Microsoft is Pulling the Plug on the Most Popular Top Gun DLC

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Published Jul 29, 2026, 5:41 PM EDT

Jaime Tugayev is the News Editor at DualShockers, where he covers gaming news, reviews, features, guides, and major industry updates. He has been writing professionally since 2013 and covering games since 2015, with a focus on FPS games, tactical shooters, strategy titles, JRPGs, and PC and console gaming.

His work often covers games and franchises such as Escape From Tarkov, Gray Zone Warfare, Battlefield, ARC Raiders, Arma, STALKER 2, and Six Days in Fallujah. Before joining DualShockers, Jaime contributed to IndieGameCulture and Aviator Insider. He also holds a Master’s Degree in Developmental Psychology from the University of Coimbra.

Get Kenny Loggins on the line; we have one last mission for him. Four years after the bombastic release of Top Gun: Maverick, where Tom Cruise plays a guy who's definitely too old to be flying but is flying anyway, Microsoft Flight Simulator is sunsetting one of the most popular add-ons ever made for the game.

If you want to fly the Super Hornet or the experimental Darkstar prototype, you'll need to jump into the game's marketplace and claim the free expansion by Sunday, August 2. After that, Maverick will only be available on the silver screen, and the Naval Safety Command's accident report from Goose's fatal crash.

Remembering the Top Gun: Maverick Crossover

Microsoft and Paramount worked closely on the release of this expansion. The Top Gun: Maverick expansion went live on May 22, 2022, a whole five days earlier than the film it was based on. Microsoft had actually planned to launch it the year before, but delays with the theatrical release put those plans on hold.

The Top Gun: Maverick expansion was fairly light in terms of content, but it made up for that by packing in some of the most fun you can have in Microsoft Flight Simulator.

Maverick will only be available on the silver screen, and the Naval Safety Command's accident report from Goose's fatal crash.

Leading the line was the Super Hornet, a heavier, more powerful take on the base F/A-18 design. This supersonic multirole fighter has been the backbone of the United States Navy since its introduction, replacing the F-14, F/A-18, A-6, and A-7 in one go.

On the side, Top Gun: Maverick also added the Darkstar Experimental, the movie's take on the secretive SR-72 reconnaissance plane. While the F/A-18E allows you to do some of that pilot business in more traditional ways, Darkstar is all about pushing the limit, with an eye-watering top speed of Mach 10.

The expansion had a handful of missions, training you on aerobatics and low flying, and challenging you to get a clean carrier landing. Call it a skill issue all you want, but a CASE I landing is a lot harder than any bush approach on the best of days.

Where Can You Get Your Maverick Fix Now?

For starters, if you are still playing Microsoft Flight Simulator in its 2020 version and get the Top Gun: Maverick expansion before it goes down, it will be in your library, available for download whenever you feel like it. If you made the move to Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024, however, there are other options available.

The standard edition of the new game includes the F/A-18E, so you won't be out of Super Hornet action. If you are more of a classic Top Gun type, you can also get the F-14 Tomcat, co-developed by Heatblur Simulations and IndiaEchoFoxtrot. This add-on was originally developed for the 2020 edition, but is fully compatible with MSFS2024.

Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown also has a Top Gun: Maverick Aircraft Set, which adds multiple new playable aircraft, including the Darkstar prototype, this time in armed flavor.

However, if you want a more comprehensive naval fighter pilot experience, your best bet is DCS World. The game currently has both the F/A-18C, a predecessor to the Super Hornet, and the F-14. It even has the A version as portrayed in the movie, finicky engines and all, so you can kill Goose all by yourself. Both aircraft are available as paid DLCs.

Microsoft has not mentioned any plans to port over the Top Gun: Maverick DLC to Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024, and previous rumors of a return of Microsoft Combat Flight Simulator have remained just that for the time being.

Maybe we will hear more from it if Tom Cruise and Paramount decide that the currently-untitled Top Gun 3 is worth bringing into the virtual world. Until then, you'll find me trying to get that OK three-wire grade in the pattern.