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Microsoft Flight Simulator Gets Massive Update to Greatly Reduce Download Size

The days when computer games came in 1GB packages are long gone, as the new-generation graphics, rendering engines, and pretty much all the improvements that the gaming industry has developed in the last few years have pushed the download sizes to shocking thresholds.
Microsoft Flight Simulator 1 photo
Photo: Microsoft
Microsoft Flight Simulator is just the living proof in this regard, as the game tips the digital scales at no less than 170GB for the initial download.

In other words, if you’re getting the game from Steam, the installer comes as part of an approximately 700MB package, but when you’re finally ready to launch the flight sim, the madness is ready to unfold.

Microsoft Flight Simulator needs to download an additional 170GB worth of data, so it goes without saying it’ll take a while until you end up being able to actually play the game.

Needless to say, downloading 170GB shouldn’t necessarily be a problem given today’s Internet speeds, but on the other hand, the whole thing is quite a nightmare for those with a low-bandwidth connection.

Fortunately, Microsoft has taken care of this drawback, so the recently released update to version 1.16.2.0 now reduces the initial download size from over 170GB to just 83GB. Microsoft hasn’t offered any specifics to let us know how it managed to cut the download size in half, with the company only explaining that the update includes “some optimization for the initial full download of the title.

The patch also comes with more good news for players with slower Internet connections, as it reduces the weather data bandwidth, which means there’s a lower chance of FPS drops when playing the game.

The changelog is huge, and it also includes fine-tuning that’s supposed to resolve many of the bugs players have previously come across and then reported to Microsoft. You can find the full release notes on this page.
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About the author: Bogdan Popa
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Bogdan keeps an eye on how technology is taking over the car world. His long-term goals are buying an 18-wheeler because he needs more space for his kid’s toys, and convincing Google and Apple that Android Auto and CarPlay deserve at least as much attention as their phones.
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