Microsoft Flight Simulator: Game of the Year Edition is arriving on November 18th with DirectX 12 support. The free update will include five new aircraft, eight new airports, and new discovery flights and tutorials. The big addition will be DirectX 12 support for PC players.

Asobo, the developers of Microsoft Flight Simulator, already shipped an update earlier this year that included huge PC performance improvements. This new DirectX 12 update should improve things even further for certain PCs, as DirectX 12 includes better CPU utilization.

The move to DirectX 12 will also open the door to ray tracing in Microsoft Flight Simulator in the future. Effects should include better water, improved shadows, and the usual reflections we expect to see in ray-traced games. Asobo is also introducing an updated weather system and a dev mode replay system in this upcoming update.

Microsoft Flight Simulator: Game of the Year Edition also includes access to a separate Reno Air Races mode that lets players race against their friends and other online pilots in a competitive multiplayer mode. The Reno Air Races expansion pack is the first major expansion for Microsoft Flight Simulator and is modeled on the famous STIHL National Championship Air Races.

Image: Microsoft

Microsoft Flight Simulator: Game of the Year Edition will launch on November 18th, just after Forza Horizon 5’s debut on November 9th and ahead of the Halo: Infinite release on December 8th. It’s part of a series of Xbox Game Studios launches this fall, including Age of Empires IV on October 28th and Minecraft joining Xbox Game Pass for PC on November 2nd.

Microsoft is also holding a special broadcast on November 15th to celebrate 20 years of Xbox. “While we won’t announce any new games, this anniversary broadcast will be a special look back at 20 years of Xbox,” says Matt Booty, head of Xbox Game Studios. “We’ll share more details soon, so stay tuned.”