Best Combat Flight Simulator Games for PC

Combat flight simulation is one of the most demanding niches in PC gaming - and one of the most rewarding. These are games that ask you to understand how aircraft actually fight: energy management, weapons employment, radar systems, formation tactics. When it clicks, there is nothing else quite like it.

At Gamer Gear Direct we have a soft spot for combat sims. They are the reason the HOTAS was invented. The idea of controlling throttle, weapons systems, radar modes and countermeasures without taking your hand off the stick is not an aesthetic choice - it is how real fighter pilots operate, and it is the hardware setup that makes combat sim flying feel genuinely believable.

This list covers the best combat flight simulator games available on PC right now - from the gold standard of realistic military aviation all the way through to more accessible combat flying experiences. All of them work better with proper hardware, and several of them are essentially built for it.

1. DCS World - The Combat Flight Sim Benchmark

Digital Combat Simulator World from Eagle Dynamics is the most realistic combat flight simulator available on PC - full stop. The simulation depth goes all the way down: electrical systems, hydraulics, fuel management, radar modes, weapons employment procedures, engine start sequences. Flying a module like the F/A-18C Hornet or the A-10C Warthog II in DCS is as close as a civilian is going to get to understanding how those aircraft actually work.

The base game is free and includes the Caucasus map plus two aircraft (the Su-25T and TF-51D). The core library of detailed modules covers aircraft from the Korean War era through to current-generation fighters, with more added regularly. Each module is modelled with the input of real pilots and in some cases directly from declassified flight manuals.

DCS is demanding. The learning curve on a full-fidelity module is genuine - you are learning systems, not just flight mechanics. But the community is generous with tutorials, and the payoff is an experience that no other simulator matches. Many DCS pilots have been flying the same module for a decade and still finding depth.

Best for: Serious sim enthusiasts who want maximum realism. Military aviation professionals. Anyone willing to invest time in mastering a simulator.

Key modules to consider: F/A-18C Hornet, A-10C Warthog II, F-16C Viper, AH-64D Apache, Ka-50 Black Shark III, Spitfire Mk.IX, P-51D Mustang.

2. IL-2 Sturmovik: Great Battles - The WW2 Combat Specialist

If World War Two aviation is your focus, IL-2 Sturmovik: Great Battles is the defining series. Developer 777 Studios has built some of the finest piston engine flight models in simulation - the Bf-109G, the Spitfire Mk.IX, the P-47D Thunderbolt and the other aircraft in the Great Battles roster each feel distinctly different to fly, with their own handling quirks, strengths and weaknesses in combat.

The Great Battles series covers multiple campaigns: Battle of Stalingrad, Battle of Moscow, Battle of Kuban, Battle of Normandy, Battle of Bodenplatte, and Battle of the Pacific among them. Each instalment includes a set of aircraft for both sides and the maps to fly them over. The career mode is excellent, putting you through historically-grounded missions as either a Luftwaffe or Allied pilot depending on the campaign.

The Collector Planes system lets you add individual aircraft outside the main campaigns - which is how icons like the Yak-9 Series and the Fw-190 D-9 ended up in the library. Online multiplayer through the official servers is active and well-populated, with dedicated WW2 sim enthusiasts flying every day.

A demo tier lets you fly two aircraft for free - the Bf-109 E-7 and the Il-2 1941 - which is enough to judge whether the flight model suits you before purchasing.

Best for: WW2 aviation enthusiasts. Players who want historically accurate piston engine combat. Anyone who finds DCS's modern systems depth overwhelming but still wants serious sim fidelity.

3. War Thunder - Free-to-Play Combat Aviation at Its Best

War Thunder sits at an interesting crossroads between accessible multiplayer game and genuine combat flight simulator. At the arcade end, it is fast and approachable - great for players who want aerial combat without studying weapons systems manuals. But in Realistic Battles and especially Simulator Battles mode, War Thunder's aviation content crosses into legitimate sim territory: energy management matters, stall characteristics are modelled properly, and your chosen aircraft's actual historical performance determines what it can and cannot do in a fight.

The appeal is the combination of breadth and accessibility. War Thunder covers aircraft from the early 1930s through to current-generation jets, with over 2,000 vehicles spread across ground, air and naval branches. It is completely free to play, with a progression system that lets you unlock aircraft through gameplay.

For the hardware-equipped sim pilot, Simulator mode in War Thunder is worth serious attention. It is played from cockpit view only, with no padlock, no markers, and genuine instrument flying requirements. The community has grown into a credible sim experience that many DCS players dip into when they want something a bit less procedurally demanding.

Best for: Players who want combat aviation without a steep entry cost. Those who want to try different aircraft eras without committing to individual module purchases. Online multiplayer aviation combat.

4. Falcon BMS - The F-16 Simulator

Falcon BMS is a community-developed modification of Falcon 4.0 (originally released in 1998) that has been expanded into one of the most accurate F-16 simulations available anywhere. If you want to understand how a modern multi-role fighter actually operates - its fire control radar, its data link, its weapons employment modes - Falcon BMS goes into more procedural depth than most commercial simulators.

The base Falcon 4.0 game is available cheaply on Steam, and the BMS mod is free. The simulation covers a full dynamic campaign in the Korean theatre, with the battlefield evolving based on the actual outcome of missions - both yours and the AI's. It is one of the few simulators to model a truly dynamic war rather than a series of scripted engagements.

Falcon BMS has a reputation for complexity - its F-16 cockpit systems are modelled at a level that rivals DCS in some areas - but the community documentation is extensive and the payoff for learning it is an F-16 experience that feels genuinely authentic. It runs on older hardware more comfortably than DCS, which matters for players who have not upgraded their PC recently.

Best for: F-16 enthusiasts specifically. Players who want dynamic campaign gameplay alongside realistic aircraft systems. Those who want depth comparable to DCS at effectively no cost.

5. Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown - Combat Aviation for Everyone

Ace Combat 7 is not a realistic combat flight simulator - it is an arcade aviation game with a cinematic story, fictional aircraft and physics that prioritise fun over fidelity. But it earns its place on this list because it is an exceptional entry point for players who want the drama and spectacle of aerial combat without the systems depth of DCS or IL-2.

The flight model is forgiving and responsive, the aircraft list includes real fighters alongside fictional variants, and the campaign is genuinely well-produced with set-piece missions that are among the best in the genre. It also has a surprisingly good HOTAS implementation - playing Ace Combat 7 with a joystick rather than a gamepad is a materially better experience.

Many sim pilots have Ace Combat 7 installed alongside DCS for exactly this reason: sometimes you want to blast through a dramatic mission without reading a checklist first. It is the aviation equivalent of a racing game - not a simulator, but a genuine celebration of the subject matter.

Best for: Players new to combat flight games who want an accessible starting point. Sim veterans who want something less demanding for casual sessions. Anyone who appreciates excellent aerial combat action regardless of realism.

Choosing Your Combat Flight Sim: A Practical Guide

The right combat flight simulator depends on what you want from the experience. Here is how to think about it.

Maximum realism and depth: DCS World. Buy the free base game, fly the included aircraft for a few weeks, and then pick one paid module to learn properly. The F/A-18C Hornet and A-10C Warthog II are both exceptional and have strong community support for learning resources.

World War Two focus: IL-2 Sturmovik: Great Battles. The Battle of Normandy or Battle of Bodenplatte modules are excellent starting points for Western Front flying. Battle of Stalingrad if you want the Eastern Front experience.

Free entry point with genuine depth: War Thunder in Simulator mode gives you credible aviation physics without spending anything. Use it to decide whether combat flight sim is for you before investing in paid simulators or hardware.

Best F-16 experience at minimal cost: Falcon BMS, using a cheap copy of Falcon 4.0 from Steam. The F-16 systems depth is exceptional and the dynamic campaign is unique in the genre.

Casual or introductory: Ace Combat 7, which plays well with hardware and gives you the drama of aerial combat without the procedural overhead.

The Hardware Difference in Combat Sims

Combat flight simulators are the genre where flight hardware matters most. In DCS, the HOTAS is not optional - it is how the aircraft is designed to be operated. The F/A-18C Hornet has 72 HOTAS functions. Flying it with a keyboard and mouse is like trying to drive a manual car with your feet only on the pedals and your hands off the wheel.

The entry point is a joystick. Even a basic stick transforms DCS and IL-2 from frustrating into genuinely enjoyable. The next step is a throttle, which completes the HOTAS setup. After that, rudder pedals round out the core control set - they are what allow you to coordinate turns properly and aim more accurately in tracking shots.

At Gamer Gear Direct we have customers who have been flying DCS for ten years on the same HOTAS, and customers who come into the showroom after a week on War Thunder wanting to try before they buy. We carry Australia's widest range of flight sim hardware from brands like Thrustmaster, Turtle Beach, MOZA and Honeycomb Aeronautical - all authorised, all with Australian warranty.