The 10 Best Flight Games, According To Metacritic

Flight simulators have always been a niche video game genre, but that appears to be changing with more accessible and attractive titles like 2020’s Microsoft Flight Simulator. It’s the culmination of everything featured in past titles from a plethora of dedicated game developers who love the genre just as much as the fans.

Metacritic has rated the best of the best over the course of many decades, showcasing titles that made a real splash with the flight simulator community. It’s only a matter of time before the genre gets its rightful due as a mainstream gaming genre. In the meantime, these titles are worth paying tribute to, as they helped lay the foundation for what will follow.

10 Fighter Ace 3.5 (2002) – 83

In a sea of derivatives, Fighter Ace 3.5 managed to stand apart, due largely to its bevy of pilotable aircraft. The game features more than 90 planes from various air forces around the globe, including Japan, Germany and the United States.

The game is characterized by its strong dogfight scenarios and team-based mission objectives, which enhance the experience. Realistic avionics and combat maneuvers give the game a feeling of authenticity that was lacking from flight simulator titles of the time period. Unfortunately, it hasn’t aged well from a visual standpoint.

9 Combat Flight Simulator 2: WWII Pacific Theater (2000) – 83

Fans of great World War II action movies, including those with aerial dogfight scenes got their full with Combat Flight Simulator 2, one of the best and most authentic flight simulators ever to see a release. Though somewhat limited by today’s standards, the game offered meticulous reproductions of WWII aircraft, right down to the last cockpit gauge.

Visual flair aside, Combat Flight Simulator 2 was also big on high-octane aerial dogfighting, incorporating gameplay mechanics like paint and body damage, folding wings and last ditch bailout maneuvers to sweeten the experience.

8 Wings Of Power: WWII Heavy Bombers And Jets (2004) – 83

Wings of Power is unusual in the fact that it isn’t a standalone title, but rather, an add-on for Microsoft Flight Simulator 2004. Despite its relativity humble appearance, the game scored big with critics, not to mention flight simulator fans eager for more expansive content.

The game adds in seven new aircraft and multiple missions for gamers to partake in. The title was renowned for its sprawling attention to detail, which was perfect for flight simulator fans looking for the ultimate in realism, depth and interaction.

7 Xtreme Air Racing (2002) – 83

Gamers could be forgiven for thinking that Xtreme Air Racing was some sort of watered down excuse for a simulation, but that’s not actually true. The game was designed to try and recreate the sport of aerial racing that took place during annual events in places like Reno, Nevada.

Players had to learn how to pilot and maneuver high speed aircraft, complete with supercharged engines. Various goals included traversing a course of pylons and flying low to the ground, all while trying to stay one step ahead of several other competitors vying for the win.

6 Flanker 2.5 (2002) – 84

Essentially an upgrade/addon for the previously released Flanker 2.0, this game focused heavily on Russia’s Su-27 and Su-33 Flanker aircraft. It boasted an in-depth examination and reproduction of both crafts’ capabilities, avionics and weapons systems, creating a robust simulation in the process.

Flanker 2.5 was a cheap, yet incredibly well-received update that ended up scoring big with critics. It took everything that made Flanker 2.0 what it was, and beefed it up for the sake of its diehard fan base almost three years after the original came out.

5 Enemy Engaged: RAH-66 Comanche Versus Ka-52 Hokum (2000) – 86

The title might be hard to swallow, but Enemy Engaged is one of the highest-rated flight simulator games ever made, and therefore deserves a look. As the title suggests, the game focuses on two of the most deadly and capable attack helicopters ever made, offering two experiences for the price of one.

Players must master the RAH-66 Comanche, a high precision stealth helicopter, or its Russian equivalent, the twin-rotored Ka-52 Hokum. It’s a clever premise, showcasing sophisticated helicopter technology from two of the world’s most prolific militaries.

4 DCS: A-10C Warthog (2011) – 87

The A-10C Warthog is considered one of the ugliest, yet most capable and durable planes ever built. It has seen action for decades at this point, and is most recognized for its status as a “tank killer,” thanks to its powerful weaponry. DCS attempts to recapture the spirit and performance of that plane in video game form.

Like other specialized flight simulator games that focus on one particular plane, DCS: A-10C Warthog puts players in this titular plane, and shows them the ins and outs. Flight dynamics, battle mechanics and avionics all meld together to provide one of the most authentic flying experiences in the digital realm.

3 Falcon 4.0: Allied Force (2005) – 90

While most games offer a plethora of aircraft to pilot around the skies, Falcon 4.0 concentrates its gameplay on one single plane: the F-16 Fighting Falcon. Players can pilot different variants of this popular fighter jet within a gameplay space that boasts realistic flight and air mechanics.

Campaigns take place in the Balkan and Korean theaters of operation, and boast a series of play mechanics that differentiate each playthrough from one to the other. Players will also need to learn how to properly utilize a barrage of high-tech weaponry, each type pertaining to a different kind of target.

2 IL-2 Sturmovik (2001) – 91

IL-2 Sturmovik remains something of a cultural phenomenon within the flying enthusiast circuit, due in large part to what it offers. Players can pilot 31 types of planes in various battle scenarios, such as 32-player dogfights, and 16-player cooperative missions.

Though dated by toady’s standards in terms of visuals, IL-2 Sturmovik still has some of the most robust and amazing flight mechanics around, accurately recapturing the spirit of WWII-era flight scenarios.

1 Microsoft Flight Simulator (2020) – 91

It’s hard to top Microsoft’s latest iteration of their Flight Simulator series, one of the longest running gaming franchises in history, primarily because of how ambitious it is. With no ray-traced lighting to speak of, MFS somehow manages to craft some of the most realistic and jaw-dropping visuals of any video game to date.

A lot of it has to do with the game’s real-world data, which plugs into the game to give players an accurate set of weather parameters, not to mention access to almost every city, town and hamlet on Earth. It’s an astonishingly atmospheric game, even if it requires quite a beefy system to run.

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