Microsoft Flight Simulator transforms into a Stranger Things game in this free update

Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 has taken an unexpected detour with a free Stranger Things crossover that drops pilots right into the middle of Hawkins. The update recreates the town in impressive detail, letting players fly above familiar locations brimming with the show’s unsettling yet nostalgic atmosphere.

At the center of the experience are five story-driven rescue missions that task players with piloting a Bell UH-1H Huey helicopter to assist Hawkins residents during their latest encounters with the Upside Down. It’s a fun and clever twist on the simulator’s usual structure, pairing realistic flight mechanics with tense, narrative-driven objectives that feel like a little slice of a larger Stranger Things title has been dropped into the simulator.

The update harkens back to the attention to detail put into the Dune crossover in 2024 and the Jurassic World crossover from earlier this year. Here’s hoping this trend continues and expands into even more amazing places. And in case Asobo Studio is reading this, yes, we do want to see your faithful recreation of planet Genna (the Death Planet) from the Predator: Badlands movie, while flying one of those sick Yautja ships with impeccably recreated interiors. Pretty please.

The Stranger Things expansion is completely free for all Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 owners. Once your game is updated, you can download the add-on and immediately start exploring Hawkins from the air. Good luck, pilots. Fly safe, stay right-side up, and don’t let the Demogorgons bite.