Flight Simulator gives Italy and Malta the makeover treatment in latest World Update

Out now, PC, Xbox, and Cloud.

News by Matt Wales News Reporter

Published on May 17, 2022

Developer Asobo's slow and steady spruce-up of Microsoft Flight Simulator's already stunning recreation of Earth continues today with the arrival of its latest World Update, this time giving Italy and Malta the gorgeous makeover treatment.

Today's Italy and Malta refresh marks the ninth World Update to release for Flight Simulator since its launch in 2020, and follows similar spruce-ups for Andorra, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Gibraltar, Iceland, Ireland, Japan, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the UK.

As always, Asobo has crammed a heap into its latest World Update, including four hand-crafted airports across Italy and Malta - Palermo Airport (LICJ), Sondrio Airport (LILO), Marina di Campo Airport (LIRJ), and Bolanzo Airport (LIPB) - plus improvements for 100 existing airports.

Cover image for YouTube video — Microsoft Flight Simulator – Italy and Malta World Update Trailer.Watch on YouTube

That's alongside 94 new points of interest for Italy and 11 for Malta (detailed in full below), new elevation data, new aerial imagery, plus a photogrammetry overhaul for 12 cities: Ancona, Bari, Cittadella, Milan, Napoli, Padua, Paestum, Parma, Pavia, Perugia, Roma, Turin, and Venice.

Hold on, though, because that's still not quite everything; fans of Flight Simulator's wonderful curated experiences get a further nine in today's World Update: there are three bush trips (The Apennines, Sardinia Tour, Sicily Journey), three new discovery flights around Venice, Rome, and Florence, plus three new landing challenges - Reggio Calabria (Epic), Palermo Falcone Borsellino (Strong Wind), and Genova Setri (Epic).

Flight Simulator's World Update 9 is free to download now on Xbox and PC (and is also available via Xbox Cloud Gaming), but players will first need to update their game then head to the in-game Marketplace in order to grab the new content.

Flight Simulator's Italy and Malta makeover marks Asobo's third World Update of 2022. Based on previous comments from the developer, we can expect at least three more before the year is through, alongside various new Sim Updates, DLSS support, and, of course, helicopters. And before all that, there's the not insignificant matter of Flight Simulator's free Top Gun expansion, which Asobo recently confirmed will be arriving on 25th May.

And finally, as promised, today's 105 new points of interest in full: