Microsoft Flight Simulator (2020)

Overseas holiday cancelled? No matter – you can still take to the skies in the easiest of easy jets as the legendary flight sim returns with some serious upgrades…

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These past few months we’ve become more used to the idea of virtual tourism, but nothing comes close to the scale and ambition of having a getaway with Microsoft Flight Simulator. After a 14-year hiatus, the long-running PC series couldn’t have come back at a better time.

A lot has changed too, thanks to the enormous leaps in technology. The real trick behind this entry is its integration of Microsoft’s Bing Maps and Azure cloud-computing network, which means literally the entire world’s geography can be generated in the game. Just point your finger anywhere on the globe and you can fly there, all while skipping the hassle of baggage check-ins, overpriced airport food or having to wear a mask.

Machine-learning algorithms mean buildings, trees and lakes, not to mention all the world’s 37,000 airports, are rendered into stunning photorealistic 3D, which will definitely make you want to fly dangerously low to see just how accurate it all is. Key cities are also built by hand using photogrammetry to be as accurate as possible, so you might even be able to see your own house. And added to all that is the use of real-time weather data from Meteoblue.