Top Gun: Maverick DLC jets off on Microsoft Flight Simulator

Take me on your Mighty Wings tonight

It looks like you two characters… are going to Top Gun — or at least you will be if you frequent Microsoft Flight Simulator. The premier sky flying title has added a brand new DLC expansion themed after Paramount Pictures’ new movie Top Gun: Maverick. Better still, the new DLC is free for all players.

Wannabee Icemen can earn their stripes in three new training missions, learning the ways of unrestricted take-offs, split S maneuvers, and low altitude, high-speed maneuvering. Once you’re pretty confident that you can take on any situation… inverted… then you can test your newfound abilities against five challenging “High Speed/Low Level” canyon runs, zipping through tight and unpredictable terrain at terrifying, break-neck speeds.

By the time you’re buzzing the tower and making those stuffed shirts spill their coffee, you’ll be ready to take on the Carrier Deck Landing Challenge, which developer Asobo assures us is one of the most demanding operations in military aviation. I bet Cruise had a go at it, the bleach-teethed nutcase. Finally, the expansion teases the addition of never-before-unveiled, Mach 10 hypersonic aircraft. Is that in the movie? Probably. I haven’t seen it yet.

You might be wondering where the Top Gun: Maverick F/A-18E Super Hornet is in this mix. Well, it’s already in Flight Simulator, as it was added last year before the corresponding movie was delayed, so chances are that flight aficionados are already pretty handy with it. A new livery pack will let you apply Top Gun and Maverick-themed decals to the jet fighter, so you’ll truly feel the need… well, you know.

The Top Gun: Maverick DLC expansion is live in Microsoft Flight Simulator now. Coincidentally, Bandai Namco’s Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown also receives its own Top Gun DLC today. For movie fans, Top Gun: Maverick launches in theaters worldwide on May 27. It is, apparently, very good indeed.