World Update 21: Australia of Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 includes a collaboration with the New South Wales Rural Fire Service – widely acknowledged as the largest volunteer fire service in the world. Comprised of nearly 40,000 dedicated volunteers, the RFS is rooted in the NSW communities, studiously managing bushfires that remain a significant, reoccurring threat across Australia.  Players can experience the critical real-world operations of aerial firefighting with a new RFS-inspired mission using water bombing to put out a fire in New South Wales.  To learn more about their work in protecting the Australian wilderness, Xbox Wire talked with NSW’s director of aviation, Assistant Commissioner Jayson McKellar AFSM, about the yearly challenges the NSW Rural Fire Service faces in bushfire response, how flight simulations like Microsoft Flight Simulator can help educate players about aerial firefighting and what advances in technology have made the biggest difference to firefighter safety in recent years.  Read that interview on Xbox Wire.

Sim Update 5 for Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 is now available, with significant improvements for every aspiring pilot player. One of the biggest changes is that now all career modes are fully unlocked. Heavy aircraft and Vertical Take‑Off and Landing (VTOL) operations are also available (i.e. helicopters). The update also improves frame rates and reduces stuttering – especially in large cities and complex airports. Find out more at the MSFS 2024 site.

Xbox mode will begin rolling out in select markets to Windows 11 PCs, including laptops, desktops and tablets, bringing a console-inspired Xbox experience to more players than ever. Xbox mode is designed for the moments when you want your games to take center stage on Windows 11 PCs and handhelds. Xbox mode offers a streamlined interface that puts your library and recently played titles within easy reach while minimizing background distractions. Find out more on Xbox Wire. You can also head to the site to get all the details on new ROG Xbox Ally updates, including Automatic Super Resolution (Auto SR) being available in preview for Xbox Insiders using the ROG Xbox Ally X. When docked and connected to an external display, Auto SR delivers 1440p-like detail alongside smooth framerates on larger screens. As part of this preview, Xbox Insiders can easily control when Auto SR is applied to their games through Game Bar integration. Read about this and other updates – such as docked play defaulting to TV displays – on Xbox Wire.

At Double Fine Productions, an idea that emerged almost a decade ago during an internal game jam became Kiln, a pottery party brawler. (Say that fast five times!) To better understand the craft behind the concept, members of the team got hands-on experience with in-person classes. They learned techniques and gained an appreciation for the complexity of working with clay before translating those lessons into a game infused with cathartic creation and destruction. The result blends hands‑on creativity with social play, shaped by a studio culture that encourages experimentation, kindness, collaboration and respect. It's available on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox on PC, Xbox Cloud, PlayStation 5, Steam and with Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. It will be an Xbox Play Anywhere title, and arrive Handheld Optimized. Find out more about Double Fine and Kiln on Source. Head over to Xbox Wire to get a roadmap to the game and to read their launch day tips.

In Diablo IV, the Skill Tree system gives players the ability to pick a skill and choose an upgrade to get stronger. Now, that tree has evolved to support more player choices. These new branches don’t just make skills stronger – they make them different. “If you’re newer to Diablo IV, the system is more approachable than it looks. Click a node, try it out, and see how it grows. For the more veteran adventurers, theorycrafting just got deeper,” writes Blizzard’s Chelsea Leah. Find out more about this at Xbox Wire.

Fans of the Metro series from 4A Games can check out a recap of a recent broadcast from Xbox First Look on the latest title in that storyline: Metro 2039, due to be released this winter. “Like the previous games in the series, it will be a story-driven, single-player campaign, crafted with skill and passion by a global team founded and still majority-based in Ukraine,” writes Xbox Wire’s Will Fulton. In Metro 2039, you’ll step into the character of “The Stranger” and return to a post-apocalyptic Moscow overrun by a fascist regime. This will be the series’ first fully voiced lead protagonist. Head over to Xbox Wire to find out more about the game, its story and its creators.