Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 Sim Update 16 Beta went live on May 19, 2025, proving that Microsoft and Asobo haven’t yet left their last-gen sim out in the cold. With fixes to multiple default aircraft, console memory fixes, and much more, Sim Update 16 is now available for simmers to opt in while the beta period runs.
Console Memory Fixes
MSFS 2020 brought flight sim to the console masses via Xbox Series S and Series X; however, it has often been a struggle for console simmers due to memory issues. Since the Xbox consoles have (generally) less memory (RAM) and a slightly different way of managing that memory compared to PC, errors such as out-of-memory issues have been causing headaches on consoles since the release of the sim. In particular, aircraft displays going black have been a particular thorn in many simmers’ sides, and this is an issue often attributed to running out of memory on more taxing add-ons.
Sim Update 16’s headlining console fix states: “Improved memory management on Xbox Series S and Xbox Series X to improve stability.” Fix details right now are slim, but it is hoped that this (rather vague) fix will decrease or eliminate these black screen issues, as well as other persistent crashes that console users continue to face. Some users continue to report crashes and black screens on complex aircraft, although more feedback and fixes are likely to flood in as the beta period continues.
Time Zones, World and Water
MSFS 2020 Sim Update 16 also promises incoming fixes to the time zone system. Since Sim Update 14, users have reported that the local and UTC times are always the same, no matter what part of the world you are in. While this appears to be largely fixed, certain conditions can still cause this bug to manifest in interesting ways.
Microsoft also makes some vague nods to making the data on country coasts, borders, and islands “more accurate” and makes a change to water body polygons so that overlapping polygons no longer cancel each other out. So far, users on the beta forum have yet to report major differences in their sim experience. Microsoft has also improved the handling of navdata for runways that do not exist in the sim.
Aircraft and Avionics
The 787, Citation Longitude, and TBM 930 are all receiving bug fixes and improvements in MSFS 2020 Sim Update 16. While the 787 only gets one line, it’s a fix to an extremely annoying problem: deploying the spoilers would often cause the 787 to spin uncontrollably (if hilariously) out of control. The TBM 930 gets improvements to its PFD with approach cues and electronic stability protection, and systems additions in the form of a new FMS initialization flow and changes to the flight director in GA mode.
The Cessna Citation Longitude gets the most improvements of any aircraft in Sim Update 16 with highlights including multiple updates to the thrust reverser system, making it interact realistically with the hydraulics as well as altering the FADEC (Full Authority Digital Engine Control) to command more realistic thrust targets. Cabin altitude alerts and pressurization systems have received attention, and multiple new CAS (Crew Alerting System) messages have been added and their logic fixed. Autothrottle behavior has also received improvements and should function more realistically during some edge case scenarios.
The Garmin avionics suite has received multiple improvements, with Microsoft & Working Title targeting everything from the humble G430 to the G5000 found in the Longitude. Interestingly, Sim Update 16 includes improvements to the UNS-1 and Primus Epic 2.0 avionics suites, which are not used in any MSFS 2020 default aircraft. They are used in the Pilatus PC12/24 and Saab 340 in MSFS 2024. Microsoft has silently added those avionics to MSFS 2020 in Sim Update 15, however, ahead of MSFS 2024’s release, so that developers could use them.
Join the Beta Flight
If you would like to join the MSFS 2020 Sim Update 16 Beta test, you must opt in manually. Microsoft provides instructions on how to do so here, as the process is different for each platform (Console, Microsoft Store, and Steam). As always, joining the beta involves risk, as not all of the changes are fully tested yet and could have unintended consequences. Remember, join the beta to provide feedback, but wait for the full release if you are more concerned with stability.
If you fly in MSFS 2024 instead, Sim Update 3 has just entered beta as well, hot on the heels of Sim Update 2. Microsoft is pushing both simulators forward, even as issues still remain from MSFS 2024’s rocky launch, especially in career mode, which you can read about here. You can read the full release notes for Sim Update 16 here, and Microsoft has not yet announced a date when Sim Update 16 is planned to exit beta.
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