Everyone loves agood fictional dogfight, and that’s especially the case when gamers get to experience it first-hand. There aren’t a high number of games with great aerial combat systems, but there are still plenty to enjoy nonetheless. From dedicated aerial shooters to specific vehicle mechanics in online shooters, there’s a bit of something for everyone when it comes to aviation-based combat.
Aerial combat in games spans across genres. From military shooters to sci-fi to space-based blasters, nothing comes close to the excitement of aerial combat. It can be hard to find the right fit for players looking to get the best experience, especially when the majority of travel-based video games released nowadays fall into the simulation category. However, with these excellent titles, gamers will be able to live their piloting fantasies in the most entertaining way possible.
Battlefield 1surprised gamers when it was first released due to its gritty tone and realistic depiction of World War 1. Many gamers knew thatBattlefield 1would feature excellent gunplay with large, open battlefields. However, what many gamers were surprised by were the excellent aviation vehicles and aerial combat mechanics that also came packaged in the multiplayer.
Battlefield 1encompassed everythinggreat about the FPS franchiseand reverted it back to its historical roots to create one of the best World War 1 games to date, especially the multiplayer. Dogfights over huge battlegrounds are fluid like nothing else, and the sheer thrill of piloting some iconic warplanes is enough to entice any aviation fan. Not to mention, the flying navigation and combat controls are excellent.
It’s always exciting when an officially canonStar Warsgame gets released, and it’s especially exciting when newStar Warsgames try something different. And that’s exactly whatStar Wars: Squadronsdoes. If players have ever wanted to experienceepic starship battlesfrom the films, then this is the perfect game for them, and it comes with excellent aerial combat.
The sound of blasters firing from the player’s spaceship has never felt more satisfying than here. There’s both a story and a multiplayer mode available, but to be honest, the story isn’t all that great. What is great is the actual flying mechanics and aerial combat. There’s not been aStar Warsgame that quite captures this sense of aerial combat, butStar Wars: Squadronsachieves it perfectly.
6Tom Clancy’s H.A.W.X.
Military-Based Arcade Shooter Set In The Future
Interestingly,Tom Clancy’s H.A.W.X.is actually set in the same universe asGhost Recon Advanced Warfighterdespite there being little connection. However, this game features some of the best and grittiest aerial combat mechanics in any arcade-focused title. Sure, there’s a background and a semi-interesting plot, but that’s not what gamers play this game for, they play it for the fun combat.
One innovative feature that came as part ofTom Clancy’s H.A.W.X. wasits satellite mapping, which looked incredibly authentic whilst soaring in the skies. It’s not a perfect game by any means, but it’s got some great aerial combat, with some seriously cool, futuristic jet designs.
5Project Wingman
A Great, Alternate Reality Cockpit Experience
Project Wingmanhas a really cool premise and setting, which happens to be matched with excellent aerial combat mechanics that players will never forget. This game features two separate modes - campaign and conquest, both of which are exceedingly fun and any fan of aerial combat-based games should give this one a go.
The campaign takes place in a fictional alternate reality where Earth isstuck in a warbetween two united federations. The player takes on the role of a mercenary pilot and takes on a number of different story quests. Conquest, on the other hand, is a fun game mode where players have to capture territories in a rogue-lite manner, which gets increasingly difficult as the player progresses. It’s got great combat with some of the best visuals in a flying game to date.
4I1-2 Sturmovik: Great Battles
A Collection Of Some Of The Best Military Plane Shooters Ever Made
This one’s cheating a little because it’s not just one game but rather a whole collection of standalone titles, which are all excellent. The I1-2 Sturmovik franchise has been around for a couple of decades by this point, so any fan of the genre should be aware of it. However, it’s this collection that has been the highlight of the whole franchise.
I1-2 Sturmovik: Great Battlesis a collection of “modules”, as the developers call it, which span across different time periods to allow the player to experience different aerial vehicles and types of combat. None of these games are super deep or intricate, but they provide hours of entertainment and some really great locations. They’re visually pleasing and certainly fun to play.
DCS Worldis a different entry from all the others because it’s more focused on simulation. However, this simulation is centered around aerial combat, with DCS literally standing for Digital Combat Simulator. Despite being more of a simulation game,DCS Worldalso features a number of story missions and even campaigns that players can freely explore and complete as and when they like.
This is a realistic game and players can more or less learn the basics of flying an aviation vehicle bymastering the mechanicsin this game. It’s realistically detailed to a high degree and is genuinely one of the best simulation experiences ever, especially in the case of aerial combat. There are lots of different planes to try out, and a whole world to fly over.
This epic free-to-play titlehas changed a lot over the years, but it’s better now than it’s ever been before.War Thunderis a treat to play, from its large multiplayer battles to its smaller events and campaign-like scenarios. This is the perfect game for fans of military shooters and historical aerial combat, as there’s so much to unpack here.
What started off as purely an aerial-based combat game has now added ground troops, including foot soldiers and tanks.War Thunderalso has one of the best communities for any aerial-combat-focused game and receives regular support from its enthusiastic developers.
When it comes to games with the best aerial combat, there’s really nothing quite liketheAce Combatfranchise. No matter which game players prefer, each and every title in this series has so much passion and detail put into them - they’re all excellent. Whilst the gameplay is only semi-realistic, it’s certainly the most fun out of all aerial combat games.
That’s because everyAce Combattitle places emphasis on experience over realism. These are fast-paced action,arcade aerial shooters, which have some of the best, most over-the-top stories in any aviation-based game, and they’re just so great. No matter the player, everyone should enjoy this franchise if they enjoy aerial combat.
