Microsoft Flight Simulator Free Top Gun: Maverick Expansion Release Date Set for May 25

Microsoft Flight Simulator's free Top Gun: Maverick expansion will be released on May 25, two days before the release of Tom Cruise's Top Gun: Maverick movie. The update, Flight Simulator's Top Gun expansion, was first announced last June. However, its release was delayed after Paramount Pictures postponed the film's release, which was due in November 2021, because of concerns around increasing COVID-19 cases worldwide. Top Gun: Maverick, led by Cruise, is set for a release on May 27. In India, it will be available in English, Hindi, Tamil, and Telugu.

As per the tweet shared by Xbox, the “Top Gun: Maverick experience is taking off 5/25 in Microsoft Flight Simulator!” The information about the free update, announced last year, is still scarce. However, it has been reported that the update will include an F-18 aircraft, and aims to give players first-hand experience of “what it's like to be a US Navy Top Gun.”

Microsoft Flight Simulator is the first game in the series to get a console release (it was launched for Xbox Series S/X in July last year). It allows you to immerse yourself in a realistic 3D environment based on Earth data from Bing Maps, and real-time weather and air traffic using Microsoft's Azure AI. The game also features fun elements like photographing animals from the air. It includes landing challenges at iconic and dangerous airports to receive scores for your skills.

As far as Top Gun: Maverick is concerned, the film's final trailer was released in March. Tom Cruise plays his iconic role of Captain Pete "Maverick" Mitchell, who is a high-flying test pilot and instructor. It is a sequel that is set decades after the 1986 movie.

The Top Gun: Maverick expansion for Microsoft Flight Simulator will be released on Steam and Microsoft Store for Windows 10 PCs, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, and Xbox Game Pass. Flight Simulator is playable on Xbox One, Xbox One S, and Xbox One X via Xbox Cloud Gaming.