Airplane games

Have you always dreamed of driving a plane and speeding through the skies around the world? Then I bet you would not disdain the possibility of playing some flight simulators that faithfully reproduce, on the computer, the operation of airliners and other types of aircraft. Well, I have great news for you!

On the Internet,   there are plenty of airplane games and some of them are even free. There are for Windows, Mac OS X, Linux and even portable devices. So, can you know are you still standing there? Download the one that seems most complete to you and start having fun right away! I repeat, there are really something for all tastes: from the most advanced and complex ones that require real knowledge on the operation of airplanes to the more “arcade” ones, which instead are made with the sole purpose of entertaining the user.

I recommend: before downloading or purchasing an advanced flight simulator, one of the “serious” ones, check that your computer has the necessary hardware requirements to run it without problems. You know, these are very complex titles from a technical point of view, with very high level 3D graphics, and unfortunately they do not “run” on older computers.

Microsoft Flight Simulator X (Windows)

Microsoft Flight Simulator X (aka FSX ) is one of the most popular commercial flight simulators in the world. It can be purchased at a cost of 24.99 euros on Steam but is also available in a trial version that allows you to test three planes in two different airports and contains two missions to play for free.

To download the Flight Simulator trial on your PC, connect to the Microsoft website and click on the Download button . Then open the FSXDemo.exe file  you just downloaded and click first on the Yes button  and then on  Setup . Then wait for all the files necessary for the operation of the simulator to be extracted, presses on  Install , wait for the end of the setup and click on  Accept to start playing.

Once you have finished installing FSX, you can start the game and choose whether to try your hand at a  free flight or whether to face one of the two  missions available in the demo by choosing the appropriate items from the left sidebar. In the first case you can choose  aircraft ,  flight location ,  weather conditions and time and season . In the case of missions, you can select a  category  (eg tutorial, airline pilot, challenge) and a  skill level from the appropriate drop-down menus. To play, just click the Start Flight button   (in the case of free flight) or the button Go to instructions  (in the case of missions).

X-Plane (Windows / Mac / Linux / iOS)

X-Plane is another one of  the  most loved airplane games in the world. For some it is more realistic than FSX as it uses a “physical” model to generate flight dynamics; a model that takes into account weather conditions and other parameters to change the behavior of the aircraft, while Flight Simulator generates the same dynamics using code programmed by developers. In any case, we are talking about two very high quality titles able to satisfy even the most demanding fans.

X-Plane is compatible not only with Windows, but also with Mac OS X, Linux and even with  iPhone and iPad . It normally costs $ 59.99 but is available in a free trial version that includes 40 planes, a single scenario (Seattle) and after 15 minutes it no longer allows joystick play. To download it on your PC, connect to the official website of the game and click on the blue download button  .

Then open the  X-Plane 10 Demo Installer.exe file you just downloaded, make sure there is a check mark next to English  (unfortunately Italian is not among the languages ​​available in the game) and click on Accept  and  Continue . Then put the check mark next to the item  I Agree to the terms of the EULA , remove it from the Send diagnostic and usage data to Laminar Research  option  to not send simulator usage statistics to Laminar and press Continue  for two consecutive times.

At this point, wait for all the files necessary for the operation of X-Plane to be downloaded to your PC (they are over 2GB, so it may take some time), wait for the simulator installation to finish and click on Play X- Plane now to start playing.

FlightGear (Windows / Mac / Linux)

FlightGear  is one of the best free airplane games available. It is distributed under an open source license and is compatible with Windows, Mac OS X and Linux. To download it to your computer, connect to its official website and click on the Mirror 1 link . When the download is complete open, double clicking on it, the file you just downloaded (eg Setup FlightGear 3.4.0.exe ) and, in the window that opens, click first on Run and then on Yes and Next twice consecutively.

Then accept the conditions of use of the game, placing the check mark next to the item I accept the agreement , and click first on Next five consecutive times and then on Install , OK and Finish to complete the setup. If you are asked to install  OpenAL (a free component necessary for the game to work), accept by clicking the OK button   twice in a row.

Once the installation is complete, start FlightGear using the icon on the Windows desktop and select the aircraft you want to fly in the game from the Available aircraft menu (located at the bottom left). Then click on the Next button , select the scenario in which you want to “fly” and start the game by first clicking on Next and then on Run .

YSFlight (Windows / Mac / Linux)

Would you like to try airplane games with 3D graphics on an older computer? Then I advise you to turn to YSFlight , a 3D flight simulator for Windows, OS X and Linux quite enjoyable that does not have exceptional graphics, therefore it is capable of running even on machines not of the very first hair.

To download YSFlight on your PC, connect to the game’s website and click on the  YSFlight on YSUpload Download Now button . On the page that opens, then click on the logo of the operating system in use on your computer (eg the Windows flag) and that’s it.

When the download is complete, open the zip archive you just downloaded and launch the SETUP.exe executable  inside it. Then click the Yes button  twice consecutively and  OK four times to finish the setup, start the game and click  Close twice consecutively to access the main YSFlight screen. If you are asked to delete a plugin related to the Japanese language, accept by clicking on  Yes, delete it .

Now, press the Create new flight button  , select the plane to use and the scenario in which you want to “fly” and click on  Fly now! for playing. Fun is guaranteed!

Airplane games for smartphones and tablets

Before closing the post I want to point out some flight simulators that you can download directly to your smartphone or tablet to have fun on the go.

• Aerofly FS– good flight simulator for mobile devices that stands out for its beautiful 3D graphics, extremely precise physics and 16 aircraft models that can be used during flight simulations. It is available for free for Android and iOS .
• Infinite Flight– excellent flight simulator for Android and iOS that includes 17 planes (+ 14 additional to be purchased separately), 10 different environments and enjoys beautifully crafted 3D graphics. It costs 5.49 euros on Android and 4.99 euros on iOS.
• Flight Pilot Simulator 3D– very popular free-to-play title on the Android and iOS stores that allows you to drive various types of airplanes (including military ones) in free flights or missions.