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Best Flight Sim Games for PC

DCS World is the best flight simulator on PC, with X-Plane 12 and VTOL VR close behind. Between them you get the deepest study-level flying, the most convincing flight model, and the best reason yet to own a headset. Five of these seven have never shipped on a PlayStation, which is why this page sits beside our console flight list. Every pick is weighed against what players actually say, not just its reputation.

Pip Larkspur avatarPip LarkspurAI author personaReviewed by Ugur Saritepe
How we rank games

Updated Aug 29, 2026

Top Picks

DCS World
#1 Pick

DCS World

Mixed
X-Plane 12
#2

X-Plane 12

Great
VTOL VR
#3

VTOL VR

Great

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7 games found

1DCS World
Best overall

DCS World

2013
ESRB Teenmilitary
MixedReview analysis

DCS World receives mixed feedback from players, with strong appreciation for its realism and depth but significant complaints regarding technical issues, difficulty, and financial investment required. Many players love the immersive flight simulation experience, while others express frustration over crashes and complicated mechanics.

Why it's here: This is the deepest flight sim on PC and the one I come back to when I want to learn an aircraft rather than just fly one. The base game is free and the paid modules are where the detail lives. Players keep flagging the same two things and both are fair: it crashes more than it should, and the modules add up fast. What keeps me going back is how much detail sits inside one aircraft once you have learned it. I would fly it again tonight.

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2Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024
Best civilian sim

Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024

3.5(9,699)2025
ESRB Everyone
PoorReview analysis

Overall player feedback for Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 is largely negative, with significant concerns regarding stability and functionality, particularly in the PlayStation version. Some players enjoy the graphics and concept behind the game, but many express frustration due to bugs, crashes, and performance issues that hinder the gaming experience.

Why it's here: The star rating on this card is the PlayStation one, and it is low for a reason that has little to do with the PC version: the console release shipped in rough shape and players said so plainly. On PC this is still the prettiest way to fly, with live weather and the whole planet modelled underneath you. Reviewers are consistent about the costs though, naming long loading times, server dependence and bugs in career mode. Lovely to sit with on an evening when it behaves.

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3X-Plane 12
Best flight model

X-Plane 12

2022
modern
GreatReview analysis

Overall, players are overwhelmingly positive about X-Plane 12, emphasizing its realism, performance, and extensive modding capabilities. The game is highly praised for its flight physics and various add-ons, making it a top choice for flight simulation enthusiasts. However, a small number of reviews mention significant technical issues, including crashes and control problems.

Why it's here: If you care how an aircraft actually behaves in the air, this is the one. The flight model is the entire point and it holds up under scrutiny in a way the prettier sims do not always manage. It runs well on modest hardware, and there is a Linux build. Players are honest that it looks plainer than its rivals and that a few of the default aircraft feel unfinished. I fly it when I want the flying itself to be the interesting part.

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4VTOL VR
Best in VR

VTOL VR

2017
sci-fi
GreatReview analysis

Overall, player feedback for VTOL VR is overwhelmingly positive, with many praising its fun gameplay, realistic flight experiences, and the depth it offers for both casual and dedicated aviation fans. The vibrant community and the game's immersive VR capabilities have also been highlighted as significant advantages.

Why it's here: The most fun I have had in a headset. Every switch in the cockpit is one you reach out and flip yourself, which sounds fussy and is instead the whole appeal. It is friendly to newcomers in a way the big sims are not, and the add-ons are cheap. The recurring note in reviews is that some aircraft ship with less to do than others. If you own a headset, start here rather than with anything else on this page.

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5IL-2 Sturmovik: Battle of Stalingrad
Best WW2

IL-2 Sturmovik: Battle of Stalingrad

2014
war
MixedReview analysis

Overall, players have praised IL-2 Sturmovik: Battle of Stalingrad for its realism, flight mechanics, and extensive content, especially in VR. However, there are significant concerns regarding the game's pricing structure, complexity of controls, and multiplayer functionality which lead to a variety of mixed responses.

Why it's here: For flying something from the Second World War this is the best-made option on PC, and it is genuinely lovely in a headset. The career mode gives you somewhere to put all that practice. Two complaints come up constantly in reviews and both are real: setting up your controls is a chore before you fly anything, and there is almost no tutorial to help you through it. Pricing across the separate titles stacks up too. Worth it once it is configured.

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6Nuclear Option
Best arcade-sim hybrid

Nuclear Option

2023
post-apocalyptic
GreatReview analysis

Overall player feedback for Nuclear Option is overwhelmingly positive, with many praising its blend of accessibility and complex flight mechanics, along with an engaging gameplay experience. Players are particularly impressed with its depth compared to other flight simulators and the fun factor it brings to both casual and dedicated players alike.

Why it's here: This is the one I recommend to people who want jets without a month of study first. It sits between an arcade game and a proper sim and it is very good at that middle ground. The sound design does a lot of work here, especially when something large goes off nearby. Reviewers do keep asking for VR support, and a few mention loading hiccups and awkward mouse controls. Easily the most replayable thing on this list.

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7War Thunder
Best free option

War Thunder

4.1(400,378)2014
FreeCo-op: 4ESRB Teenmilitary
PoorReview analysis

Overall, players express overwhelming dissatisfaction with War Thunder, criticizing its monetization practices and lack of engaging content while lamenting the decline from a previously enjoyable experience to one plagued by greed and repetitive gameplay. The sentiment portrays a clear frustration with the developers, suggesting that many feel the game has lost its essence and is now primarily a cash grab. Players recommend avoiding it, especially for newcomers.

Why it's here: It is free, it has more aircraft than anything else here, and I still cannot recommend it without a warning. The stored player reviews are the harshest on this page, and the complaint is specific and repeated: premium vehicles priced past what most people will pay, and progress slow enough to push you toward them. The aircraft models themselves are genuinely good. Try it because it costs nothing, and go in knowing what the reviews say.

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About PC Flight Sims

Flight sims on PC split into two halves and this list covers both. Study-level sims like DCS World, X-Plane 12 and IL-2 Sturmovik expect you to learn one specific aircraft, switch by switch, and they reward that patience. The accessible end, Nuclear Option and War Thunder, has you flying within minutes. VTOL VR sits between them and is the strongest argument on this page for owning a headset. One thing worth knowing before you read the scores: Steam ratings in this genre run lower than the flying deserves, because disputes over module and add-on pricing drive review sentiment as much as the games themselves do, so read the complaints rather than the number. For every game here, we read and summarized player reviews from Steam into what players consistently praise and consistently complain about.

Curated by Ugur Saritepe. Rankings weigh aggregated player ratings and review sentiment collected from the stores each game is sold on — Steam and the PlayStation Store — with catalogue data from RAWG. How we rankPlayStation StoreSteamRAWG

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Best PC Flight Sims Compared

  • DCS World
    Best overall

    Free base game with paid aircraft modules, and the deepest systems modelling of anything here.

  • Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024
    Best civilian sim★ 3.55 / 5

    Models the whole planet with live weather; the star rating shown is its rough PS5 launch, not the PC build.

  • X-Plane 12
    Best flight model

    Built around flight physics rather than visuals, with heavy mod support and a Linux build.

  • VTOL VR
    Best in VR

    VR only, and every cockpit control is operated by hand instead of a key binding.

  • IL-2 Sturmovik: Battle of Stalingrad
    Best WW2

    Second World War combat flying with a career mode and the strongest VR support on this list.

  • Nuclear Option
    Best arcade-sim hybrid

    Sits between arcade and simulation, flyable within minutes and built for repeat missions.

  • War Thunder
    Best free option★ 4.1 / 5Free

    Free to play with the largest aircraft roster here; player reviews centre on its monetization.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best flight simulator for PC?
DCS World, for anyone who wants to learn an aircraft properly. It has the deepest systems modelling here, and the base game is free so you can try it before buying a module. X-Plane 12 is the pick if the flight model matters most to you, and VTOL VR is the one to reach for if you own a headset. None of those three has a PlayStation release, which is why they cannot appear on our console flight list.
What is the difference between DCS World, X-Plane 12 and Microsoft Flight Simulator?
DCS World is combat flying with study-level aircraft modelled switch by switch, sold as separate paid modules on a free base game. X-Plane 12 is civilian flying built around flight physics, with heavy mod support and a Linux build. Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 is the visual showcase, modelling the entire world with live weather. DCS for depth, X-Plane for how the aircraft behaves, Flight Simulator for how the world looks.
Do I need a joystick or HOTAS to play flight sims on PC?
Not to start. Nuclear Option and War Thunder play fine on mouse and keyboard, and Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 supports a controller. For DCS World, X-Plane 12 and IL-2 Sturmovik a joystick makes a real difference, and IL-2 reviewers specifically flag control setup as the chore standing between you and flying. VTOL VR is the exception: it needs VR controllers, because you operate the cockpit with your hands.
Which PC flight sims are free?
Two. DCS World gives you a free base game with a couple of aircraft, then sells the rest as modules, which is the cost players complain about most in its reviews. War Thunder is free to play in full, though its stored player reviews are dominated by monetization complaints and several reviewers advise newcomers against starting it. Everything else on this list is a one-off purchase.
Which of these flight sims work in VR?
VTOL VR is VR-only and is the best of them in a headset, since every cockpit control is one you reach out and flip by hand. IL-2 Sturmovik has strong VR support and reviewers single it out as a highlight. DCS World supports VR too, though its reviews mention performance limits there. Nuclear Option has no VR support yet and players keep asking for it.
Why does Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 have a low rating here?
Because the rating shown is the PlayStation one. The PS5 release shipped with crashes, long loading times and career-mode bugs, and players rated it accordingly. The PC version is a different experience and is the reason the game is on this list at all. We do not hold separate PC ratings for games that also sell on PlayStation, so the card shows the PlayStation figure.

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