Microsoft Flight Simulator is renowned for its breathtaking visuals, yet it manages to avoid the storage hogging issues associated with other massive games. While the base installation clocks in at around 130GB, with world updates pushing the total to roughly 500GB, the game’s true data size is far larger. In an interview with PCGamer, Jorge Neumann, Head of Microsoft Flight Simulator, revealed the game utilizes a whopping 2.5 petabytes (2,500,000 GB) of aerial data.
Neumann explained that this immense data volume is not stored locally but streamed to players, effectively offloading storage demands. This streaming approach also extends to the game’s digital elevation maps, which are similarly vast. He emphasized that the game relies heavily on cloud streaming, with most of the data residing on the cloud side, resulting in a leaner client-side install.
Neumann expressed confidence in this cloud-centric approach, stating that it allows for continuous expansion of the game’s content without storage limitations. He pointed to the rapid growth of airports within the game, now exceeding 180, each requiring around 10GB of data. Despite this, Neumann remains optimistic, emphasizing that the cloud infrastructure seamlessly handles this expansion.
He further highlighted the liberating nature of cloud streaming for developers, comparing it to the limitations faced in the past when storage constraints forced creative compromises. Neumann reflected on his days working on PlayStation One games, where animation frame counts had to be meticulously reduced due to memory limitations. He expressed that this constraint no longer exists, allowing developers to focus on creative expression without the shackles of storage limitations.
