Helicopter flight simulator games are the perfect solution for helicopter enthusiasts who don’t want to deal with the physical danger or financial cost of piloting a real helicopter.
With some of these simulators, you’ll be able to put yourself into the cockpit and experience what it’s like to fly a helicopter.
Not only can you simulate flying in one area, but some helicopter flight simulation games allow you to fly helicopters in several different settings.
1. Microsoft Flight Simulator X
With a $100 Microsoft Flight Simulator X gift card, you can purchase the game, letting users pilot a helicopter.
Like those Sims and GTA games where you get to create your world and live in it, this Helicopter Flight Simulator Games enables you to fly through the air like an eagle.
With over 200 scenarios for your helicopter missions (and even more for airplane missions), this game has something for everyone.
2. Enemy Engaged: RAH-66 Comanche vs. KA-52 Hokum
Helicopter flight simulator games have always been a bit of an odd duck because they’re not quite flight simulators and not quite an action darlings.
The best ones straddle the line between the two, with various weapons complementing an exciting Helicopter Flight Simulator game.
Enemy Engaged: RAH-66 Comanche vs. KA-52 Hokum is exactly this kind of game, with its focus on helicopters’ maneuverability in addition to their armories.
Released in 1999, Enemy Engaged has aged surprisingly well despite its age, boasting good graphics and sound and great gameplay.
3. Desert Strike
If you’ve ever dreamed of being a pilot but didn’t think you could afford the training, then Desert Strike is the video game.
This helicopter flight simulator game, released in 1992, was one of the first to feature 3D graphics.
It’s all set in a realistic-looking desert that features enemy bases and attack helicopters that need to be destroyed.
There are three different difficulty levels to choose from; it easily allows for more hits from enemy missiles and rockets before your ammunition malfunctions, normal gives no extra protection against enemy fire, and hard doesn’t allow for any hits or bullets to harm your helicopter at all.
The player has the choice of flying one of four different helicopters: one with fast movement but less armor, one with heavy armor but slower movement, and another that flies faster after launching torpedoes than any other helicopter in the game (making it ideal for destroying submarines), and finally an anti-aircraft chopper that moves slowly but can shoot down many types of enemies in addition to also having strong armor.
4. Apache: Air Assault
If you’ve been looking to get the thrill of flying an attack helicopter without having to risk life and limb, Apache: Air Assault may be for you.
The game involves a war scenario complete with all the things that come with it: bombing, shooting, and demolition.
Apache: Air Assault was developed by Gaijin Entertainment in 2010. It’s one of the best-rated games in its genre, with a Metascore of 73 from 33 critics on Metacritic.
GameSpot gave it an 8 out of 10 ratings, calling it “a solid shooter” that “should satisfy fans” of similar games like Frontline: Fields of Thunder or Russian Strike.
5. Air Missions: Hind
As the Soviet Union’s answer to the U.S. Army’s AH-1 Cobra, the Mi-24 (NATO designation Hind) is a heavily armed troop transport helicopter that first entered service in 1972.
It has since seen service worldwide with many non-Soviet and non-Russia nations due to its ruggedness, high speed, and heavy armament.
“Helicopter Flight Simulator” sounds like an oxymoron until you see how much work went into making this simulator feel as authentic as possible—with details such as a complex flight model, realistic cockpit design, and support for virtual reality devices such as TrackIR systems—and now “Flight Sim,” which refers to an entire genre of gaming that focuses on airborne vehicles, can’t seem to stop describing Helicopter Flight Simulator Games as one of the best examples of its kind.
This game is still being actively developed by its original designer, who also continues to produce new missions based on user feedback at no additional charge.
6. Take On Helicopters
Take On Helicopter Flight Simulator Games was released in 2011 by Russian developer Bohemia Interactive and published by Codemasters.
It was the sequel to their previous flight simulators, Arma 2 and Operation Arrowhead, though it can be played independently.
Set in the fictional country of Chernarus, Take On Helicopters allows the player to fly several different helicopters across over 70 different missions.
The main campaign consists of seven chapters: Military Skills, The Crash, Air Traffic Control, The Heron Project, Unidentified Flying Object (UFO), Chopper Crew Rescue, and Bandits.
7. Jungle Strike
Helicopter Flight Simulator Games, also known as Jungle Strike, is a Super Nintendo Entertainment System game.
The player takes on the role of an unnamed helicopter pilot in the fictional country of Asran. While working as a mercenary in support of a military coup d’état, the player’s character becomes involved with General Kilbaba, who successfully seizes control of Asran while recovering from a previous conflict and becomes its new dictator.
The plot follows multiple mission objectives that involve flying a variety of helicopters to accomplish objectives such as protecting civilians or destroying enemy targets using machine guns and rockets.
8. Air Conflicts Vietnam
So, now that you know what this game is let’s look at what it offers. The game features plenty of advanced aircraft and helicopters for you to command.
You can even craft your missions and follow an original storyline in campaign mode. Finally, you can use some more modern combat vehicles for multiplayer battles with friends over the internet.
As far as flight simulators go, Air Conflicts Vietnam is pretty straightforward: it’s all about the range of your vehicle and how skillfully you can navigate it through the air.
Don’t play this one if you’re looking for something with a lot of strategic depth or freedom; there are plenty of other good choices out there for people who want that sort of thing.
What ACV does well is by providing an authentic atmosphere and a nice set of tools to pilot around in that world—and those who like flying games will be pleased by both facets here.
9. DCS Black Shark
The DCS Black Shark is one of the best Helicopter Flight Simulator Games that puts you in the pilot’s seat of Russian and American helicopters, including gunships and transport aircraft.
Although the game has been out for several years, it’s still incredibly popular among many players looking to experience what it would be like to fly these real-life combat machines.
The game offers an extremely realistic and immersive experience, allowing you to control every aspect of your flight, from your helicopter’s armaments to its components.
It even allows for custom missions and campaigns to put yourself in familiar scenarios or create your own, all with the help of its built-in mission editor and tools (which are also available separately for free download).
10. Rise of Flight
Rise of Flight is a classic multiplayer PC game based on World War I. It features a massive collection of historically accurate aircraft that you can pilot against enemies and other player-controlled squads.
The game has an incredible number of configuration options for your plane, allowing you to play with the flight model to increase your experience or give yourself an advantage in combat.
Overall, the gameplay is quite realistic, which means that it’s not something everyone will be able to master immediately.
If you’d like to learn how to fly properly without plunging into the front lines first (you’re likely to die a lot), try learning in one of the training scenarios with an instructor plane by your side.
At the same time, you get used to the limited visibility in these primitive aircraft. When you start flying PvE missions against AI opponents and human players, it should be less overwhelming and easier to focus on what you can control—your own plane’s performance.
11. Thunder Blade
Thunder Blade, one of the best helicopter flight simulator games released in 1988, is an arcade game that puts the player in the seat of a military helicopter.
You can take joy in the realistic controls and feel flying like a real pilot as you fly around at high speeds.
Helicopters are complex machines—they have relatively few moving parts, but they’re vulnerable to changes in weather conditions and other unexpected circumstances.
It’s also tricky to control them with precision. Thankfully, video games allow you to safely learn how to fly them without dealing with any of those things!
12. Gunship 2000
People who liked the Helicopter Flight Simulator Games of old will be sure to appreciate Gunship 2000.
This game was released in 1991 and is still considered a classic among PC flight simulators. It’s set on a fictional war-torn island, where the player can carry out various missions, including reconnaissance patrols, search-and-destroy operations, and close-air support for ground troops.
The helicopter featured in the game is based on the Bell UH-1 Iroquois, better known as its nickname “Huey” or “Huey Gunship.”
A few notable features of this game include realistic flight dynamics (the helicopters are controlled like they’re hovering) and high-quality sound effects that give a solid feeling of being inside a real machine.
If you like flying military helicopters in the first person, then this is one of your best options for doing so!
13. Gunship Battle2 VR
There are many Helicopter Flight Simulator Games on the market, but Gunship Battle2 VR is one of the few designed for virtual reality.
This makes it a unique experience, putting players in an environment unlike any other. The game has three modes: training, campaign, and multiplayer.
In training mode, you’ll be able to familiarize yourself with all of the controls and get a feel for how the game operates.
Campaign mode is essentially a series of missions where you take on different opponents using your helicopter’s various weapons systems.
Multiplayer mode allows you to team up with friends or other online players to take down an enemy who will attempt to attack your base.
14. Helicopter Simulator 2014 Search and Rescue
Imagine taking to the skies and being in full control of a helicopter. It’s not as hard to do as you might think.
Helicopter flight simulation games will allow you to experience this for yourself, and with a few components, you could have an entire home cockpit set up.
Before you get started, let’s lay out the necessary items:
- Keyboard: This allows you to control the movements and orientation of the helicopter from the ground level.
- Keyboard and mouse or game controller combo: This gives your hands even more control over vertical movement (pitch) and horizontal movement (yaw) from within or outside the helicopter.
- Yoke or throttle: Some simulation games will also require one of these additional controls for flying in an “arcade” mode. If this is what interests you more, go ahead and get one!
- Game controller: Depending on your preference, certain controllers work better than others when it comes to helicopters—the Xbox 360 gamepad, for instance, has options that can be found nowhere else that we’ve seen. They’ll keep you firmly in a command regardless of how many times things start spinning around wildly out of your control—which is nice if you’re doing some heavy-duty maneuvering at 500 feet up instead of hovering casually 30 feet above ground like we were today.
