DCS World

About

Digital Combat Simulator World is a free-to-play, authentic military combat simulation game that offers a vast game world, a powerful mission editor, and a wide range of aircraft, vehicles, and weapons. The game includes the Su-25T ground attack jet and the TF-51D Mustang fighter, as well as two free maps: the eastern Black Sea and the Mariana Islands. Its sandbox design allows for multiple time periods and extensive customization.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

+23

87%

Audience ScoreBased on 356 reviews

graphics11 positive mentions

gameplay3 negative mentions

DCS is praised for its incredible realism and attention to detail, making it the best military flight simulator available.
The game offers a rewarding experience for those willing to invest time in learning its complex systems and controls.
The community support and resources available, including tutorials and guides, enhance the overall experience for players.

The steep learning curve and complexity can be overwhelming for beginners, making it less accessible to casual gamers.
DLC and module prices are considered excessively high, leading to frustration among players regarding the overall cost of the game.
Technical issues, such as account management problems and performance issues, have been reported, detracting from the gaming experience.

graphics
21 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
52%
33%
14%
The graphics in the game are generally praised for their high quality and immersive experience, particularly in VR, with many users noting the need for powerful hardware to fully enjoy them. While some landscapes may appear less impressive, the overall visual fidelity and realism, especially in air combat scenarios, are highlighted as standout features. However, there are occasional reports of performance issues and graphical inconsistencies, particularly after updates.
- “The graphics are excellent.”
- “Graphics are outstanding with realistic physics and warfare.”
- “I really recommend this game because of its realism and its overall graphics.”
- “Landscape graphics are so-so.”
- “Graphics performance is a joke and VR is only getting worse after every update.”
- “The graphics were horrible, I think because of a corrupt file.”
story
20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
15%
70%
15%
The story aspect of the game is criticized for its lack of responsiveness to community feedback, particularly regarding long-standing issues with core systems and the complicated release of new content, such as the Afghanistan map. While the game offers a fun simulation experience, especially in multiplayer settings, many campaigns and missions are plagued by bugs, and the AI is underwhelming. Players find satisfaction in creating their own missions and mastering the simulation, but the overall narrative experience is marred by technical frustrations and a disconnect between developers and the community.
- “Combine that with being able to create your own missions and you can never get bored of it.”
- “It can take a lot of patience - especially with something like aerial refueling - but when a two-hour combat mission all comes together and you bring your bird home safely, when everything clicks just right, there's almost nothing in gaming more satisfying.”
- “The reward is that once you have mastered the sim itself you can start enjoying the game, and attempt some of the military missions the 'game' sets for you.”
- “The AI is practically non-existent and is implemented in its most basic form, and ground attack missions are little more than flying to a location and attacking a 3D model that has a basic health bar to 'simulate' damage.”
- “More often than not, campaigns and missions are buggy or downright broken, and most of the enjoyment will come from learning and playing with others in multiplayer servers.”
- “Most of the remaining time was spent on loading screens and the rest in the mission editor.”
optimization
11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
27%
45%
27%
The optimization of the game has received mixed reviews, with some users highlighting significant performance issues, particularly in VR, and criticizing the graphics as poorly optimized. While there are suggestions for improving performance through community-driven solutions like Open Composite and OpenXR, many players feel that the game is not suitable for casual users due to its demanding nature and high costs associated with additional content. However, when the game runs smoothly, it is praised for its enchanting experience and attention to detail.
- “If you have the patience to learn and were ever curious about flying high-performance aircraft and simulating the roles they may perform, look nowhere else.”
- “Do yourself a favor and get much better performance with Open Composite and OpenXR - just Google DCS Open Composite/OpenXR and you will find a 55-page thread as of this post detailing how to set it up.”
- “When it runs smoothly, it's an enchanting and beautiful experience.”
- “An unoptimized piece of crap.”
- “Graphics performance is a joke and VR is only getting worse after every update.”
- “This game is awful from how it looks to its performance. Its limited aircraft selection and the fact that a FW 190 costs £40 is ridiculous. You could buy a triple-A release game for that much. The game is as funless as it gets; it's not even a challenge to fly. I learned how to take off, land, and kill targets easily within 2 hours, most of which were filled with boredom. This is one of the worst simulators I have played, and there are plenty of simulators out there that have much more content at no price, with higher quality content.”
gameplay
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
17%
50%
The gameplay is characterized by a repetitive cycle of flying to targets and eliminating them, which can feel simplistic after mastering a few planes. However, the flight mechanics are praised for their depth, especially in VR, offering a more immersive experience for players seeking a traditional arcade-style feel.
- “Very good flight mechanics with more buttons than you can poke your joystick at.”
- “Love the VR gameplay.”
- “The actual gameplay can be lacking once you familiarize yourself with a plane (or three).”
- “Gameplay mechanics are barebones beyond fly to target, kill target, rinse and repeat.”
- “If you want coin-op gameplay, there's plenty out there for you.”
stability
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's stability is frequently criticized, with many users reporting bugs and broken campaigns, particularly during heavy missions that can cause significant performance issues. Players with lower-end PCs experience constant freezes, while even those with powerful setups report high resource usage and occasional crashes, especially when using VR. Overall, stability issues detract from the gameplay experience.
- “More often than not, campaigns and missions are buggy or downright broken, and most of the enjoyment will come from learning and playing with others in multiplayer servers.”
- “Requires a very powerful PC to run without a hitch; I have a 3.9 GHz processor and 21 GB of RAM, and it freezes often on heavy missions, taking up 95-99% RAM and using roughly 75% CPU.”
- “Constant freezes on heavy missions if it's run on a weaker PC, which can be very frustrating.”
monetization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
100%
The monetization strategy for the game is criticized for being excessively expensive, particularly for newcomers, as full fidelity aircraft and separate WWII modules require multiple purchases that can quickly add up. Many users suggest that the high costs make alternative games, like IL-2, a more appealing option for those seeking a WWII experience.
- “The full fidelity aircraft come with a steep price tag, which may put off newcomers. Eagle Dynamics' monetization strategy for their WWII modules, where you need to buy a separate WWII asset pack, a WWII map, and a WWII plane just to participate, is so egregiously expensive that you're better off using that money to buy IL-2 if you want a WWII experience.”
- “The full fidelity aircraft come with a steep price tag which may put off newcomers, and Eagle Dynamics' monetization strategy for their WWII modules (where you need to buy a separate WWII asset pack, a WWII map, and a WWII plane just to participate) is so egregiously expensive you're better off using that money to buy IL-2 if you want a WWII experience.”
- “Expensive monetization model.”
grinding
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
150%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be a double-edged sword; while it can be tedious and challenging, the sense of achievement from mastering complex tasks and succeeding in combat makes it ultimately rewarding. However, if the grind becomes overly burdensome, it risks turning the experience into a chore, prompting some to seek more enjoyable alternatives.
- “For me, when a game stops being fun and becomes a tedious chore to manage, then it's time to go elsewhere.”
- “Grinding feels like an endless loop of repetitive tasks that drain the enjoyment out of the game.”
- “The amount of grinding required to progress is overwhelming and takes away from the overall experience.”
atmosphere
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
The atmosphere of the game is perceived as negative, characterized by a sense of disorganization and a lack of leadership, leading to a "scummy" environment that detracts from the overall experience.
- “The atmosphere feels incredibly scummy, largely due to a lack of leadership and accountability within the management.”
- “The overall vibe of the game is marred by poor management decisions, creating a negative atmosphere that detracts from the experience.”
- “There's a pervasive sense of disorganization and neglect that contributes to a very unpleasant atmosphere.”
replayability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
Users highlight the high replayability of the simulation game, noting its realistic mechanics and polished modules that continually offer new learning opportunities about aircraft. This makes the experience engaging and encourages repeated play.
- “I would recommend this game; it's very fun! The simulation is incredibly realistic, and the fully detailed modules are polished, offering great replayability as there's always something new to learn about your aircraft.”
- “The replayability is outstanding! Each playthrough feels fresh, with new challenges and experiences that keep me coming back for more.”
- “I love how every session can be different! The variety of scenarios and missions ensures that I never get bored, making it a game I can play for hours on end.”