Free Flight Simulators

Listed in this category are a selection of flight simulator packages and games that are free-to-download. Most of them are compatible with Windows, Linux and macOS (or OS X). Some are demos of fuller simulation packages, such as the Microsoft Flight Simulator X Demo or X-Plane, while others offer the entire package because they are open source such as FlightGear.

Free-to-Download

All of the files here are free to download – no registration or subscription is required, however, some of the installation files are quite large so you may benefit from registering for a PRO account (which offers uncapped download speed). Plus, you'll have full speed access to download any of the files in the library such as any aircraft, scenery and tools you may wish to install.

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Support for Multiple Operating Systems

The packages here offer support for Windows, Linux and Mac. Microsoft Flight Simulator X runs on Windows only while X-Plane and FlightGear run on all operating systems (Windows/Linux/Mac).

FlightGear Free Flight Simulator

Open-source FlightGear 2020.3.19 brings JSBSim, YASim and UIUC flight-dynamics engines, SRTM-based world mesh, over 20 000 IFR-ready airfields, TerraSync on-the-fly scenery retrieval, authentic diurnal lighting and cross-platform executables for Windows, macOS and Linux, giving coders GPL access for custom aircraft, shaders and avionics prototyping.

: 3.86 GB
: 200.5K
: 5/5
: 35
: 1

Microsoft Flight Simulator X Demo

Microsoft Flight Simulator X Demo lets simmers audit the original FSX flight-dynamics engine in a confined St Maarten sandbox, supplying two detailed airports, three flyable types—including the CRJ700 and an ultralight trike—and paired missions “Flour Power” and “Caribbean Landing”, complete with native ATC, real-time weather toggles and multilingual interface support.

: 843.64 MB
: 163.4K
: 5/5
: 35
: 1

X-Plane for Windows/Mac/Linux Demo

Laminar Research’s X-Plane 12 demo supplies the fully-featured blade-element physics core, Vulkan/Metal graphics pipeline, real-time meteorological feed, advanced failure simulation and the multi-platform launcher for Windows, macOS and Linux—letting power users gauge frame-rate, flight dynamics and plugin compatibility before committing to the full simulator.

: 246.39 MB
: 117.6K
: 5/5
: 40
: 1

DCS World: Open World Digital Battlefield Simulator

Digital Combat Simulator World 2.9 delivers high-fidelity avionics, full-physics flight modelling and a scalable mission editor across the free Caucasus theatre, letting pilots fly the Su-25T or TF-51D against 156 AI weapon systems on dedicated servers; modular add-on aircraft, VR support, DirectX 11 graphics and dynamic weather expand the sandbox for study-level combat simulation.

: 491.67 MB
: 107K
: 5/5
: 60+
: 1

PRE-Flight RC Simulator Demo

PRE-Flight RC Simulator Demo leverages the PRE physics core for RC flight training with AIR graphics, Photovolume 3-D scenery conversion and reactive liquid surfaces for accurate water modelling, while movie textures, optional stereoscopic 3-D view, dynamic lighting, mirrors, shadows and smoke refine visual output; the demo supports keyboard or 2-axis joystick on DirectX 9 systems.

: 113.41 MB
: 57.7K
: 3/5
: 60+

Vehicle Simulator Demo

Vehicle Simulator Demo delivers a unified physics sandbox covering aviation, sailing, ground driving, sub-aquatic and orbital operations; users can visualize airflow, exploit dynamic wind, build component-based craft, sculpt 3-D landscapes, import SRTM topography, record flights, and leverage open file formats for third-party add-ons while remaining lightweight on DirectX 9 hardware.

: 144.38 MB
: 46.9K
: 5/5
: 24
: 1

Orbiter Space Flight Simulator for Windows

Orbiter Space Flight Simulator supplies a freeware, high-fidelity Newtonian physics engine that calculates authentic orbital mechanics, time acceleration, and gravitational fields for launch, docking, satellite repair, and planetary descent across the solar system. An included SDK, MFD/HUD interface, TrackIR compatibility, and DirectX Windows 10 support let advanced pilots script custom spacecraft and reenact historic missions with precise delta-v planning.

: 2.43 GB
: 35.3K
: 4/5
: 8
: 1

Space Shuttle Mission Simulator Demo

Space Shuttle Mission Simulator Demo recreates NASA STS operations with high-fidelity Shuttle, ISS and satellite meshes, a fully clickable virtual cockpit, photoreal TerraMetrics global imagery, authentic MCC voice loops, EVA first-person mode, TrackIR and VR920 head-tracking, multi-monitor output, scalable Novice-to-Commander check-lists and expandable historical missions for detailed launch, orbital rendezvous and manual re-entry training.

: 122.16 MB
: 28.5K
: 5/5
: 10
: 1

ATC Simulator 2 Demo

Sitting behind a photoreal ARTS-IIIa radar scope, ATC Simulator 2 Demo allows virtual controllers to handle separation across 120 U.S. TRACON sectors, stream real-world ADS-B feeds through Flight Explorer, host multiplayer sessions with Microsoft Flight Simulator pilots, print authentic flight strips, auto-generate IFR/VFR traffic, edit airspace via the bundled SDK and log performance for career tracking.

: 20.4 MB
: 12.6K
: 5/5
: 10
: 1

FlightGear Complete HD World Scenery Package

FlightGear Complete HD World Scenery Package bundles the entire v2.0.1 terrain database—over 500 ZIP-compressed tiles—into a single download, delivering finer mesh, sharper landclass textures and dense elevation data for Windows and macOS pilots who prefer offline flying in high-resolution USA, European and global coverage without Terrasync.

: 84.63 GB
: 9.1K
: 5/5
: 1

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