There’s nothing like gliding through the skies and sensing the wind in your hair to make you feel alive (virtual or otherwise). Over the years, there were countless video game renditions of flying, ranging from vintage 80s arcade games to the most difficult and everything in between.
Which one should you choose? These are the most popular hand gliding and soaring games that you should play right away.
World of Aircraft: Glider Simulator
Experience general aviation like you’ve never seen it before! World of Aircraft is a collection of stand-alone flight simulators, each focusing on a different type of flying. A series of tow aircraft and (motor-) gliders are included in World of Aircraft: Glider Simulator, built on a high-definition flying environment.
To replicate small aircraft, World of Aircraft has a dedicated physics and graphics engine. Each edition focuses on a single type of aviation and always includes the airport(s), area, and aircraft you’ll need to learn more about that type of aviation. Compared to full-fledged simulators, it has greater depth for the portions in the simulation because it doesn’t want to cover the entire world and all types of aircraft.
It’s a pure VFR simulator, which means it exclusively simulates flights where you navigate with your eyes and compass rather than sophisticated instrumentation. It’s all about the thrill of flying and mastering your aircraft.
The first game, World of Aircraft: Glider Simulator, places you in the cockpit of a glider-only airport. Older and newer gliders, as well as a motor glider and an auxiliary engine glider, will be waiting for you. You’ll even discover a comprehensive tow plane to help you get your gliders into the air.
The flight modeling is superb and will reveal each model’s strengths and limitations. World of Aircraft isn’t a game but rather a simulation, and you should plan to spend some time trying to fly all of the aircraft.
Pilotwings
Pilotwings was, in many respects, the first extreme sports video game. This game alternates from teaching you how to land a plane on the runway to having you jump out of an aircraft and feel the g-forces as you plunge to the ground, all while trying to make a good landing.
Condor, The Complete Soaring Simulator
Condor is built to give pilots the full soaring experience on their computer. The feeling of being wholly engrossed in the environment is crucial to this experience. Weather physics and precise aerodynamics drive the continuing progress.
The Condor simulator immerses you, the pilot, in the experience with real-time control feedback, state-of-the-art graphics, and cockpit noises. It’s the closest you may get to piloting a glider, all without leaving the ground.
Xtreme Soaring 3D FREE
The cockpit in XtremeSoaring3D is extremely realistic, with realistic sound effects, a full-function dashboard, and all moving parts.
The Blade element hypothesis also ensures that flight characteristics are extremely accurate. Wings are broken down into multiple little components, and the forces on either of these minor elements are calculated.
These forces are then combined over the entire wing to produce the forces and moments generated by the entire wing. As a result, each specified aircraft has a dynamical, accurate flight model with wing-flex simulation. Overall, this simulator immersed the human pilot in a realistic flying experience.
Ridge-lift and thermal lift are also well-simulated and may be seen in flight.
The appeal of soaring sport is the flying and the landscapes and countrysides that you fly over. As a result, using high-resolution satellite pictures and elevation, the creators were able to include topographical data into the simulation. As a result, the sceneries appear to be real, with highly detailed runways and airport hangars.
Real Hang Gliding
Real Hang Gliding: Free is a difficult wingsuit game for extreme flight and adventure fans. In this wing-flying adventure game, spread your wings and begin soaring as you’ve never flown before!
Hang gliding lets you participate in thrilling and extreme flying activities. Use your gliding wingsuit to leap and glide over a variety of beautiful locations, including valleys and cities, while collecting rings and coins to beat your high score.
Put on your wingsuit to fly and paraglide, but make sure you don’t collide with anything else. By moving your phone in different directions, you may take a look around the world. Hang gliding is a component of an excellent balancing 3D gliding model with finely calibrated physics.
To have fun in the skyline, go on an adventure, fly above the valleys and hills, and feel the breeze in your face. Perform various aerial maneuvers while enjoying the thrills of flying games.
Paraflysim Paragliding and Hangliding Simulator
The Paraflysim 3D Paragliding and Hang Gliding Simulator tie you into the harness and lets you fly without ever leaving your house. Discover real-world scenery and terrains, locate the greatest lift and thermal areas, and take in the environment.
PicaSim: Free Flight Simulator
Learn how to pilot radio-controlled planes, practice aerobatics, or enjoy a rainy day flying around. PicaSim is a flight simulator that focuses on very realistic R/C glider (slope and thermal) flying, including turbulence, wind flow, and thermals.
The gliders range in size from small flying wings such as the Weasel to bigger soaring and scale planes such as the Le Fish, Phase 6, Jart, and a full-size hang glider. There are also powered planes, including the Extra 3D, a completely aerobatic powered plane, and a control-line plane. Almost every glider can be bungee/high-start, launched by hand, or aero tow.
Flying Rio
Fly across Rio de Janeiro, the host city for the 2016 Olympic Games, and take in the gorgeous surroundings while picking up three rings to pass through the gate.
However, be aware that weather conditions such as swirls, gusty winds, water spouts, and structures like buildings, balloons, slums, Zeppelins, lamps, signs, hills, power lines, and other activities like paragliding, surfers, other people hang gliding, and even automobiles might cause a powerful collision.
Physical problems like speed, wind power, and collisions are all part of the mix.
Balloons with torches and kites, which are part of the local culture, can sometimes be problematic. Be cautious not to get caught in the crossfire between police and drug traffickers in the slums’ slopes. Flying is lovely, but in a city with many contrasts, caution is required.