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Microsoft Flight Simulator lets you fly through China, where the game isn’t even available
- Microsoft’s new Flight Simulator isn’t officially available in China and doesn’t support the Chinese language
- Some believe that sensitivity around the game’s maps could be an issue, and it might not be approved for sale in China yet
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A new version of Microsoft Flight Simulator was released worldwide on Tuesday to rave reviews and much excitement – except in China. Even though you can find Chinese airports among the more than 37,000 included in the game, players in China were upset to find that they had to jump through some hoops to try it out themselves.
Some YouTubers who had already tested out the game showed themselves flying past the CCTV headquarters in Beijing and landing in the Forbidden City earlier this month. Now almost anyone can get the game on Steam, the Microsoft Store or Xbox unless they’re in China. All three platforms have Chinese versions of their stores, but none of them carry Microsoft Flight Simulator.
This doesn’t mean Chinese gamers aren’t playing it, though. There are multiple workarounds that aren’t very complicated to follow. While Steam now requires using a payment method in the country where an account is set, people can still try changing regions on the Microsoft Store or Xbox. Some gamers are even posting tutorials about how changing regions can get buyers a lower price.
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Microsoft didn’t respond to questions about Flight Simulator’s availability in China.
Microsoft Flight Simulator is one of the longest-running and most popular amateur flight simulators available. The first version was released in 1982. The 2020 version has a massive map for players to explore with detailed cities and terrains. It even includes real-time weather.
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But all this detail requires a lot of data, which is streamed through Microsoft’s Azure cloud service. Some people speculated online that the game isn’t available in China because Microsoft doesn’t have enough cloud power there to keep it running smoothly.
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