17 of The Most Exciting Flight Simulators To Play Today
Ahh, the world of planes, avionics, skilled pilots, and taking it to the skies... Mankind has undoubtedly been fascinated with high altitude since the dawn of civilization, probably earlier, but this obsession has since then blossomed into an industry, a science, and as such things are wont to be, a video game genre! In case you didn't know, most human activities can be simulated, and as some human endeavors are either dangerous or impractical for the average man to perform, why not go for a simulation, it's like your mind's eye on steroids! So, I guess it really is a case of anything worth doing, is worth simulating.
And the below, of course, are some flight simulators you might want to consider. So, fasten your seatbelts, ladies and gents, because we are go for takeoff!
17. Ace Combat: Assault Horizon
Ace Combat Assault Horizon gameplay
The publisher Namco Bandai released another Ace Combat game in 2011, named Ace Combat: Assault Horizon. The game features a story written by noted New York Times bestselling author Jim DeFelice and is quite gritty. It is worth noting that this installment of Ace combat does not take place within the Strangereal Universe.
The game also contains an innovated combat mechanic called Close Range Assault (CRA). Basically, it allows increased targeting at the expense of maneuverability and mobility, and it only works at close range. It's like an attempt to simulate your mental state when you are highly focused, and you tune out the distractions and you zoom in, so to speak, on the target in question. The missions are highly varied, they range from Fighter sorties to Helicopter raids, bombing runs, battles against naval ships, etc, etc.
In the game, players assume the role of William Bishop, the protagonist character of the title, to lead Warwolf squadron of the 108th NATO taskforce in a fierce struggle against shadowy conspirators who plan to attack the U.S. with a superweapon.
Multiplayer and Co - op opportunities are also available.
An A-10 aircraft making an attack run on an enemy carrier ship.
16. IL-2 Sturmovik: Battle of Stalingrad
IL-2 Sturmovik: Battle of Stalingrad gameplay
Released in 2014, IL-2 Sturmovik: Battle of Stalingrad is a successor of the original critically acclaimed IL-2 Sturmovik. This game takes place, as the name suggests, on the Eastern front of World War II, during Nazi Germany's unsuccessful invasion of Stalingrad. The campaign lets you run missions for whichever side you choose, and is 5 chapters long. Basically, you pick an airfield, and decide the kind of mission you want to run.
The game is realism oriented and can be somewhat underwhelming story - wise. The skill required to hunt your prey and the dogfights can be exhilarating. So, get ready to have your reflexes tested. It is obvious that the developers took their time with mimicking the real versions of the airplanes available in the game, and the cockpit looks very realistic, there is also an optional functionality called "Complex Engine Management", or CEM, which allows the player to micromanage the various equipment inside the planes to get the best performance out of their aircraft.
Should you grow bored with fighting predictable AI, you can always choose to test your mettle against fellow human beings in multiplayer mode. It's true, machine intelligence may be able to beat humans at board games, but they are still subpar pilots. Anyways, fire up multiplayer and fight to the bitter end in team matches or dog fight duels, either way, you go out in a blaze of glory...
Two WWII era planes fly in close together.
An aircraft makes a bombing run over a fortified position.
15. IL-2 Sturmovik: Cliffs of Dover (with team fusion mod)
IL-2 Sturmovik: Cliffs of Dover gameplay
This game takes place during the climactic Battle of Britain in World War II, it's developers aimed a bit too high and consequently, delivered a faulty product. However, the bugs have mostly been fixed through the efforts of Team Fusion and their mods. So, hats off to them.
The game features a single player campaign told from the British perspective and three mini German campaigns. It is a very realistic flight simulator, the attention to detail in the cockpit is just amazing, the environment looks very good too after the mod, ocean water shimmers, light gleams off the wings of the planes, traces of machine gun fire dash through the air in convincing fashion. Whether you like air combat or just dropping bombs on people, this is one of the go - to game of the IL - 2 Sturmovik series.
Also, run custom missions online with people on multiplayer (ATAG) servers, it promises to be a ton of fun!
14. IL-2 Sturmovik: Birds of Prey
Are you an armchair historian? WWII expert? If so, you will probably enjoy IL-2 Sturmovik: Birds of Prey, a highly educational piece of game design. This game lets you fight in six major operations of World War II, respectively Britain, Stalingrad, Sicily, the Korsun Pocket, the Bulge, and Berlin. Before each mission are some documentary footage and historical review. The game was built with realism in mind and features a variety of missions. For example, escort missions (protect the transports), bombing missions, attack ground target missions, anti - ship, aerial reconnaissance, air superiority, etc.
Multiplayer is passable and includes one noted innovation, Capture the airfield mode, in this mode, one must land on an enemy airfield and stay on the runway to capture them, which will earn the player tickets, and the winner is the player who reaches the designated amount of tickets or who has the most tickets when the timer expires... It's not dissimilar to a game of Monopoly if you think about it...
A plane prepares to make a pass under a bridge.
13. Birds of Steel
Birds of Steel Gameplay
While the topic of World War II is anything but unexplored in the gaming world, the flight simulator genre is rather under - populated relative to other video game genres, which I guess is why the die - hard fans of aerial combat will no doubt not mind yet another forage into this well - known conflict. Set in the Pacific Theater of World War II, players can choose to fly either for the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service or for the United States Army Air Force in the historical Single Player campaign, which consists of 20 missions in total. Then there is the dynamic campaign, where you can relive some of the greatest battles in the Pacific during that era and change history, if you wish. Of note is the fact that the results of each battle affect the battle(s) to come. Interesting concept.
Multiplayer consists of Versus mode, Tournament mode, and Events mode. In Versus mode you can find open matches and play games such as Air domination, Battlefront domination among others, in Tournament mode you can play a preset multiplayer scenario, and in Events mode you can cooperate with other players to beat a pre - designed mission scenario. Finally, the game places heavy emphasis on realism and as such is the definition of high definition.
A battle rages on over a city.
12. Digital Combat Simulator World
DCS World – Dogfight gameplay
Do you want to become an expert aviator without taking actual flight lessons? Well, then this game is for you. For the hard - nosed simulation fan who likes modern jet aircraft flying on contemporary maps, this game is like a dream come true. The aerodynamic flight models are very science heavy, employing a range of methodologies and mathematical algorithms to ensure accuracy and realism. The cockpit systems are interactive, nuanced and extremely detailed, and they come in two levels, with one including even more cockpit systems and options for interaction than the other. For example, the tier 2 controls can be manipulated via touch screen and VR interfaces.
The game is free to play and comes with various paid modules that upgrade the game with new planes and occasionally land vehicles and ships. Custom mission packs also come out relatively frequently.
Combat is very cool, I particularly like to fly intercept missions and shoot down some bombers, B -52s make a good target in my opinion. They are resilient, and can take some hits, which makes the hunt even more exciting. It's like I can see the havoc I wreak taking its toll on the enemy. Who do you call when there is an enemy incursion into Soviet airspace? The Mig- 21 bises are on speed - dial for a reason. Reds to the rescue!
Detailed cockpit of a helicopter.
11. X-Plane 11
X-plane 11 is a very realistic, very precise, very up-to -date flight simulator produced by a publisher called Laminar Research. This is quite possibly the most tech heavy air flight simulator out there for the general public. This simulator differentiates itself from other simulators by not using empirical data gathered from known aircraft, but instead employing a system called Blade element theory, where the aerodynamic forces operating on each component of a plane is evaluated according to its constituent parts, and each part has basic information that is empirically obtainable and calculable. This makes it easy to design new aircraft in this software and to test them. If you ever want to fly a jetliner in a constantly updated, true to life environment and to share instances / airports with other users, this is your go-to game right here. It's time to go to school... Flight school! Maybe also attend an Aerospace Engineering School while one is at it.
10. Microsoft Flight Simulator X
Microsoft Flight Simulator X Gameplay footage
Aviation enthusiasts rejoice! Microsoft Flight Simulator X, or FSX has now received a Steam edition upgrade, which includes all the expansion packs (Acceleration, Deluxe edition) and service packs of the original, it also makes available all kinds of add -ons on the Steam network. While the original had choppy frame rates on max settings on some less capable (mid - end) machines, the problem is much alleviated in the new Steam release.
So, get ready to fly, like you have never flown before. For players new to FSX, some features of this flight simulator include the ability for players to be both pilots, co -pilots and air traffic controllers, aircraft failure simulation, where random system failures are initiated in flight, and the player must know how to fix them, and missions, which offer task oriented goals and rewards to the players who complete them. The steam edition also has resurrected multiplayer after the previous Gamespy network was decommissioned.
Detailed instrument panel of an aircraft inside the cockpit.
9. Flying Tigers - Shadows Over China
Flying Tigers - Shadows Over China gameplay
Back in World War II, when China was piling on the suckitude and got dominated by Japan, Chinese performance in the China - Burma - India theater offered a rare glimmer of hope for that nation during that troubled time. These days people bring up the exploits of the Chinese Expeditionary force in Burma, but what also deserves mention is the efforts of the AVG, or first American Volunteer Group, which was a group of American pilots secretly sent to the CBI (China / Burma / India) theater of war, which helped to defeat Japanese incursions into Southern China. This game is based on their story. The game lets the player fly from the perspective of the Allies during various campaigns in Malaysia, Burma, the Himalayas, Kunming China, and more.
The game is arcadey and features a bullet time mode called "Trazertime". It features an elaborate single player campaign and attempts to reenact the esprit de corps and sense of brotherhood and camaraderie that so marked Claire L. Chennault's leadership over the AVG. The artwork is nice. The main screen notably features an AVG pilot huffing and puffing. Of course, while chain - smoking cigarettes must have been cool in that age, it is nothing short of target practice for anti - smoking organizations now. The game's multiplayer is fully functional and allows up to 16 players to duke it out in the skies in a variety of game modes.
8. Star Citizen
Star Citizen dog fight
Star Citizen is different than the other games listed so far because it takes place in space. It is a MMO (massively multiplayer online) space combat game that also has a trading system. It is in development by Cloud Imperium Games. The game was announced in 2012 with a 2014 release date, but has been pushed back several times with no set date. Since the game is still in development, parts of the game will change and material will be added. The game has alpha gameplay recorded and from what it looks like, you navigate space in ships with crews. Not only do you fight in spaceships, but there also an FPS aspect of the game where you shoot at other players. There are plans for a single-player mode to be added to the game. You can also land on planets and explore them. On these different planets, you will come across new atmosphere, terrain, and creatures.
7. Tom Clancy’s H.A.W.X.
Tom Clancy’s H.A.W.X. gameplay
Developed by Ubisoft, this game took place in the near-future, 2014, when it was released back in 2009. H.A.W.X. stands for High Altitude Warfare eXperimental. It takes place during the Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter 2 timeframe. Private military companies(PMCs) have been replacing militaries run by governments around the world. You play as David Crenshaw who is a former Air Force pilot and was recruited by a PMC to do their bidding. Later in the game you rejoin the Air Force to help prevent an attack on the United States.
Multiplayer includes a co-op mode, which you can play through the story with friends. There is also a deathmatch mode that that rewards you experience and the ability to unlock weapons for your aircraft. H.A.W.X. is like other flight simulators on console and offer over 50 types of aircraft to players. The gameplay is like Ace Combat and is compatible with Ace Combat 6’s Ace Edge flight stick. The cool thing about this game is that it has a connection to other Tom Clancy games.
6. Elite: Dangerous
Elite: Dangerous dogfight gameplay
Elite: Dangerous offers adventure, trading and combat in space. The open-ended game is based on the real Milk Way that you can explore. It takes place in 3303 and starts you off with a ship and a small amount of money. It’s the players choice to make their way around the galaxy progressing legally or illegally.
Not only is there trading, but there is mining, bounty-hunting, piracy and assassination. There are 3 factions in the game, which are the Empire of Achenar, the Galactic Federation, and the Alliance of Independent Systems. This factions challenge each other for domination. It is the sequel to the 1995 game Frontier, First Encounters and is the 4th in the Elite series. It is the first in the series to have a massively multiplayer online experience with the players’ choices affecting the story of the universe and still having a single-player option.
5. Kerbal Space Program
Kerbal Space Program flight simulation gameplay
In this space flight simulator, you run a space program that is staffed by aliens called “Kerbals”. It features a realistic orbital physics engine that allows real orbital movements such as transfer orbits. In the game, the Kerbals have built a spaceport on their planet Kerbin. Though the Kerbins look stupid and can be a bit silly, but they have the ability to build spacecraft parts and perform experiments. You use these parts to build rockets, rovers, etc. After building these different crafts, you can use them on a launchpad while trying to avoid failure. You can crash these, so be careful or you have to start over. This game has caught the eye of NASA.
4. Guns of Icarus
Guns of Icarus gameplay
Guns of Icarus takes us to steam-punk world where you fight aboard a zeppelin by the name of Icarus. One of the features of the game is the ability to navigate the airship and manually repairing any damage taken from other airships during battles. You fight against enemy airships with guns mounted on the ship. There is an online multiplayer co-op mode that allows you to play with 3 other people via matchmaking. There is also an online game mode that pits you and your crew against other players and their ships. There are also several different ships that you can use in the game. The game was released by indie developer Muse Games.
A player flying one of the zeppelin airships.
3. Battlefield 1
Battlefield 1 aerial combat
This is the one game on this list that is an FPS shooter, but it has an amazing flying aspect to this game. It sets you in a war-torn Europe during WWI where you fight in famous battle. You get to play as different countries that fought in the war. There is a single-player mode that puts you in the shoes of different soldiers during the war. The multiplayer supports up to 64 players in one match.
There are several class types including infantry, vehicle and elite with many subclasses to them. The scale of the battles is so massive that it is a lot to take in. Whether you are fighting in a town or up on a high hill right next to it. You can get up close in personal with an assault unity it or sit behind-the-scenes to snipe. You can also blast away at a building or dogfight in the skies above.
2. War Thunder
Aircraft Simulator - War Thunder
If you like MMOs and combat vehicles, then this is for you. It is also cross-platform, which means that you can play with people across different platforms, such as console, PC, MAC, etc. Not only can you fly the skies, but you can carve up the terrain and seas with vehicles spanning from the Spanish Civil War to the Cold War. There are over 800 playable vehicles from several countries and locations in the game that were sites of real battles. A realistic aspect of the game is the lack of markers above the enemy. So, if you want to know where the enemy is, then you have to keep your eyes open. There are several different game modes and the developer releases different events.
1. Wings of Prey
This game takes place during WWII and focuses on the aerial combat during the war. There’s a reason why so many flight simulators take place in WWII. The vehicular combat was harder with the lack of the advanced technology that we have today. You get to pilot during famous battles during the war and you get to choose different planes and bombers, such as the p-51 Mustang.
The Battle of Britain, Stalingrad, Ardennes, Berlin, Sicily and Korsun' are battles in this game that were actually fought in WWII. There are over 50 missions and the planes are historically accurate. You can set the difficulty to make it easier or to give it a realistic experience.
Flying over farmlands in flames.
And with that, we conclude our list of flight simulators to play in 2017! We’ve covered games that have you battling it out in WWII or flying modern-age jets to flying spaceships in a huge universe. If you haven’t checked any of these games out, then you should have a reason to check them out now. These games are fun to play and have a great community backing them up. These games are great for people who love planes and gamers alike.
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