Each time a brand new sim replace will get launched for Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020, the identical query pops up in the neighborhood: how lengthy will Asobo and Microsoft maintain taking care of the older sim? For now, the reply remains to be “some time longer.” Sim Replace 17 for MSFS 2020 is in public beta, and whereas it’s a compact replace, it carries one change that anybody flying close to water will discover: the water masks from MSFS 2024 have been ported again to the 2020 version.
The 2020 sim doesn’t get as a lot consideration as MSFS 2024, for apparent causes. Nonetheless, it acquired Sim Update 16 in August 2025, adopted by the small Sim Update 16.1 stability patch in March this 12 months. SU17 is the primary full numbered replace since then, and it strikes the sim to model 1.40.1.0.
Water from 2024, shorelines in 2020
Essentially the most noticeable change needs to be the one Microsoft is asking testers to observe most carefully. Based on the release notes, the MSFS 2024 water masks have been introduced over to MSFS 2020, and the group needs pilots to maintain a watch out close to coastlines, islands and lakes for misplaced or lacking water, incorrect shorelines or surprising terrain.
Water masking has been a sore spot within the sim for years. Again in 2023, Asobo talked about water masking during a developer stream and mentioned enhancements made for the brand new sim would additionally discover their approach again into 2020. SU16 already began down that highway by adjusting how water polygons behave and aligning the Bing Maps knowledge with the 2024 dataset. SU17 goes a step additional by bringing the 2024 masks over immediately.
And since this touches the entire planet, the beta part is the place it will likely be examined correctly. If in case you have a favourite coastal airport or island hop, this can be a good excuse to go and fly it.
A small characteristic many have requested for
The second change is small however has clearly been on the want listing for some time. Microsoft says that, following neighborhood suggestions, the sim can now show the sim charge in-game. When the speed is ready to something aside from 1, it seems on the HUD under the compass. You modify it with the Enhance and Lower Sim Price instructions, which will be mapped within the Controls choices.
Default profiles for 16 newer controllers
{Hardware} will get a much bigger share of the notes than you would possibly anticipate. SU17 provides default enter presets for just lately launched peripherals on each PC and Xbox, and the listing covers 4 manufacturers:
- Honeycomb: Alpha Flight Controls Lite and Bravo Throttle Quadrant Lite
- Thrustmaster: Sol-R Flightstick/HOTAS, TCA Sky Yoke, T.Flight Hotas 5 and T.Flight Hotas Neo
- Turtle Seaside: VelocityOne Flightstick II, VelocityOne Twin Throttle and VelocityOne HOTAS
- MOZA: AB6 and AB9 FFB bases, AY90 and AY210 FFB yoke bases, MRP rudder pedals, MTLP take-off/touchdown panel and MTP throttle panel
That is excellent news for console pilots specifically, because the Xbox has no simple technique to load third-party profiles. Microsoft is asking homeowners of those gadgets to check them in the course of the beta and report any issues with the default bindings.
Fixes for builders
The remainder of the notes are geared toward add-on builders. SimConnect will get two fixes, one for a crash when requesting unknown NavData and one other for a random situation the place the sim stopped sending some messages. The Surroundings Editor not glitches painted strains above roughly 11,000 parts, and a WASM bug that might corrupt the returned string from get_name_of_name_variable has been resolved.
Earlier than you be a part of
The standard beta warnings apply. There’s at all times a threat of getting to reinstall the sim when becoming a member of or leaving a beta, and that the danger is far decrease in case your sim content material lives on a customized path somewhat than the default one. The beneficial setup is the Retailer app on the C: drive and the content material on one other drive. Leaving the beta earlier than it ends will seemingly imply a reinstall for Retailer customers, and in multiplayer you’ll solely see individuals on the identical construct as you.
Microsoft has additionally famous that participation in 2020 beta testing has dropped since MSFS 2024 arrived. Within the SU16.1 release notes, the group mentioned telemetry from flighting had grow to be much less dependable for that cause. So if you happen to’re nonetheless flying the 2020 sim often and also you’re snug with the dangers, your suggestions on this one is extra vital than regular.
To affix on PC or Xbox by means of the Microsoft Retailer, open the Xbox Insider Hub, go to Previews, choose Microsoft Flight Simulator Beta and select the “Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 – Sim Replace 17” group. On Steam, right-click the sim in your library, open Properties, then Recreation Variations & Betas, and choose “flight_sim_beta – Sim Replace 17”. In the event you stayed within the SU16 beta and by no means opted out, you’ll be moved to this construct mechanically.
Microsoft hasn’t given a launch date for the ultimate model but. In the event you’ve moved on to the newer sim, you may observe all the things occurring there on our MSFS 2024 updates page.