Flight Simulator's World Update 2 gives the US landscape a stunning upgrade and is out now Eurogamer.net If you click on a link and make a purchase we may receive a small commission. Read our editorial policy. Flight Simulator's World Update 2 gives the US landscape a stunning upgrade and is out now Overhauls for Monument Valley, Yosemite, and more. News by Matt Wales Reporter Updated on 24 Nov 2020 42 comments Developer Asobo's Flight Simulator is, as even the swiftest glance in its direction will confirm, a staggeringly beautiful game, but it's not always the best at capturing the finer details; that's where its semi-regular World Updates come in, and its latest, available now, gives the vast sprawl of the United States a much-need upgrade. Fly over Manhattan or Disney World and it might feel like Flight Simulator's rendition of the US is plenty detailed enough already; head out to admire the country's countless geological wonders, though, from the staggering depths of the Grand Canyon to the iconic majesty of Monument Valley, and the illusion can start to fall apart rather dramatically thanks to the somewhat woolly satellite and elevation data used to generate the Earth in the launch game. Enter Asobo's second World Update, which follows on from its gorgeous overhaul of Japan back in September, introducing a significant number of welcome improvements to the United States' multitudinous geological and man-made landmarks, turning an already beautiful game into an even more breathtaking one, if at all possible. Watch on YouTube Microsoft Flight Simulator - United States World Update trailer. Monument Valley, for instance, is no longer a series of disappointingly indistinct mounds, and is now much closer to its dazzling real-life counterpart; it's a similar story for the Hoover Dam, no longer a weird undulating series of woozily impossible textures, and now a solidly imposing structure James Bond would be thrilled to launch himself off. Alongside an improved digital elevation model for greater geological fidelity in certain areas, World Update 2 adds four new hand-crafted airports (Atlanta, Dallas/Fort Worth, Friday Harbor, and New York Stewart), visual improvements to 48 existing ones, plus 50 new points of interest, including Yosemite's El Capitan, Kansas' Monument Rocks, the Mesa Verde Cliff Palace, Kennedy Space Centre, Tucson's Airport Graveyard, and more. In addition to all that, Asobo has added new Discovery Flight options, taking in some iconic locations across the eastern seaboard, and a new Bush Trip across the Alaskan wilderness. Full details, which include various fixes and performance improvements, are available in the patch notes accompanying today's free World Update 2 release. Become a Eurogamer subscriber and get your first month for £1 Get your first month for £1 (normally £3.99) when you buy a Standard Eurogamer subscription. Enjoy ad-free browsing, merch discounts, our monthly letter from the editor, and show your support with a supporter-exclusive comment flair! Support us View supporter archive More News Splatoon 3 Amiibos will be out next month Ink-coming! 3 Fans think Phil Spencer's shelf is teasing the Xbox Game Pass streaming box UPDATE: Xbox confirms old Keystone prototype. 59 Modder dives into Demon's Souls files following PS5 jailbreak, discovers fabled Ring of the Chieftain Who knows what's nexus? 3 Google announces cloud gaming Chromebooks less than a fortnight after Stadia shutdown GeForce Now preinstalled. 10 Latest Articles Preview Football Manager's new Console edition is the best you'll get without a PC Getting Touch-right. Splatoon 3 Amiibos will be out next month Ink-coming! 3 Fans think Phil Spencer's shelf is teasing the Xbox Game Pass streaming box UPDATE: Xbox confirms old Keystone prototype. 59 Modder dives into Demon's Souls files following PS5 jailbreak, discovers fabled Ring of the Chieftain Who knows what's nexus? 3 Supporters Only Premium only Off Topic: Take a minute to appreciate Cookin' with Coolio's incredible scallops recipe. What a great book. Premium only Off Topic: Reading City of Glass in comic form "Where exactly am I going?" Premium only Off Topic: Il Buco is a transporting film about a really big hole Underlands. Off-Topic Netflix handled Sandman brilliantly It was Dreamy. 9 Buy things with globes on them And other lovely Eurogamer merch in our official store! Explore our store