Several reviewers placed it on their favorites' lists and called it the most aesthetically pleasing game of 2020, though there was criticism of its slow loading times, inaccuracies in rendering certain buildings, and unrealistic aerodynamics models.

[7] Flight Simulator has an artificial intelligence (AI) air traffic controller (ATC) and a virtual co-pilot who can assist players when they are unable to do things like requesting landing clearance or going through checklists.

The gaming interface also has the VHF omnidirectional range (VOR) compass, and the altimeter, throttle, engine, fuel, flaps, and trim tabs controls.

[9] Due to its complex amount of topographical, scenery and object data, Flight Simulator requires a certain speed of Internet connection for seamless gameplay.

According to Alex Battaglia of Eurogamer, "Using a base mesh and textures, the game utilises your [I]nternet connection to stream even higher quality terrain data onto your PC as you play, via the Azure cloud".

[11] Developer Asobo Studio scanned the interiors and exteriors of aircraft with a 3D scanner to create their realistic looks, polished with modeling and printing.

[30] Flight Simulator features a 600-kilometre (370 mi) draw distance and allows the player to see storms on the horizon, with lightning cracking inside the clouds.

[32] Through cloud-based technology, Flight Simulator sends data to the computer or console in real time, with AI being utilized to extrapolate geometry from a blend of satellite and flyover imagery.

[35] Skyscrapers cast shadows over each other that darken as the player reaches street level and cities disperse light at night that radiates the sky.

[38] Volumetric lighting is used for various effects, including illuminating water droplets, which can cover the entire cockpit window, and with everything being simulated in real time.

[45] The game world includes over 2 million cities and towns,[46] 1.5 billion buildings, 2 trillion trees, and 37,000 real-world airports.

The result is fed into Microsoft's artificial intelligence, stringing the environment together in the cloud, and then streamed to the computer (PC) or console in real time.

[48] Flight Simulator features various animal species that can even be viewed at ground level, including birds, elephants, giraffes and bears.

[50] Using data of Microsoft's home city of Seattle, which Bing Maps has rendered down to five-centimeter resolution [...], Asobo took a few weeks to put together a demo of a Cessna flying downtown.

Microsoft executives and Neumann consulted with the Bing Maps team to use their detailed photogrammetry data of Machu Picchu, which included the ruins, to create a HoloLens replica of it.

Neumann later used Bing Maps photogrammetry data for Asobo to build a flight demo for the city of Seattle,[51] The technology incorporates Microsoft's discontinued Photosynth project, which generates 3D models from 2D photos.

[63] Sometime after its unveiling at E3 2019, Microsoft organized a temporary Insider Program, where members could access the alpha and beta versions of the game, and provide the developers with immediate feedback, suggestions and criticism.

[64] Those willing to volunteer for the program underwent a selection session; if they were chosen, they had to sign a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) that they would not share their gameplay or their thoughts on the game's under-maintenance version.

It features photogrammetry for Sendai, Takamatsu, Tokushima, Tokyo, Utsunomiya, and Yokohama, as well as handcrafting for Hachijojima, Kerama, Kushiro, Nagasaki, Shimojishima, and Suwanosejima airports.

[87] Microsoft frequently receives feedback from users of Flight Simulator via their forums, including requests for helicopters, structure updates, inaccurate detail fixes, and the need for improved systems.

[88] The company said the game was the largest release in its history,[89] and announced three versions of the title—Standard, Deluxe, and Premium Deluxe—each providing an incremental set of airplanes to fly and additional airports with more detailed scenery and objects.

[98] Aerosoft, a German developer and publisher of simulation software, announced in July 2020 that they partnered with Microsoft to release a physical version in Europe.

As with the digital versions, after installation the game does not require an active Internet connection and can be played offline; users also have the option to stream more details for the world, better ground imagery, real-world weather and ATC data from Microsoft's servers.

On OpenCritic, another aggregator, it was rated "Mighty" based on 86 critics, along with the summary: "Microsoft Flight Simulator is a technical marvel, with an insane amount of polish, incredible realism, and phenomenal controls.

[132] Reviewers considered the graphics and realism of Flight Simulator as the reason it stands out,[107][113][133][134] with Tokarev Kirill of 80 LEVEL and Chad Sapieha of Common Sense Media describing its authenticity as unprecedented,[135][115] and other critics calling it an aesthetic feat within PC gaming.

[138][139] Mark Hachman of PC World also opines that the game allows for a free exploration of Earth, without worrying about contributing to climate change.

According to Paul Sillers, writing for CNN, Flight Simulator might be "the safest way to travel" during the COVID-19 pandemic, and because of the global economic conditions in the wake of COVID-19, is being used by furloughed pilots to keep their skills fresh.

[149] Investigative journalist Giancarlo Fiorella used the game to detour around El Helicoide, currently a building used for detaining political prisoners in Venezuela and SEBIN offices in Bolivia, the northeastern area of Damascus, Battle of Aleppo sites, and the Uyghur camps in Xinjiang.

[155] Engadget's Jessica Conditt opined such bugs represent what the amateur flight simulation genre is all about: creating a planet sandbox where players can do whatever they want.

[161] Mathias Müller, head of Meteoblue said: "Yesterday’s hurricane was very beautiful to look at and was accurately predicted by our models even days ahead.