MSFS 2024 Sim Update 4 Delivers Major Improvements

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Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 Sim Update 4 (version 1.6.32.0) delivers a broad suite of performance, stability, and systems upgrades across the entire simulator. The patch targets core engine optimizations, memory and texture management, avionics refinement, and VR quality, with specific attention to reducing stutters and crashes on both PC and Xbox.

Alongside those improvements, the update enhances Career Mode, introduces new assistance options and graphics features, upgrades a wide range of aircraft systems, and polishes world, ATC, multiplayer, and Marketplace behavior. It is a wide-ranging update that aims to make both everyday flying and advanced operations smoother and more reliable.

Patch Notes

Performance and Stability

Performance Optimizations

• Optimized grass rendering, input system, and core airport, ATC, aircraft, and scenery processing
• Improved boat and road traffic performance
• Optimized main CPU thread and terrain engine behavior
• Improved texture quality management and mipstreaming to reduce stutters
• On Xbox, offloaded mipstreaming to GPU to lower stutter frequency
• Optimized scenery object culling for better frame pacing
• Optimized GUI menu pages to reduce overhead
• Fixed FPS drops caused by tessellation on DEM skirts

Crash Fixes

• Addressed more than 40 crash scenarios across ATC, airports, and aircraft simulation
• Fixed crashes related to navigation graph and flight planner
• Fixed camera related crash cases
• Fixed crashes linked to tissue simulation, tire marks, and radar
• Fixed copilot, pushback, and cabin service related crashes
• Fixed world map crash conditions
• Improved stability for special effects and WASM modules
• Fixed Virtual Reality transition related crashes

New Features and Core Systems

New Assistance and Options

• Added Helicopter Vortex Ring State Protection that automatically adjusts collective to avoid VRS during excessive descent or rapid deceleration
• Added console seatbelt display option to show or hide seatbelt graphics
• Added High Fidelity and Simplified multiplayer replication model options

Content and Rendering Management

• Introduced Community2024 folder to share packages with Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 while avoiding incompatible content loading
• Added Foveated Rendering Scale setting for VR performance tuning

Glass Cockpit and Avionics

G1000 NXI

• Fixed CRS knob not updating OBS course in GPS OBS mode
• Fixed VPTH display issues
• Fixed nearest airport menu failing to show airports in certain regions
• Optimized waypoint rendering for better performance

G3000 and G5000

• Fixed AFCS status box vertical mode reversion issues
• Optimized PFD elements and waypoint rendering for improved performance
• Fixed spurious traffic icons appearing on the map
• Adjusted PFD synthetic vision field of view for better presentation

Primus Epic 2.0

• Improved PFD performance when on the ground
• Added overspeed condition alerts
• Fixed VGP mode glidepath capture behavior
• Enabled auto loading of simulator and EFB routes on startup

GNS 430 and 530

• Fixed arc map and CDI page waypoint data display issues
• Fixed waypoint text input that could cause page unresponsiveness

EFB (Electronic Flight Bag) Improvements

Flight Planner App

• Added advanced performance planning for turbojet and turbofan aircraft
• Extended weather usage to include up to 24 hours of forecast data for planning
• Added configurable parameters: RVSM rules, cruise step size, cost index, and fuel bias
• Fixed fuel loading behavior for complex tank configurations
• Fixed MZFW and passenger count calculation issues
• Improved leg ETE accuracy for flight plans
• Reduced stutters when editing or modifying flight plans

Other EFB Fixes

• Fixed traffic icon incorrectly appearing after simulator restart
• Fixed fuel and payload indications in mass and balance displays
• Improved EFB map performance and reduced memory footprint
• Fixed VR accessibility issues within EFB functions

Aircraft Updates

Physics and Core Flight Modeling

• Enabled full inertia tensor support for the C 17 and Extra 330LT
• Fixed incorrect MOI recalculation when aircraft weight changed
• Fixed rotational dynamics modeling inconsistencies
• Increased angular velocity limit to 10 revolutions per second

Specific Aircraft Adjustments

• Boeing 737 MAX 8
  • Fixed autopilot LNAV issues
  • Applied performance optimizations
• Airbus H125
  • Reworked electrical system behavior
  • Optimized rotor VFX performance
• Air Tractor AT 802
  • Fixed floating leak decal issue
• Diamond DA62
  • Fixed livery problems and wing light glass visuals
• MXS R and Edge 540
  • Added smoke FX for aerobatic operations
• Multiple aircraft
  • Received additional visual fixes and general polish

Career Mode Improvements

Specializations and Missions

• Unlocked Cargo Transport Heavy specialization
• Unlocked Cargo Transport Super Heavy specialization
• Improved automatic pushback alignment at airports
• Added reward compensation for missions if the game crashes during activity
• Fixed multiple mission flow issues across several mission archetypes
• Improved back on track logic for commercial and cargo missions
• Capped maximum taxi speed at 30 knots with warnings before penalties

Mission Specific Fixes

• Agricultural Aviation
  • Fixed performance degradation occurring after spraying
• Search and Rescue
  • Improved smoke rescue visual effects
  • Fixed hoist related issues
• Medevac
  • Fixed co pilot dialogue triggering when no co pilot is present
• Aerial Firefighting
  • Fixed objective progression after water drops

Airport and World Improvements

General Airport and World Changes

• Fixed unconnected jetways at multiple airports
• Adjusted night lighting to remove excessive bloom and sepia masking
• Improved street light display distance for better night visibility
• Fixed vegetation spawning too close to runways
• Updated live traffic AI behavior for taxiing, landing, and spawning

Specific Airport Fixes

• Updated more than 50 airports with targeted fixes
• KLAS
  • Renamed to Harry Reid International Airport
  • Applied terraforming corrections
• RKSI, LEBL, EPWA, LGST
  • Fixed jetway connections
• WSSS and SCEL
  • Fixed terraforming issues and missing terminal elements
• Removed more than 80 non existing airports from the database
• Fixed parking spot collision issues at numerous locations

ATC Improvements

ATC Logic and Audio

• Fixed loss of clearances during back on track usage
• Fixed ATC muting problems
• Added VOR and NDB station altitudes to facility listener data
• Fixed COM2 messages not being heard correctly
• Removed trailing Traffic from CTAF calls for cleaner phrasing

Virtual Reality Enhancements

VR Experience

• Fixed toolbar authorization when in VR external view
• Saved panel states when switching VR on or off
• Connected aircraft HUD in VR, with option to deactivate if preferred
• Fixed velocity buffer blur affecting the right eye
• Replaced full two eye desktop view with a single cropped 16 by 9 view
• Fixed cockpit LOD behavior influenced by VR LOD factor

SDK and Developer Tools

SimConnect

• Fixed crash when clearing data definitions
• Fixed EnumerateSimObjectsAndLiveries behavior in WASM
• Fixed facility subscription reliability issues
• Fixed AI aircraft spawn position calculation problems

WASM API

• Added callback for variable removal notifications
• Fixed Visual Studio C++ version detection for builds
• Added support for struct variables and strings in Vars API
• Improved error handling for module load failures
• Fixed key event handler issues

Blender Exporter

• Fixed material animation baking problems
• Fixed UV layer swapping issues
• Added automatic conversion to relative paths
• Fixed light temperature and Kelvin mode behavior
• Reworked material emissive scale for improved viewport visualization

Multiplayer and Traffic

Multiplayer Behavior

• Fixed logo duplication on multiplayer aircraft
• Fixed aircraft movement when pilot is in Photo Mode
• Fixed nametags not visible beyond 5 miles

Traffic Improvements

• Improved marine traffic by replacing 2020 era ships with 2024 models
• Fixed road traffic not moving on residential roads

Marketplace and My Library

Marketplace Performance and UX

• Improved framerate when entering the Marketplace
• Fixed Last Seen section not updating correctly
• Sorted items by rating when browsing content
• Fixed price discount issues after renting items
• Ensured filters are saved persistently between sessions
• Fixed various sorting problems in the Installed tab

Controls and Peripherals

Input and Devices

• Added PS5 DualSense gamepad support on PC
• Added haptic feedback for afterburner, gear, smoke, and spraying events
• Fixed throttle actions not triggering correctly when looking at avionics
• Fixed virtual keyboard issues on handheld devices
• Fixed self deactivation problems with some devices

Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 is a next-generation flight simulation title developed by Asobo Studio that uses cloud and machine learning technologies to create a highly detailed digital twin of Earth, with enhanced terrain, weather, and physics. The game focuses on a full Career Mode with authentic mission types such as aerial firefighting, Medevac, search and rescue, and Red Bull Air Races. It launched on November 19, 2024, for PC, Windows, and Xbox Series X/S, with a PlayStation 5 release scheduled for December 8, 2025.

Have you noticed these changes? Share your thoughts in the comments!