Best PC Flight Simulators
This is a list of the best stand-alone Flight Simulators currently available for PC. This includes Civilian and Military Sims.
It was a sad day when Microsoft decided to stop making these simulators. I really believe only they had the power and integrity to create simulators that match the real profiles of planes. I know a few pilots of small and commercial planes, and they all say that the simulators are very realistic.
The key thing, as you'd expect, is that you don't get the actual feel. However, the instruments and responses are pretty spot-on. There hasn't been a better series than this, but I think Microsoft gave up because they couldn't iron out the bugs. It crashes or has issues way too often. That said, it is still utterly brilliant.
X-Plane features some of the most advanced aircraft physics ever seen in a PC flight simulator but suffers from unimpressive scenery and poor ATC control. The best experience you will receive in X-Plane will likely be using third-party scenery and aircraft.
X-Plane 10 is way better than any of these other simulators.
FlightGear may very well be the ultimate open-source success story. With hundreds of aircraft, beautiful airport scenery, and developers constantly expanding and improving both, it earns itself a spot in the Top 5. You can perform formation flights with your friends, fly an X-15 in a sub-orbital flight, fly WWII-era warbirds, fly an F-14 off an aircraft carrier, join a fleet of virtual airliners, fly a variety of seaplanes, or just fly a small prop plane and admire the scenery. And how can you argue with FREE?
What Infinite Flight has achieved on Android has never been paralleled on other platforms so easily. The joy of controlling aircraft with motion and touch, along with the wide array of aircraft, liveries, and scenes, is unmatchable.
With mods, you have access to over 100 aircraft from many countries and countless user-created missions. What amazes me about Il-2 Sturmovik is that although the original game was released in 2001, the developers have released several expansion packs (the most recent being 1946, which includes all previous packs) and are STILL releasing patches over a decade later! The developers are still dedicated to caring about the fans of the sim. It can be found at a great price, making it one of the best values you can find in a flight sim.
Jane's USAF is a legendary flight sim. Ahead of its time when released, it didn't feature a large number of flyable aircraft or usable weapons, but the quality was absolutely stunning. USAF included lively and fun tutorials, realistic and complex weaponry, and tons of campaign missions, including missions from Desert Storm, Vietnam, a fictional war with the USSR, and a mission editor. However, the program is quite outdated and even has major problems running on Windows XP without modifications.
It works, it's fun, and has tons of add-ons. It's what made FSX what it is today. It's too bad, though, that it's gone the way of the dinosaur.
It still works after all these years! It loads quickly.
Still flying after all these years.
RoF is the definitive WWI flight sim, offering beautiful graphics, interactive campaigns, and stunning cockpits and aircraft models. The realism is fantastic. There's nothing like having to clear a gun jam while dodging enemy aircraft and AA fire, and trying to avoid hitting trees. However, the game can get pricey with DLC aircraft, as it comes with only a few aircraft.
The Newcomers
Regarding realism in flight dynamics and modeling of aircraft systems, DCS is currently unbeatable, at least among military flight sims.
Orbiter 2010 is a very fun, realistic, and FREE Space Flight Simulator. It's great for learning about orbital mechanics. Thanks to third-party users, you can relive the Mercury, Gemini, Apollo, Vostok, Soyuz, and Space Shuttle missions, as well as fly fictional spacecraft that can take you across the Solar System.
Many other mods have been made that allow you to manage cargo, virtual crew members, and passengers. However, Orbiter 2010 has a steep learning curve. Flying to the ISS and docking, or even flying to the Moon, are complex endeavors. Also, scenery is almost non-existent, other than a couple of spaceports on Earth.
This is more of a NASA space simulator, but you can still make and fly planes.
I am a real pilot, and this product comes the closest to reality in terms of feeling.
One of the most specialized and highly realistic flight simulators ever, especially in the early 2000s. The level of detail in the simulation, including an advanced, dynamic campaign system and a complex control scheme, ensures that the player will be constantly learning during their experience.
This is an early access version, still in development. Given this proviso, it has all the hallmarks of a stunning 64-bit flight sim. It is very obviously based on Microsoft Flight Simulator (not a bad thing) and updated. Very well worth a try, and you get to guide future developments too.