These best free flight simulators are meant for those who love to revel in the joys of flying all kinds of aircraft in a realistic fashion. Initially meant only for training purposes, these simulators soon started invading home computers back in the day, with an aim of providing everyone with first-hand experiences of flying airplanes. Flight simulation quickly evolved as a sub-genre of simulation video games which came to be adored by fans from all over the world. This gave impetus to lots of developers to try their hand at creating realistic flying experiences, giving fans more than they were asking for. Right now, there a few titles available out there which should suit your fancy if you’re all for flight simulators. What’s more; all these offerings which we’ve managed to gather and list in the space right below are available free of cost, so you need not worry about having to let go of your hard earned cash. Without spending more time on introductions then, let’s take a look at them.
1 – FlightGear
Apart from all the awesome things FlightGear is, it’s most importantly an open source project. This means freedom for any person on the web to download and play around with it as they wish to. This freedom has resulted in a massive community of developers constantly doling out new content for it, allowing you to create and test newer plane models. Available free of cost for PC, Mac and Linux machines, it provides you with a number of distinct airplanes to fly. Moreover, everything from taking off and landing to crashing and close calls is made possible by FlightGear, all with realistic flight controls and brilliant and diverse environments.
2 – Google Earth
Google’s knack of coming up with truly unbelievable inventions was showcased once more when Google Earth’s very own flight simulator took shape. All you need to do in order to get into it is perform a simple download of the virtual globe software, install it, enter its Tools section and select the ‘Flight Simulator’ option. You can then choose to fly over any part of the globe, while soaking in real, satellite-captured imagery. That’s where the beauty of this software lies; while other game offer simulated environments, Google Earth lets you fly over real-world locations, allowing you to even go over your own houses if you manage to spot them. The catch however, is that only two aircraft are available to fly, and the controls are far too basic. But this easily accessible tool should definitely be given a try by you nonetheless. It can work on Windows, Mac as well as Linux operating systems.
3 – YSFlight
One of the most impressive flight simulators available out there, YSFlight too is a open source project which can boast of enthusiastic community support. That in turn means more and more awesome content to indulge in. This incredibly enjoyable offering is light on your systems as well. More than forty distinct types of airplanes are available in it, whereas you can also indulge in dogfights, ground attacks and other acrobatics, apart from the usual take off and landing stuff. YSFlight even comes with its own multiplayer mode. Attention to minute details is another area which this flight simulator excels in. It is available for PC, Mac as well as Linux.
4 – Microsoft Flight
Unlike the other games listed up there, Microsoft Flight is a free-to-play offering which means that it charges you extra for added content, aircraft or scenery. Part of the long-lasting series of Microsoft Flight Simulator games, this newest entry has shown a big focus shift, having transferred its attention towards providing fun-filled and more accessible gameplay, rather than the realistic and hence difficult approach its predecessors are known for. Microsoft Flight doesn’t demand much from your Windows systems, and is based on mission-based gameplay which has you completing various in-air tasks that in turn reward you with points you can use for purchasing upgrades and more. Moreover, multiplayer gameplay is also made possible by this flight simulator, making it an all the more worthwhile offering.
5 – War Thunder
Here’s something for the more action-based gaming fans. War Thunder is indeed a flight simulator, but that’s not where the focus of its developer has been invested. It instead chooses to drench you in massively multiplayer online battles set during the pre-World War II and Korean War eras. It is currently in its beta testing phases, but can be downloaded on your PCs, Macs and PS4s. War Thunder is a free-to-play offering which recreates historic battles, allowing you to relive key war scenarios. Developed by Gaijin Entertainment, it contains detailed flight simulation which is complemented brilliantly by its in-air shooting mechanics.
6 – GEFS Online
GEFS Online is nothing but a browser game which is based on the Google Earth plug-in. This is why it’s able to provide you with worldwide photo-realistic sceneries. So what’s the different between Google Earth’s flight simulator and GEFS Online you ask? How about a multiplayer environment which lets you interact with other players from around the world? Or an array of different aircraft including helicopters, paragliders and hot air balloons? An autopilot function is present in it as well, allowing you to main a certain altitude, heading and speed. And its other important features include PAPI lighting, customizable weather and time-of-day controls.
Conclusion:
Those are all the best free flight simulators which we’d like you to have a look at if you’re interested in such games. Keep browsing our site for more such lists.