One of the many benefits of gaming is that it can offer the chance to experience things you’d never get to do as part of your normal life. How many of us can say that we’ve been behind the controls of an aircraft, for example? Most gamers won’t ever get to fly an aeroplane or a helicopter into a dangerous combat situation (and, realistically, you wouldn’t want to either), but with games, you can do just that. The PS4 is home to some great flight sims, so without further ado, let’s take a look at the 12 best PS4 flight sim games you can play right now.
1. Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown
As a PS4 owner, Ace Combat 7 is undeniably one of the best flight sims you can play. With realistic flight controls, stunning visuals, and full 360-degree movement, Ace Combat 7 is a great place to start if you’re looking for an excellent PS4 flight sim. It’s also got a surprisingly involving story, and if you’ve got a PSVR set, then you can even experience the game in VR, which you’ll want to do if you’re looking for the most immersive way to play.
2. The Falconeer: Warrior Edition
It’s got its problems, but The Falconeer is such a unique and intriguing prospect that it’s definitely worth experiencing at least once. Taking place in a post-apocalyptic world ravaged by war, The Falconeer casts you as the titular Falconeer, someone who flies atop a huge bird in order to protect a civilisation against the many threats that manifest themselves in both sea and sky. If you like a bit more of a fantasy story with your flight sims, you’ve got to try this one.
3. War Thunder
You’ve got nothing to lose for trying out War Thunder, as it’s free-to-play, so you can sign up and get started at no cost. Although War Thunder offers a comprehensive flight experience, it also allows you to take control of tanks, warships, and other ground-based vehicles. The emphasis is very much on flying vehicles, though, so if you’ve ever wanted to soar through the skies on a battlefield and take down your enemies from above, play War Thunder.
4. Battlefield V
Unfortunately, Battlefield 2042’s troubled launch and continuing issues mean that it’s probably not worth your time right now, but don’t worry; there’s always Battlefield V, which hasn’t gone anywhere and which is still great fun. This might not be the most realistic flight sim ever, but you’ll get to pilot planes that control somewhat authentically, strafing across World War II battlefields and gunning down enemy combatants below you.
5. Kerbal Space Program
Bear with us a little on this one. Kerbal Space Program isn’t your typical flight sim, although it does technically “simulate flight”; spaceflight, to be exact! You must help the ingenious yet hapless group of Kerbals to build the ultimate spacecraft, with which they will soar beyond their atmosphere and explore the stars. This game will require patience and methodical design on your part, but it’s immensely satisfying when you get it right.
6. Chorus
Again, Chorus isn’t really a traditional flight sim, in that you won’t be piloting planes across war-torn battlefields. Instead, you’ll be the captain of your very own spaceship, and what’s more, it’s sentient (it’s complicated, much like Chorus’s story). This is a sort of RPG-flight sim hybrid, and its narrative is just as involved and detailed as you’d hope from a game like this, so give it a look if you want to be immersed as well as entertained.
7. Elite Dangerous
Generally speaking, traditional flight simulators tend to be more popular on PC, where joystick peripherals reign supreme. That’s why you’ll tend to see more games like Chorus or Elite Dangerous on PS4, but no bad thing, say we. Elite Dangerous is a fully-fledged space flight sim where you can choose whether to be a trader, a pirate, or a courier; it’s an open-ended game in which the choice is up to you. For added tension, check out the multiplayer!
8. Blue Angels Aerobatic Flight Simulator
Officially licensed by the US Navy, Blue Angels Aerobatic Flight Simulator is just as realistic and breathtaking as that designation would have you expect. You’ll fly alongside your partners at speeds of up to 400mph, experiencing what it’s really like for professional military pilots as they soar through the skies. There are three modes on offer, too, including a simulation mode that should put your mettle to the test.
9. Island Flight Simulator
In this island-based flight sim, you play a courier who must decide what kind of jobs to take on in order to scrape a living together. Will you stick to the safe jobs, or take on the riskier clients, who pay better but pose more of a danger? There are more than a hundred missions to check out here, and three different planes to choose from as well. This certainly isn’t a high-budget production, but it’s also fairly cheap, so you won’t lose much by checking it out!
10. Eagle Flight
Crafted exclusively for PlayStation VR by Ubisoft, Eagle Flight puts you in the, uh, talons of an eagle flying over post-apocalyptic Paris. You must battle your enemies, protect your territory from encroaching animals, and gain a true bird’s-eye view of the world after it’s been reclaimed by nature. There’s also a fun multiplayer mode wherein you engage in dogfights (yes, still as an eagle) against other players.
11. Grand Theft Auto V / Grand Theft Auto Online
It stands to reason that if you’re looking for an ultra-realistic flight sim, then you should probably not play Grand Theft Auto Online (not for this purpose, at any rate). Still, it has some surprisingly in-depth flight controls for its genre, and you’re also getting a great crime sandbox game with an excellent multiplayer mode, so there’s not much to complain about here.
12. InnerSpace
InnerSpace is a somewhat unusual flight game, seeing as it’s about exploration and narrative just as much as its flight controls (which are still solid). Your role is to assist a figure known as the Archaeologist as they explore their memories, and to do so, you must fly through beautiful and abstract landscapes in the captivating lands of the Inverse.