Microsoft Flight Simulator Unveils New National Championship Air Races Expansion at Gamescom
ROSWELL, N.M. (August 27, 2026) – The National Championship Air Races and Microsoft Flight Simulator today announced an October 13, 2026 release date for the new National Championship Air Races expansion for Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024, bringing the speed, competition and intensity of the World’s Fastest Motorsport to flight simulation fans around the globe.
The release date and a new trailer for the expansion were revealed today during Xbox’s Gamescom 2026 coverage in Cologne, Germany, where Tony Logoteta, President and Chief Operating Officer of the Reno Air Racing Association, joined Jorg Neumann, Head of Microsoft Flight Simulator, to discuss the project and the longstanding partnership behind it.
The announcement comes just three weeks before the real-world National Championship Air Races return to Roswell, New Mexico, September 16–20, 2026, creating a unique opportunity for fans to experience air racing both in the simulator and from the grandstands.
Microsoft Flight Simulator will be onsite at the 2026 National Championship Air Races with an interactive activation where race fans can visit the Microsoft Flight Simulator booth and experience the new air racing content firsthand. The activation will offer attendees an opportunity to get behind the controls and experience the virtual version of the sport while surrounded by the aircraft, pilots and racing action that inspired it.
“This is a unique, one-of-a-kind event in the world,” Logoteta said during the Gamescom interview. “It’s the World’s Fastest Motorsport.” He noted that race aircraft can exceed 500 mph while competing just feet above the desert floor.
Logoteta also highlighted the collaboration between Microsoft Flight Simulator developers and experienced National Championship Air Races pilots, who have worked together to recreate the nuances and demands of real air racing.
“We connected Jorg and his team with a bunch of our most experienced pilots,” Logoteta said. “It’s been so cool to watch them work so hard at making this truly authentic and realistic.”
The new experience builds substantially upon the air racing content first introduced through the partnership between Microsoft Flight Simulator and the Reno Air Racing Association. Players will be able to race on the historic Reno course as well as the new National Championship Air Races courses in Roswell.
Neumann explained at Gamescom that the new version takes air racing realism significantly further. Rather than simply applying full power and flying the course, competitors must actively manage aircraft systems and performance, including manifold pressure and engine temperature, adding another layer of strategy and skill to the racing experience.
The expansion also adds STOL Drag racing, bringing the head-to-head short takeoff and landing competition seen at the National Championship Air Races into Microsoft Flight Simulator.
The timing of the October 13 release creates a natural bridge between the real and virtual worlds. Fans will first have the opportunity to experience the new content at Gamescom and again at the National Championship Air Races in Roswell before the expansion becomes widely available just weeks after the last checkered flag falls at the 2026 live event.
“The partnership with Microsoft Flight Simulator gives us an extraordinary opportunity to introduce air racing to people around the world,” said Logoteta. “Fans can see these incredible airplanes and pilots racing in Roswell, experience the new simulator firsthand while they’re at the event, and then take that experience home with them when the expansion launches in October. It connects the real sport and the virtual experience in a way we’ve never been able to do before.”
The 2026 National Championship Air Races take place September 16–20 at the Roswell Air Center in Roswell, New Mexico, featuring multiple classes of high-performance aircraft competing around closed pylon courses at speeds reaching more than 500 mph.
The Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 National Championship Air Races Roswell expansion launches October 13, 2026.
For tickets and information about the 2026 National Championship Air Races, visit AirRace.org.
About the National Championship Air Races
The National Championship Air Races are the World’s Fastest Motorsport, bringing together some of the finest pilots and most extraordinary racing aircraft in aviation. Organized by the nonprofit Reno Air Racing Association, the event features multi-aircraft, multi-lap pylon racing in multiple classes, along with military demonstrations, aviation exhibits, STEM programming and fan experiences. After six decades of racing in Reno, Nevada, the National Championship Air Races began a new chapter in Roswell, New Mexico, in 2025.
