'We have 2,500,000 GB of aerial data, so we stream that'—why the cloud is the future of Microsoft Flight Simulator and likely many more games to come

HardwareMicrosoft Flight Simulator’We have 2,500,000 GB of aerial data, so we stream that'—why the cloud is the future of Microsoft Flight Simulator and likely many more games to comeWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

(Image credit: Microsoft)

A skydiver jumping out of a plane among the clouds in MSFS 2024

Game install sizes are the worst. Ok, a bit dramatic, but I can’t be the only one that groans when I look at a game’s system requirements and spot a huge number of GBs I’ll have to make room for on my SSD. In recent years, that allocation of precious storage space has become larger and larger. To be honest, it stresses me out.

Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020isn’t exactly light on the install size either, with the base game coming in at 130 GB, and various world updates bringing the total to around 500 GB. And the Head of Microsoft Flight Simulator, Jorge Neumann, says it could well have been a lot worse than that:

“So almost all of it is on the cloud side. And streaming works great, right? So there’s no problems there. But the client side gets thinner and thinner.”

(Image credit: Microsoft)

A glider soaring next to a mountain outcrop in MSFS 2024

“We are more and more confident that you can offload more and more things. When you look at our data set, it’s exploding… we launched with 40 airports or something. Now we have 180, and those are all, like, 10 GB.

The biggest gaming news, reviews and hardware deals

“You’re like, oh my God, how is this ever going to fit on anything? The fact is, it’s the cloud, and it works…it feels like whatever comes to your mind you can actually do now, if you embrace the cloud.”

When you put it like that, having an entire game’s worth of local assets on your machine strikes as something that may well become old-fashioned. Certainly, it makes a change from the old days of game development, where every MB mattered and internet connections were too unreliable to deliver vast amounts of content on demand.

(Image credit: Microsoft)

A blimp, flying next to the mountains in Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024

So, while the interconnectivity of the cloud certainly has its downsides (I’m looking at you,biggest tech outage of all time), are we looking at a future where all our next-generation gaming is done through a compact thin client, reaching out to the big wide world for the majority of its assets?

Of course, services like Nvidia’sGeforce Now, in which entire games are played on data center PCs and streamed to a thin clientcapable of running on low powered devices, already exist. But what Neumann is talking about here seems like a different thing entirely. Your PC is still handling the heavy lifting of rendering the game, it’s just the data it’s pulling from is coming in from the cloud, keeping your install sizes low and allowing developers the freedom to go bananas with the assets.

There are downsides, of course. As gamers, we’re already—I think it’s fair to say—waryofgames that require a constant internet connectionto function, especially for single player experiences.

And if it frees up some more delicious space on my PC, all the better. After all, big SSDsaren’t as cheap as they used to be, y’know. Price of fish, and all that.

Best gaming PC: The top pre-built machines.Best gaming laptop: Great devices for mobile gaming.

Best gaming PCBest gaming laptop

Best gaming PC: The top pre-built machines.Best gaming laptop: Great devices for mobile gaming.

More about hardwareIf you’re trying to convince me your ‘companionship’ robot is ‘lifelike’, maybe don’t rip her face off in the demo videoIs the new RTX 5070 really as fast as Nvidia’s previous flagship RTX 4090 GPU? Turns out the answer is yes. Kinda.LatestToday’s Wordle answer for Saturday, January 11See more latest►

More about hardware

If you’re trying to convince me your ‘companionship’ robot is ‘lifelike’, maybe don’t rip her face off in the demo videoIs the new RTX 5070 really as fast as Nvidia’s previous flagship RTX 4090 GPU? Turns out the answer is yes. Kinda.

A robot having its face pulled off

If you’re trying to convince me your ‘companionship’ robot is ‘lifelike’, maybe don’t rip her face off in the demo video

Nvidia RTX 5070 graphics card

Is the new RTX 5070 really as fast as Nvidia’s previous flagship RTX 4090 GPU? Turns out the answer is yes. Kinda.

LatestToday’s Wordle answer for Saturday, January 11See more latest►

Latest

Today’s Wordle answer for Saturday, January 11

Wordle answers

Today’s Wordle answer for Saturday, January 11

See more latest►

Most Popular

The Witcher 3’s now 2-year-old bonus quest is our first taste of the ‘vibe’ CD Projekt is going for in The Witcher 4

2024 was the year updates for old games beat out all the new ones for me

Train like you game with this adventure-inspired workout

‘It’s simply impossible to make a difficulty level that’s just right for all players’: How Final Fantasy 14’s lead battle designer has been playing a precarious balancing game for Dawntrail’s dungeons and raids

Please join me in getting super excited for all the cool looking survival games coming in 2025 (and beyond)

Competitive shooters are at a crucial crossroads in 2025: ‘sweaty’ teamplay vs. casual fun

Call of Duty’s $28 Squid Game skins are the perfect crossover for our capitalist dystopia, and Activision knows exactly what it’s doing

These are the 14 biggest upcoming RPGs of 2025—get ready for another amazing year for the genre

Five new Steam games you probably missed (January 6, 2025)

I’ve seen enough: No more forcing singleplayer studios to make mediocre live service games

HARDWARE BUYING GUIDESLATEST GAME REVIEWS1Best Steam Deck accessories in Australia for 2025: Our favorite docks, powerbanks and gamepads2Best graphics card for laptops: the mobile GPUs I’d want in my next gaming laptop3Best mini PCs in 2025: The compact computers I love the most4Best 14-inch gaming laptop: The top compact gaming laptops I’ve held in these hands5Best Mini-ITX motherboards in 2025: My pick from all the mini mobo marvels I’ve tested1Thank Goodness You’re Here! review: An anarchic treasure trove of jokes and skits2Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island review—like juggling chainsaws on horseback3WD Black SN850X 8 TB NVMe SSD review4Ikea Utespelare desk review5Asus ROG Harpe Ace Mini wireless mouse review

HARDWARE BUYING GUIDESLATEST GAME REVIEWS

1Best Steam Deck accessories in Australia for 2025: Our favorite docks, powerbanks and gamepads

A bunch of the best Steam Deck accessories on a blue background.

1Best Steam Deck accessories in Australia for 2025: Our favorite docks, powerbanks and gamepads

Best Steam Deck accessories in Australia for 2025: Our favorite docks, powerbanks and gamepads

2Best graphics card for laptops: the mobile GPUs I’d want in my next gaming laptop

Best graphics card for laptops: the mobile GPUs I’d want in my next gaming laptop

3Best mini PCs in 2025: The compact computers I love the most

Best mini PCs in 2025: The compact computers I love the most

4Best 14-inch gaming laptop: The top compact gaming laptops I’ve held in these hands

Best 14-inch gaming laptop: The top compact gaming laptops I’ve held in these hands

5Best Mini-ITX motherboards in 2025: My pick from all the mini mobo marvels I’ve tested

Best Mini-ITX motherboards in 2025: My pick from all the mini mobo marvels I’ve tested

1Thank Goodness You’re Here! review: An anarchic treasure trove of jokes and skits

Thank Goodness You’re Here review

1Thank Goodness You’re Here! review: An anarchic treasure trove of jokes and skits

Thank Goodness You’re Here! review: An anarchic treasure trove of jokes and skits

2Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island review—like juggling chainsaws on horseback

Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island review—like juggling chainsaws on horseback

3WD Black SN850X 8 TB NVMe SSD review

WD Black SN850X 8 TB NVMe SSD review

4Ikea Utespelare desk review

Ikea Utespelare desk review

5Asus ROG Harpe Ace Mini wireless mouse review

Asus ROG Harpe Ace Mini wireless mouse review

The biggest gaming news, reviews and hardware deals#

The biggest gaming news, reviews and hardware deals