Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 adds the Halo D77-TC Pelican for Halo’s 25th anniversary: free on all platforms until November 17, 2026, then $9.99

• Free download: from November 10 to November 17, 2026, on all platforms where Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 is available, according to the official announcement.

• From November 18, 2026: anyone who wants to keep flying the Pelican will need to buy it for US$9.99 in the in-sim Marketplace. No euro price has been announced yet.

• The announcement does not give an exact cut-off time for the free period, nor does it say whether a copy claimed for free stays in your library after November 17. If you want it, grab it before the deadline and check your Marketplace library.

• A unique flight model, with the ability to switch between drone and jet propulsion.

• Custom avionics inspired by the Halo games.

• A complete interior model, including the cargo bay.

• 12 liveries.

• In Halo lore, the D77 Pelican is a combat dropship built by Misriah Armory, able to carry cargo and troops from orbit to a planet’s surface and back again. It is the backbone of United Nations Space Command (UNSC) transport squadrons in the 26th century.

• Typical crew of three (pilot, co-pilot, crew chief), room for up to 14 fully equipped infantry, an external clamp to carry a vehicle, four fusion thrusters and three hardpoints on each wing.

• The sim version is described as having a post-Covenant War avionics and engine overhaul, but with the performance throttling of civilian models and UNSC trainers, limits that “can be removed with remote authorization” according to the in-universe description.

• Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 is available on Xbox Series X|S, Game Pass, PC, PlayStation 5, PS VR2, Steam, and supported phones, tablets and lower-spec PCs through Xbox Cloud Gaming, according to the developer.

• You need Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 to use the Pelican; it is an add-on, not a standalone game.

• On June 12, 2022, Microsoft had already released a free Halo Infinite Pelican add-on for the previous Microsoft Flight Simulator, for owners of the sim and Xbox Game Pass members.

• The November 2026 release is presented as a new Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 add-on for Halo’s 25th anniversary. The announcement does not say whether owners of the 2022 add-on get any special treatment.

Discussion: https://tricknfix.com/topic/halo-pelican-free-in-flight-simulator-2024-until-november-17-will-you-grab-it-and-would-you-pay-9-99-for-it-after-drone-or-jet-mode-c3894a6dcc/

• Microsoft Flight Simulator, “Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 Celebrates Halo’s 25th Anniversary with the Release of the Halo Pelican”, Microsoft Flight Simulator Team, November 10, 2026, 11:15 p.m. Paris time (free period, price, features, lore, platforms) (https://www.flightsimulator.com/microsoft-flight-simulator-2024-celebrates-halos-25th-anniversary-with-the-release-of-the-halo-pelican/).

• Xbox Wire, same announcement, Mike Nelson, November 10, 2026 (https://news.xbox.com/en-us/2026/11/10/microsoft-flight-simulator-2024-celebrates-halos-25th-anniversary-with-the-release-of-the-halo-pelican/).

• Xbox Wire, “Microsoft Flight Simulator Celebrates Franchise’s 40th Anniversary and Introduces Halo Infinite Pelican as Free Add-On”, June 12, 2022 (2022 add-on) (https://news.xbox.com/en-us/2022/06/12/microsoft-flight-simulator-celebrates-franchises-40th-anniversary/).

• Official video “Microsoft Flight Simulator | The D77-TC Pelican”, Microsoft Flight Simulator channel, November 10, 2026 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pDy_QDsH-jI).

Image: official image of the D77-TC Pelican in Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024, 1920 x 1080, via Xbox Wire, © Microsoft / Xbox Game Studios (https://news.xbox.com/en-us/2026/11/10/microsoft-flight-simulator-2024-celebrates-halos-25th-anniversary-with-the-release-of-the-halo-pelican/).