There are so many flight simulators that are available today, and a lot of them offer great gameplay mechanics that make you feel like you are controlling a real plane, although you may need to buy accessories, peripherals, or controllers to enhance the experience. While plenty of flight simulators are already excellent in terms of gameplay and features, a lot of them have improved the immersion of the game by adding VR or virtual reality.
Virtual reality games are very immersive types of video games wherein you can wear a pair of VR goggles, and you will feel like you are inside the world within the game. For flight simulators, you will feel like you are actually the pilot of the plane instead of just controlling it. There are already dozens of different flight games that have VR compatibility, but only a few are considered better than the others. Here is a list of the best simulator VR games that let you feel like you’re flying.
Microsoft Flight Simulator
One of the most popular flight games today is the Microsoft Flight Simulator, which was created by Bruce Artwick, a renowned flight simulator developer, and published by Microsoft and Xbox Game Studios. The Microsoft Flight Simulator was originally released in November 1982, thus making it one of the oldest flight simulators in existence. However, this game is also one of the oldest surviving series of flight simulator games, as its latest release was in 2020, and this new version is still being updated as of 2022.
The latest or newest version of Microsoft Flight Simulator may need powerful hardware for it to run smoothly while you are playing, but getting the powerful-but-expensive hardware for your PC is worth it since the game may be the most realistic flight simulator you can play. The sceneries or environments in the game are so photorealistic, and once you wear VR goggles, you will truly feel immersed that you would sometimes forget you are just at home playing a game.
Warplanes: WW1 Fighters
If you want to experience flying vintage WW1 planes in VR, you should play Warplanes: WW1 Fighters on your PC. Warplanes: WW1 Fighter is one of the recent entries in the Warplanes series of flight simulators, and it was released on March 4, 2021, and developed by Home Net Games. As the title suggests, the game features the iconic planes that were used during the battles of the First World War.
Although it doesn’t feature the same photorealistic graphics, it still features high-quality sceneries or environments. In addition, the graphics of Warplanes: WW1 Fighter don’t require you to have powerful hardware, so you will be able to play the game even if you have a budget-friendly gaming PC. As for the gameplay, the game has two campaigns that are filled with various missions that are challenging and exciting to play.
X-Plane 11
Next on the list is X-Plane 11, a flight simulator that serves as the latest entry in the X-Plane series of soaring simulation games. The X-Plane series was created in 1995, and the latest in the series, the X-Plane 11.55, was released on June 30, 2021. Many flight game fans would say that X-Plane 11 may be the best flight simulator today, as it features very realistic controls that will truly make you feel like you are piloting a real plane.
In X-Plane 11, the developers of the game, Austin Meyer and Laminar Research, have added a new weather engine that features volumetric clouds, as well as windscreen rain effects that improve immersion. Moreover, new planes like the F-14 and the Airbus A330 were added to the lineup of aircraft within the game.
Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown
For serious gamers, a lot of them know about the Ace Combat series, as it has been considered one of the best video game franchises of all time. The most recent entry in the series is Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown, which was released in 2019 and supported various VR headsets, including the PlayStation VR. In addition to the base game, the developers of Ace Combat 7, Bandai Namco Studios, have also added various downloadable content packs or DLCs to add more missions or gameplay to the game.
An interesting feature that Ace Combat 7 has is the multiplayer mode that can be activated even if you have progress in the single-player campaign. In multiplayer, players can choose to play Battle Royale or Team Deathmatch. As evident in the names of the two types of multiplayer games, the Team Deathmatch is played by two teams of four players, while Battle Royale is a deathmatch between all players.
Ultrawings 2
Ultrawings 2 is the sequel to the popular flight simulator game that was originally developed for the Oculus Quest, which is a virtual reality headset developed by Oculus and released on May 21, 2019. The second game in the Ultrawings series was released on April 15, 2022, so it is the latest flight simulator on this list.
What’s great about Ultrawings 2 is that it is an open-world game, so you are free to fly wherever you want to on the map. However, there are missions within the game that you need to take on in order to get in-game money, which you can use to purchase new planes to fly and new islands to explore. In the flight game, you will be able to control five unique aircraft, which would usually have different controls and features. Take note that Ultrawings 2 is an Early Access game, so it is still being developed and improved upon by its developer, Bit Planet Games.
These are five of the best VR games that will definitely make you feel like you are flying an actual plane. Be sure to check out reviews of these games so that you will know which one is the most suitable for you. However, we highly recommend that you try all of these games if you have the budget, as they each offer something different for players.