Your Go to List!
IF your thinking of getting into flying games there certainly are a lot of choices. You can get games for flying general aviation aircraft like the Cessna 172 or even jets like the Boeing 777 or 737. There are choices also if you’re a military buff and would like to fly anything from WW1 bi planes through to WWII aircraft like the Messerschmitt bf 109 or the famous Supermarine Spitfire as well as the P-51 Mustang. The current flying games have a selection that do and don’t support VR (Virtual reality).
The most recent game on the market is the very impressive Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 which has really changed the landscape in the quality of graphics. The use of Bing maps and AI technology have bought the level of realism and accuracy of towns, cities and land features to a new level.
The game brings a new level of online simplicity to fly with friends, air traffic control which is linked to real world activity. The level of realism in the scenery as well as weather being based on real time weather is amazing.
This simulator is still very much a work in progress with VR not yet included but this is on the horizon for us VR enthusiasts.
Star Wars Squadrons – Space Simulator Game.
Who doesn’t want to strap into a flying game in a Tie fighter or X Wing and save the galaxy! This amazing new flying game from EA (Electronic Arts) has recently released in 2020 and will take you to the next level in excitement. Play on PS 4 or PC there is cross platform support for VR which must be an amazing experience.
Available across PS4 as well as PC this is a real action favorite. VR is also available with PS4 and PC now. There are single combat missions as well as squadrons all fighting to save the alliance. If you so desire walk with Darth Vader and fly the Imperial fighters of your dreams.
The depth and graphics in this sim is absolutely amazing so get your 4k monitor or even better VR headset on and set the galaxy alight.
X Plane 11 – Flying Games.
X plane 11 has been around for quite a long time in its many variations. X Plane 11 is renowned for its super realistic flight modelling which has stood it apart from may sims over the years. You can fly anything from Cessna to turbo prop aircraft and several jets and helicopters. X Plane 11 also has a demo version so you can test it out. This will give you 15 minutes at a time before it disables your flight controls.
The ability to quickly edit and update airports as well as create from scratch quickly with X Plane 11’s own World Editor (WED) which is included makes it possible to make generic airports, especially small regional airports more accurate to real life.
The program does also come with a very clunky aircraft creation program which is able to create good aircraft. The majority are created externally in CAD programs then imported and final systems editing done in this aircraft program.
Certainly, been my own choice in GA aircraft sims for a few years and with VR support the flying is amazing. Recommended.
Digital Combat Simulator (DCS World)
DCS has been the top performer in Combat flight simulation with a free demo version that comes with an unarmed P51 as well as a Su-25 Ground attack aircraft so you can go blow stuff up. Its strengths are the online community where there are many servers available and it’s a breeze to connect and play. There are a wide range of addon maps ranging from Normandy to Nellis USA for you top gun types as well as Syria more recently. The range of aircraft are created in amazing high detailed cockpits with full study level aircraft available. There are a range of axis and allied WW2 as well as Korean theatre aircraft right up to the most modern jets. The community also creates some of its own aircraft so there’s a lot to discover and enjoy.
IL-2 Sturmovik – Flight Simulator Game.
IL-2 Sturmovic is another flying game that has been available in many iterations. It centers around WW2 battles in the Soviet Union. The game brings battles to life in several maps and a choice of aircraft from both sides of the conflict.
The game brings several campaigns to choose from, easy online play with a lobby style to meet your friends before jumping into combat. There is also a campaign editor as well as a full mission editor. Currently there are the Battle of Stalingrad, Battle of Moscow and Battle of Kuban available as separate modules. The most recent version is Battle of Normandy and Battle of Bodenplatte is another previous version.
Ace Combat 7 – Flying Game
Ace Combat 7 is a favorite amongst flight simmers with stunning graphics as well as fast paced adrenaline arcade style game. The visual effects like rain drops on the canopy as well as the thundering engines and cannons make this a great option. This latest release comes in a long line of award winning games. Available for PC as well as steam, X Box and Play Station this game some with a lot of playable options. It won the award for the best sound and nominated as best game in 2019. Action and story this game has a lot to offer.
Falcon BMS – Flying Combat Game.
Falcon BMS is a FREE to download and play fighter simulation with one of the only dynamic campaign engines available. Taken on by the community the game has moved forward from its original Falcon 4.0 days to what is an amazing slight simulator. The graphics are good, and the systems implementation is fantastic but keeping in mind it’s not got a recent gaming engine so compared to many new sims its not as graphically pleasing. The graphics aspect is quickly forgotten with the single and campaign play that’s available with the flex ability to play for either side.
Note you need the FALCON 4.0 game disk to install Falcon BMS!
PREPAR3D Flight Simulator Game.
Prepar3d by Lockheed Martin has been a popular choice for many flight simmers in recent years. It is based on the old Microsoft Flight Simulator engine so it has a lot of support in the 3rd party development area. There are lots of aircraft as well as scenery to add t your flight sim here. As you would expect with an international military aviation company there has been a lot put into this sim.
Available for PC only this sim has a lot to offer for the serious sims. The latest release is V5 with improvements over each update. Really a worth while sim to consider.
Conclusion:
Flying games or flight simulators no matter what you call them are amazing. The latest releases are incredible in VR, so if you have not tried it yet you really should. The games above are mostly pretty modern but even MSFS 2020 currently does not support VR which is surprising. It is expected to be implemented by December 2020. Falcon BMS is an older game that does not currently support VR but does support Track IR and other tracking apps which makes it very popular still.
If your new then be aware your going to need a top system for many of these flight games to get the experience you want from these games. Please check out the hardware shop to find systems and components to get the best available performance in what is a very addictive genre.
Author.
Brendon McAliece is a multi lingual-expat who brings over three decades of flight simulator/PC building experience as well as over two decades of real world jet fighter experience as a weapons/egress technician. He holds a sport pilot certificate giving him real world flying experience. Hi travels have taken him from Europe to the Middle East, Asia and his home of Australia. He has a passion for travel, languages, Flight simulation as well as Guitaring and Coffee. You can read more in his blogs below.
Learn more @
DreamingGuitar.com – DreamingCoffee.com – LetsFlyVFR.com
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