘Previews’.
  5. Look for ‘Microsoft Flight Simulator Beta’ and select ‘Join’ or ‘Manage’.
  6. From the list of Groups, select ‘Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 – Sim Update 3’ and click Save.
  7. NOTE: The name of this Group will be updated to the current Sim Update in flighting.
  8. Wait for the registration to complete, then restart your Xbox console or PC—this prompts the Store to refresh and get the update.

Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 Insider Program FAQ:

Why transition to the website sign-up for flighting?

Moving forward, leveraging the website will allow us to send direct communication to participants who have opted-in (such as when a new flighting opportunity is available), create bespoke flighting audiences (such as specific groups focused on VR, accessibility, performance, etc.), and create private forums accessible to specific flighting participants. These tools will help us gather better feedback and reach more participants in the future.

I’m already participating in flighting for Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024, do I need to do anything?

No, all existing flighting participants will retain access to the Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 Beta in the Xbox Insider Hub app. Should you choose to unenroll, you will need to complete the website sign-up to resume participating in Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 flighting on Xbox/Windows PC (Xbox app). Steam users are unaffected by these changes, and the flight_sim_2024_beta branch will remain accessible to all flighting participants on Steam.

We would still encourage all current participants to complete the website sign-up (including those participating on Steam), but it is not required at this time.

How can I opt out of flighting on Xbox/Windows PC?

To opt out of the Insider Program, navigate to https://www.flightsimulator.com/profile/, and at the bottom of the page select “Opt Out” under the Insider Program Opt Out section.

If you have joined the Microsoft Flight Simulator Beta in the Xbox Insider Hub, you will still need to follow the same instructions to unenroll.

  1. Open the ‘Xbox Insider Hub’ app.
  2. Navigate to ‘Previews’ > ‘Microsoft Flight Simulator Beta’ .
  3. Select ‘Manage’.
  4. On the left side, select ‘Leave preview’.
  5. Wait for the unenrollment to complete, restart your Xbox or PC, then launch the game.
  6. PC Users: If not on a Custom path, you will have to reinstall the sim to restore the prior build. "
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