Microsoft Flight Simulator 5.0 was released in 1993 for MS-DOS and stands as a key instalment in the longest-running series in computing. Version five introduced textured scenery, a decisive step beyond the wireframe and flat-shaded landscapes of earlier releases.

The simulator was never a game in the sense of winning and losing. The objective is flight by the rules: start the engine, follow procedure, navigate by radio beacons and land. That is why it was used for years by people involved in real aviation, and why it sold to buyers who bought no other software of this kind.

In 1993 that ambition cost hardware. Textured terrain was computed entirely by the processor, so the gap between a 386 and a 486 showed up immediately in smoothness, and anyone who wanted detailed scenery paid for it in frame rate.

The record lists a first-person view and a single player, consistent with a cockpit and solo flying. The series was also known for expanding through separate scenery packs, letting users add regions of the world to the base program.

A whole accessory and add-on market grew around the simulator. Joysticks with throttle levers, rudder pedals and additional aircraft and scenery packs were all sold separately, so the program behaved more like a platform than a closed game. That explains its longevity: each version built on the habits of the last, offering finer terrain and more instruments rather than a new genre.

Kept on this OldGame.cz page are the release year, the publisher and screenshots from the DOS edition.