Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024stumbled off the runway with a rough launch. Thankfully, the early server issues have been resolved. The game also receivedits first couple of updates,which smoothed out some bugs. Now is a good time to get back into the skies if you had a bad time on release day.

Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024has many settings that you can alter for varying degrees of realism. This includes simulating the weather and the time of day. These factors can change your flight paths and visibility. You can alter these settings when piloting an aircraft in Free Flight mode. This mode allows you to pick any aircraft and any point on the planet you please. If you want to experience the skies over Manhattan at night,or the Great Pyramids during a snowstorm,you can. This guide will demonstrate how you can change the weather/time before and during flights inMicrosoft Flight Simulator 2024.

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How to Change Weather & Time of Day

Press on Free Flightand you will be brought to the map of Earth. Here is where you may select a plane and plan out your route. On the top right side of the screen are theFlight Conditionssettings. The clock is underneath this. The “Live” setting on the clock indicates that the simulation will be based on the real-time you are playing. You can click this setting to turn it off.

If you want more options, press on the flight conditions. You will have to pressYto get onto this panel on XBOX. Here is where you can change the weather and time.Livewill keep the current real-world weather and time for the parts of the world you fly around in. Changing the time while using Live settings can dial the real-world weather back up to 24 hours.Presetallows you to choose from different pre-made weather patterns and set the time.Customallows you to change the weather and time down to minute details. This includes applying weather to specific altitudes, air pressure, humidity, lightning, snow depth, and precipitation.

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How to Change Weather/Time Mid-Flight

You can even change these settings while flying. On PC, take your mouse cursor to the top of the screen and click on the small cloud icon. On XBOX you must pressRB + L3to activate cursor mode. Once you’ve clicked on the weather icon, you can change the weather and time as you please. Keep in mind that the simulation may get slow and hitch as it loads in the weather/time changesinMicrosoft Flight Simulator 2024.

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