Microsoft Flight Simulator 'Top Gun: Maverick' expansion now available for free

Screenshot of Microsoft Flight Simulator — Top Gun: Maverick.
(Image credit: Xbox Game Studios)

What you need to know

  • Microsoft Flight Simulator is a premier flight simulator game with the entire world available to explore.
  • On Wednesday, Asobo Studio and Xbox Game Studios finally released the long-awaited Top Gun: Maverick expansion for MFS.
  • The free expansion adds a new aircraft, ten assorted missions, and a plane livery for the F/A-18E Super Hornet.
  • Players can download the Top Gun: Maverick expansion from the in-game Microsoft Flight Simulator Marketplace right now.

Microsoft Flight Simulator renders the entire globe in stunning detail with a vast roster of available aircraft, and it's a must-have for flight simulator fans everywhere. The game is also constantly improving after launch with new content, and another long-awaited expansion is releasing today.

After months of waiting, players can now fly into Microsoft Flight Simulator — Top Gun: Maverick, a completely free expansion that adds plenty of fresh content to Microsoft Flight Simulator. The expansion aims to test the skills of pilots with a series of high-skill challenges and missions, including tasking players with landing a jet on an aircraft carrier.

The Top Gun: Maverick expansion for Microsoft Flight Simulator includes:

  • Four new missions, including three training missions to help players master challenging maneuvers in the Super Hornet aircraft and a mission that sends players into the stratosphere
  • Five high-skill challenges that task players with navigating a variety of situations at high speeds and low altitudes
  • A new landing challenge that tasks players with successfully landing on an aircraft carrier
  • A new hypersonic aircraft that can reach speeds of Mach 10 and heights of 150,000 feet
  • A new "Top Gun: Maverick Edition" livery for the F/A-18E Super Hornet

Players can download and play Microsoft Flight Simulator — Top Gun: Maverick for free from the Microsoft Flight Simulator Marketplace, and it's completely free. The expansion is available everywhere MFS is, including Xbox Series X|S, PC, Xbox One through Xbox Cloud Gaming, and Xbox and PC Game Pass.

As the Top Gun: Maverick expansion puts players' skills to the test, the best Microsoft Flight Simulator gear may be required to come out on top in every challenge. Landing on an aircraft carrier, especially, will require absolute mastery of MFS and your aircraft.

Microsoft Flight Simulator

Microsoft Flight Simulator

Microsoft's legendary flight simulator franchise has returned in a big way, and is now a must-have for any flight sim fans. Now, players can also download and play the Top Gun: Maverick expansion for free from the in-game store.

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Zachary Boddy
Staff Writer

Zachary Boddy (They / Them) is a Staff Writer for Windows Central, primarily focused on covering the latest news in tech and gaming, the best Xbox and PC games, and the most interesting Windows and Xbox hardware. They have been gaming and writing for most of their life starting with the original Xbox, and started out as a freelancer for Windows Central and its sister sites in 2019. Now a full-fledged Staff Writer, Zachary has expanded from only writing about all things Minecraft to covering practically everything on which Windows Central is an expert, especially when it comes to Microsoft. You can find Zachary on Twitter @BoddyZachary.