Air racing is back in Microsoft Flight Simulator. On October 13, 2026, Microsoft and Asobo released the National Championship Air Races expansion for Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 as a free update, together with a paid add on called National Championship Air Races Racer Pack 1. Xbox Wire announced both the same day.

What the free expansion includes

The expansion brings racing to two venues: the classic Reno course and new courses in Roswell, New Mexico, where the real National Championship Air Races were held from September 16 to 20 this year. According to the official Flight Simulator site, there are four pylon racing classes plus a new STOL Drag event:

  • Unlimited: piston engine racers, led by heavily modified P-51 Mustangs
  • Jet: non afterburning jets such as the Aero L-39 Albatros
  • T-6: the North American T-6 Texan and its production variants
  • Biplane: small biplanes such as the Pitts Special S-1S and S-2S
  • STOL Drag: two pilots race on a 2,000-foot course, taking off, landing, turning and doing it again

You can fly solo time trials, set up your own multiplayer races or join existing ones. An optional wear and tear system makes engines degrade based on how hard you push them, so managing manifold pressure and engine temperature matters more than holding full throttle. Vintage Aviation News reported that this race management was a key part of the design.

Real race planes can pass 500 mph at altitudes of 50 to 250 feet, and the team built the tracks from thousands of reference photos and measurements. The expansion was developed with the Reno Air Racing Association, and its president, Tony Logoteta, told General Aviation News the real event is “the World’s Fastest Motorsport.”

Racer Pack 1: 40 named race planes

The paid Racer Pack 1 costs $39.99 USD and adds 40 aircraft, 10 in each of the Unlimited, Jet, T-6 and Biplane classes. Each is modelled on a real racer, including the P-51D “Strega,” the L-39C “American Spirit,” the SNJ-4 “Big Red” and the Pitts S-1S “Miss Diane.” You can buy single aircraft or a class pack of 10 through the in sim Marketplace, the Microsoft Store and Steam.

What it means for players

If you already own Flight Simulator 2024, you can start racing today without paying anything extra, since the expansion and its courses are free. The Racer Pack is only for players who want the liveries and variants of real named race planes.

Flight Simulator 2024 is available on Xbox Series X|S, PC, PlayStation 5 with PS VR2 support, Steam and Game Pass, plus Xbox Cloud Gaming. Canadian pricing for Racer Pack 1 was not listed in the announcement, so check the store in your region before buying.