National Championship Air Races is now available in Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 as a free expansion delivered with Sim Update 7 (version 1.9.18.0). Find the racing activity under Activities. The separate Racer Pack 1 costs $39.99 USD, but it is not required to enter the free races.
If you bought Reno Air Races content for Microsoft Flight Simulator (2020), check your old purchase before paying again. Microsoft’s September update said existing Reno DLC buyers would receive an upgrade, but it did not clarify how every old edition or individual aircraft purchase maps to the new collection. The old Full Collection entitlement is more clearly supported by a developer livestream.
National Championship Air Races is free with MSFS 2024
The returning activity brings Reno-style pylon racing together with a new Roswell, New Mexico course. The released activity includes four pylon-racing classes and a STOL drag event:
- Unlimited, featuring P-51 Mustangs
- T-6, featuring the North American T-6 Texan
- Biplane, featuring the Pitts Special S1S
- Jet, featuring the L-39
- STOL, with new head-to-head drag racing
Microsoft’s September development update also described more detailed wake turbulence, wear and tear, and engine management. It said 44 aircraft were receiving updates for the returning activity.
That last number needs care. It does not mean Microsoft is giving all players 44 additional aircraft. The free activity and the optional paid aircraft collection are different things.
Microsoft says private lobby racing with friends is part of the activity. Scheduled races remain planned for 2027, rather than part of the October launch.
Microsoft describes the feature in its October 13 National Championship Air Races release announcement and September development update.
What does Racer Pack 1 include, and how much does it cost?
National Championship Air Races – Racer Pack 1 is the optional aircraft collection. Microsoft’s October 13 announcement confirms 40 racing aircraft, with 10 each in the Unlimited, Jet, T-6 and Biplane classes.
The full collection costs $39.99 USD and is sold through the in-simulator Marketplace, Microsoft / Xbox store and Steam. Microsoft also says you can purchase individual aircraft or class packs of 10 rather than all 40. Check the price in your own region and which aircraft you already own before buying.
Racer Pack 1 is not required to access the free racing activity. STOL drag racing is a fifth event, not a fifth 10-aircraft pack. The 40 aircraft in Racer Pack 1 are also distinct from the 44 aircraft that Microsoft discussed updating before launch.
Bought Reno Air Races in MSFS 2020? Check which edition you own
The older simulator offered two different Reno products, and they were not interchangeable purchases.
| Reno add-on sold in 2021 | Original US price | What it included |
|---|---|---|
| Reno Air Races: Expansion Pack | $19.99 | Racing activity and four starter aircraft, one from each original aircraft class |
| Reno Air Races: Full Collection | $59.99 | Racing activity plus 40 licensed racing aircraft, ten from each original class |
These are historical 2021 launch prices, not current offers. Microsoft documented both in its original Reno release announcement.
Microsoft’s September 2026 written update broadly says previous Reno Air Races DLC buyers receive the optional $40 package free. In the September 16 developer livestream, Microsoft Flight Simulator head Jorg Neumann was more specific: the former $60 Reno Full Collection becomes a $40 optional collection in MSFS 2024, and owners of that collection receive its 2024 entitlement without buying it again. That clarification does not establish that the old $19.99 four-aircraft Expansion Pack qualifies for the entire $40 collection or resolve every individually purchased aircraft entitlement.
That is why an older Reno purchase matters, but is not yet a safe reason to assume a particular new SKU is already in your library.
If you own the Full Collection, identify that purchase and check for the new entitlement before paying again.
If you own only the Expansion Pack, do the same. Do not assume either that you will automatically receive the complete $40 pack or that you are excluded from the upgrade.
Owning the original MSFS 2020 simulator without any Reno DLC is a different situation. It does not give you a copy of MSFS 2024, which Microsoft sells as a separate simulator.
How to check your Reno purchase before buying the new pack
Microsoft’s support guidance says older in-simulator Marketplace purchases generally follow your Xbox Live account into MSFS 2024. It also names Reno Air Races among Microsoft-produced content that can receive free upgrades. This general account policy is helpful, although it does not replace a final edition-by-edition entitlement rule for the October 2026 package.
Use the same account that holds your earlier Marketplace purchase:
- Launch Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 and sign in with the Xbox Live account associated with your MSFS 2020 Marketplace purchase.
- From the main menu, open Marketplace, then My Library.
- Search for Reno Air Races and inspect the package names and items recorded as owned.
- Now that the October 13 release is live, check whether Racer Pack 1 or individual National Championship Air Races aircraft are already available to your account in My Library or the Marketplace.
- If the new collection is not clearly included, check the current official listing or Microsoft Flight Simulator support before purchasing it again.
Microsoft says Marketplace purchases from the older simulator can follow the same Xbox Live account even when the player moves between Microsoft Store and Steam. That is a general account entitlement rule, not a promise that every add-on or platform combination receives identical content.
There is also a useful distinction in the library interface: Not available can mean an older package has not yet been verified as compatible with MSFS 2024. It does not, by itself, mean your purchase history has disappeared.
See Microsoft’s MSFS 2024 FAQ and My Library instructions.
Sim Update 7 version 1.9.18.0 is available now
Microsoft’s October 13 release notes confirm that Sim Update 7, version 1.9.18.0, is now available. The release notes list National Championship Air Races as available from the simulator’s Activities menu.
This supersedes the prelaunch October 13 target and version 1.9.16.0 beta information previously reported here. The October 2 beta notes were not the final public release notes. Check the official Sim Update 7 changelog for the public update’s fixes and features. Scheduled races remain planned for 2027.
Official sources
- Microsoft Flight Simulator: September 2026 Development Update
- Microsoft Flight Simulator: National Championship Air Races October 13 release announcement
- Microsoft Flight Simulator: Sim Update 7 version 1.9.18.0 release notes
- Microsoft Flight Simulator: National Championship Air Races announcement
- Xbox Wire: Reno Air Races Expansion Pack and Full Collection
- Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 FAQ
- Microsoft Flight Simulator My Library support