Cruise into the danger zone with Microsoft Flight Simulator's free Top Gun DLC

Maverick in the cockpit of a jet in Microsoft Flight Simulator
(Image credit: Microsoft)

Microsoft Flight Simulator is getting a free Top Gun expansion to help all us flight sim nerds do our best Maverick impressions. 

The DLC was teased in a trailer on Wednesday, complete with the film's iconic soaring 80s guitar riff, but doesn't give much more detail than that. Presumably, this means you can fly the F-18 Super Hornet from the film, but we can't confirm the kind of plane from the trailer. We'll have to wait for the expansion to download before confirming that.

While Microsoft Flight Simulator is a PC staple, you can get it on Xbox Series X|S with an Xbox Game Pass subscription. Remember, however, that the game itself is absolutely massive, so be prepared to wait a minute for it to download, as we're sure the highway to the danger zone is going to have a bit of a traffic jam this week.


A fighter jet soaring down a river valley in Microsoft Flight Simulator

(Image credit: Microsoft)

Analysis: A movie tie-in we'd actually play? Yes, please

Our Axel Metz absolutely fell over himself with praise in his Top Gun: Maverick review, declaring that the new film was "superior to its predecessor in almost every conceivable way."

The film follows up on the 1986 original and is steeped in the kind of nostalgia-inducing homage that is sure to rekindle every grown adult's Maverick fantasies that they had as a kid, so we're sure that the new expansion will be a big hit. The trailer's stunning visuals show the player landing on an aircraft carrier and soaring over a river valley, so we're all pretty much hooked from the get-go.

The fact that it's a free expansion to boot? You literally can't go wrong here. Whether you have it on Game Pass, Steam, or PC download, now's the time to get that monster download started.

John Loeffler
Components Editor

John (He/Him) is the Components Editor here at TechRadar and he is also a programmer, gamer, activist, and Brooklyn College alum currently living in Brooklyn, NY. 


Named by the CTA as a CES 2020 Media Trailblazer for his science and technology reporting, John specializes in all areas of computer science, including industry news, hardware reviews, PC gaming, as well as general science writing and the social impact of the tech industry.


You can find him online on Threads @johnloeffler.


Currently playing: Baldur's Gate 3 (just like everyone else).