Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024’s Sim Update 6 is shaping up to be one of the most community-driven releases yet, and the latest beta build—1.8.8.0, released July 16—finally brings back the fan-favorite Bush Trips, along with a handful of other notable improvements.

Bush Trips are curated, multi-leg sightseeing flights that first appeared in the 2020 edition of Microsoft Flight Simulator. They combine navigation challenges, points of interest, and low-altitude scenic routes, stripped of complex flight planning and Career-mode grind. In short, they are digital wanderlust for simmers who want to kick back and enjoy the view.

For the full release of Flight Simulator 2024, Bush Trips were conspicuously absent. That changes now for anyone willing to opt into the beta.

What’s New in the July 16 Beta

Microsoft has added “a large amount” of the original Bush Trips from MSFS 2020 to the Activities menu in the beta, with more promised during the test period. According to the patch notes, ten specific trips are still being finalized: Discover Sweden, North Queensland Coast, Austria — Land of Mountains and Music, Germany’s Coast and the Rhine, The Alpine World of Switzerland, Wales, the Breckenridge route, and a few others. Their temporary absence is just a beta limitation, not a cut from the full update.

Alongside the Bush Trips, the beta introduces MastLights at generic airports. These automatically placed light poles brighten parking areas at medium, large, and extra-large generic airports, building on the lighting overhaul that started in the previous beta build. Night flying now feels less like navigating a black hole, especially at regional fields where custom scenery isn’t available.

The update also squashes several bugs that have dogged the simulator since launch:
- A frame-rate-cap issue that made the initial boot slower than necessary has been fixed.
- Long loading times that felt excessive have been addressed (though some add-on-induced delays may remain).
- Xbox players regain the first-person freelook speed slider, which went missing in a previous update.
- VR users will no longer see the annoying “Controller disconnected” pop-up when their controller enters sleep mode.
- Thrustmaster T.Flight Hotas 4 support is restored on PlayStation 5. However, existing custom input profiles won’t work—Microsoft warns they’re incompatible with the updated peripheral SDK, so users will need to reconfigure their setups.

Other smaller additions include an option to minimize or disable the minimap overlay, a head- and eye-tracking pause action (useful for VR and TrackIR setups), extra night missions in Career mode, and various engine and SDK changes for developers.

As a reminder, the earlier SU6 beta (build 1.8.5.0) already introduced DLSS 4.5 upscaling, FSR 4 for AMD GPU owners, and the ability to skip preflight walkarounds in Free Flight mode. That beta also began the generic airport lighting improvements that this week’s build continues.

Why Bush Trips Matter

For many simmers, Bush Trips aren’t just casual sightseeing—they’re a meditative escape from the numbers-heavy obsession with procedures and systems. Each trip is a multi-leg narrative, threading through landmarks, terrain features, and historical notes that transform a flight into a story. They reward visual navigation without GPS hand-holding, encouraging you to read the landscape.

When Flight Simulator 2024 launched with a heavy emphasis on Career mode and mission-based progression, the absence of Bush Trips left a hole. Career mode offers structure, but it’s goal-oriented; Bush Trips offer freedom with a gentle guide rail. Their return signals that Asobo Studio is listening to the community’s nostalgia for the 2020 experience, even as it pushes the platform forward technologically.

What the Beta Means for Different Players

For Casual Pilots and Sightseers

If you bought Flight Simulator 2024 expecting the same zen-like discovery flights from the previous game, the beta is a green light to jump back in. You don’t need any add-ons or deep knowledge—just enroll in the beta, and the trips appear in the Activities menu. The learning curve is flat: pick a trip, start the first leg, and fly.

For Hardcore Simmers

You probably already have a suite of third-party scenery, aircraft, and utilities. While the Bush Trips themselves work without mods, many of you will want to test compatibility. Microsoft explicitly warns that outdated Community folder add-ons can cause crashes, poor performance, or slow loading in the beta. Before installing, move your community packages to a backup location and reintroduce them one by one to spot conflicts. This is also a good time to update any tools that hook into the simulator, like flight planners or moving map apps.

For Xbox and PlayStation 5 Users

Xbox players have extra reason to download the beta: the freelook speed fix alone is a big quality-of-life win, especially for cockpit tours and external cams. PS5 pilots with the Thrustmaster T.Flight Hotas 4 get their hardware back, but as noted, custom profiles need rebuilding. Console betas are managed through the Xbox Insider Hub app (on Xbox) or a special download on the PlayStation Store. All platforms require signing up for the Microsoft Flight Simulator Insider program first.

For VR Flyers

The VR pop-up fix is small but significant. Frequent disconnection messages during longer flights broke immersion; they’re now gone. Combine that with head-tracking pause support and the general performance improvements from DLSS 4.5/FSR 4, and VR flights in the beta should feel smoother and less interrupted.

How to Get the Beta Right Now

Enrolling in the SU6 beta is free and requires a few simple steps, but they differ by platform. First, you must be a Microsoft Flight Simulator Insider. If you haven’t signed up, head to the official Flight Simulator website and register for free. Once you’re in the program:

  • Steam (PC): Right-click Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 in your library, select Properties, go to the Betas tab, and choose the “simupdate6_beta” option from the dropdown. The download should start automatically.
  • Microsoft Store / Xbox (PC): Download the Xbox Insider Hub app from the Microsoft Store. Launch it, navigate to Previews, find Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024, and select Join. The beta will then appear as an update.
  • Xbox Series X|S: Use the Xbox Insider Hub app on your console. Sign in, go to Previews, find the simulator, and opt in. The beta will install alongside the main game—you won’t lose your current stable build, but you’ll switch between them via the app.
  • PlayStation 5: Unlike other platforms, PS5 betas are distributed directly from the PlayStation Store. After registering as an Insider, you should receive a notification or a dedicated store page where you can download the beta client. (Note: Microsoft’s instructions for PS5 betas have been less detailed; if you don’t see it, check the game’s store page for a separate beta version.)

Once installed, launch the simulator, and the new build number (1.8.8.0) should appear in the main menu. Bush Trips are in the Activities section. If you don’t see them, verify that you’re running the correct build.

Important Beta-Warning

Beta software is unfinished. You may encounter crashes, freezes, or broken add-ons. If the simulator behaves unexpectedly, the first troubleshooting step is to remove all add-ons from the Community folder. In the Microsoft Store version, it’s usually at:
%LocalAppData%\Packages\Microsoft.FlightSimulator_8wekyb3d8bbwe\LocalCache\Packages\Community
Steam users will find it in the game’s installation directory under \Official\Steam or a custom location if they’ve moved it.

Additionally, Microsoft has warned that the updated peripheral SDK will invalidate some older custom input profiles. If you use a complex HOTAS or yoke setup with custom bindings, be prepared to reprogram them after updating to the beta. You might want to back up your profile files before joining.

What’s Still Coming and When

The Bush Trips catalogue is incomplete in this beta. Microsoft says more trips will be added “in the coming days,” but there’s no guarantee all 2020 trips will make the final cut—some may be withheld for future updates. The beta also doesn’t include any new aircraft or major world updates; those are likely reserved for later this year.

As for the public release, Microsoft has not announced a date. The official roadmap points to a July or August window for Sim Update 6, so the stable build could land within a few weeks. Historical patterns with Flight Simulator 2020’s betas suggest that when the team stops adding features and starts polishing bugs, the release is imminent. Right now, they’re still adding content, so the beta is genuinely a work in progress.

If you’d rather wait for the final version, you’re not missing time-limited content. Bush Trips will be there when the update goes live. But if curiosity gets the better of you, the beta is accessible now and largely stable—as long as you follow the add-on caveats.

The Road Ahead

Sim Update 6 is more than just a content drop; it’s a signal that Flight Simulator 2024’s post-launch trajectory is matching the community’s expectations. Bush Trips returning early in the simulator’s life cycle (just over six months after launch) shows that Asobo isn’t letting the 2020 fan-favorites languish. Combined with ongoing lighting improvements and cross-platform bug fixes, the update is a solid stepping stone toward the living-world vision Microsoft promised.

Keep an eye on the official Flight Simulator website and in-sim notifications for the public release announcement. In the meantime, if you’re tired of grinding Career missions or just want to fly low and slow through the Scottish Highlands at sunset, the beta is waiting. Just remember to back up your add-ons first.