Microsoft Flight Simulator (colloquially known as Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020) is a flight simulator developed by Asobo Studio and published by Xbox Game Studios. It is an entry in the Microsoft Flight Simulator series, which was first released in 1982, and preceded by Microsoft Flight Simulator X, released in 2006. It was released on August 18, 2020 for Microsoft Windows. 

It is the first game in the series to also get a console release, expected for the Xbox Series X and Series S in mid 2021 and for the Xbox One sometime in the future. 

A virtual reality (VR) version was released on December 22, 2020, making it the first in the series to get a VR release. The game is a comeback of the series after a 14-year absence, with developments beginning six years prior to release.

Flight Simulator simulates the entire Earth using textures and data from Bing Maps, whilst three-dimensional representations of Earth's features are generated by Microsoft Azure's artificial intelligence (AI). It uses the Azure cloud to render visuals, enhance visual fidelity, and simulate real-world data and effects, as well as calculate physics. Some places are also handcrafted, introduced in region-specific updates. To exalt realism, the Azure AI incorporates earthly elements like flora, fauna, and traffic to the game map. These rudiments have prompted players to visit various destinations, such as own houses and hurricanes, expecting an austere grandeur of scenery.

Flight Simulator was released to critical acclaim, with praise for its graphical fidelity, cited by critics as the "safest way to travel" during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, criticism also arose for its loading times and some inaccurate rendering of landmarks.

Resources: Wikipedia