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An open source and easy to pickup flight simulator available for Windows users on desktop

An open source and easy to pickup flight simulator available for Windows users on desktop

Vote: (466 votes)

Program license: Free

Developer: Flightgear

Version: 2020.3.13

Works under: Windows

Vote:

Program license

(466 votes)

Free

Developer

Version

Flightgear

2020.3.13

Works under:

Windows

Pros

  • Absolutely free
  • Fairly easy to learn
  • Good interface
  • Surprisingly large roster of aircraft

Cons

  • Not as realistic as other games in the genre
  • Not much guidance - no real missions
  • Very resource intensive

FlightGear is a free flight sim available on Windows systems.

When you see a free flight sim, you should generally run away as quickly as possible. Perhaps the only exception to this is FlightGear, because the game actually seeks to be as fantastic as possible. The game is easy to pick up, which is not something that can usually be said about flight sims. You can pick up the game and fly fairly easily, and it has a very gentle tutorial system. You can even fly online without going through many hoops, and you'll be greeted with a giant roster of planes to keep your attention for months to come.

There's not a lot of realism in this game, and that's probably a big problem for genre fans. Flight sims tend to replicate the process of flying a plane as closely as possible, and this is an area where FlightGear fails. Along with being an incredible drain on your system, the game fails to live up to the standards of the genre. These points are bigger issues for genre pros than casual players, though.

FlightGear isn't a perfect game, but it's a unique entry point into a genre that's kept out casual players for years. No, it's not going to compete with the big names - but it shouldn't. This is a great game for novice players who want to try out flight simulators and figure out if the genre is right for them. Having the choice to play something without investing years of practice is always a good thing.

Pros

  • Absolutely free
  • Fairly easy to learn
  • Good interface
  • Surprisingly large roster of aircraft

Cons

  • Not as realistic as other games in the genre
  • Not much guidance - no real missions
  • Very resource intensive