IL-2 Sturmovik: Battle of Stalingrad

About

IL-2 Sturmovik: Battle of Stalingrad is a realistic combat flight simulation game set in the brutal air war over Stalingrad during World War II. Players can fly a variety of aircraft from both the German and Soviet sides, with accurate cockpits, flight models, and damage models. The game features both single-player and multiplayer modes, with large-scale aerial battles and historical missions recreating key events of the conflict.

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Play Modes

IL-2 Sturmovik: Battle of Stalingrad screenshot

+46

79%

Audience ScoreBased on 5,490 reviews

story100 positive mentions

stability32 negative mentions

story
868 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
12%
83%
5%
The game's story aspect is largely criticized for its lack of depth and engagement, with many missions feeling repetitive and formulaic. Players often find the campaign mode to be a series of randomly generated missions without a cohesive narrative, leading to a sense of monotony. While there are scripted missions and a dynamic career mode, the overall experience lacks the immersive storytelling that many players desire, making it feel more like a flight simulator than a narrative-driven game.
- “Whether you're playing as a German or Soviet pilot, the missions are gripping, the enemy AI challenging, and the atmosphere is so immersive you’ll feel like you’ve been transported back in time.”
- “The campaign combines a mixture of a handful of scripted missions and mostly dynamic missions.”
- “The single-player campaign is not too amazing as it is basically just five possible mission types with no ability to create a pilot/career in the traditional sense.”
- “The single player campaign is not too amazing as it is basically just five possible mission types with no ability to create a pilot/career in the traditional sense.”
- “The campaign has no flavor text or voiceover or story to it.”
- “The 'campaign' is just randomized quick missions with no backstory, and everything is unlocked from planes to weapons on a Call of Duty style XP bar grind that you have to grind quick missions for.”
graphics
669 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
59%
38%
3%
The graphics in this flight simulator are widely praised for their beauty and realism, with many users noting that they hold up well even years after the game's release. While some reviews mention that certain aspects show their age or could be improved, the overall visual experience is considered stunning, particularly in VR. However, there are complaints about the lack of customizable graphics settings and performance issues on lower-end systems, which can detract from the experience.
- “The graphics are stunning, too.”
- “Whether you're flying over the eastern front or dogfighting in the skies of Normandy, the graphics are breathtaking, and the game stays buttery smooth.”
- “The graphics are incredible, the AI voices and commands in-game make you feel like you are there, and the general gameplay feels real.”
- “Some of the graphics show their age.”
- “Graphics is extremely dated.”
- “The graphics are extremely dated, even for 2014 standards.”
gameplay
213 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
34%
63%
3%
The gameplay of IL-2: Great Battles is praised for its stunning graphics, realistic flight mechanics, and engaging dogfighting experiences, making it a top choice for WWII flight simulation enthusiasts. However, players note that it can be challenging to master due to complex controls and a steep learning curve, often requiring a joystick for optimal play. While the game offers a wealth of content and multiplayer options, some users express frustration with control mapping issues and a lack of intuitive gameplay compared to previous titles in the series.
- “Overall, IL-2: Great Battles delivers an outstanding experience for WWII enthusiasts, with its gorgeous graphics, flexible gameplay, and wealth of content.”
- “The graphics are incredible, the AI voices and commands in-game make you feel like you are there, and the general gameplay feels real.”
- “Great gameplay, realistic flight model, updates to the game engine, stunning visuals, friendly community.”
- “Lacks the intuitive gameplay of 1946, and greatly lacks in terms of planes available with purchase of the game.”
- “Doodoo game, no gameplay, annoying and frustrating to a point it makes DCS look good.”
- “The issue is, the game itself is unnecessarily complicated with the trimming mechanics.”
optimization
180 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
32%
47%
21%
The optimization of the game has received mixed reviews, with some players praising its solid performance and smooth graphics, particularly in VR, while others report significant stuttering and lag, especially in multiplayer and urban environments. Many users note that a high-end PC is often required for optimal performance, and while some updates have improved stability, issues persist for those with lower-spec systems. Overall, the game is seen as well-optimized for certain setups, but still struggles with performance inconsistencies across different hardware configurations.
- “Performance is rock solid, making it an absolute joy to play.”
- “The game is beautiful, well optimized, great sound, and has a depth of material you won't find anywhere else.”
- “Best game, but optimization is suffering greatly.”
- “The most terribly optimized game I have ever played, runs into game-breaking issues on the regular and runs at a snail's pace.”
- “It's so poorly optimized that if you turn it all the way down it overloads your CPU, and all the way up your GPU, so you're stuck.”
- “This game has about a quarter of planes if that, and now optimization this game runs badly on almost every computer I see it on, I even threw in a high-end GTX card and it still runs poorly.”
stability
44 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
27%
73%
The stability of the game has received mixed reviews, with many users reporting frequent crashes, freezes, and various bugs, particularly in VR mode and multiplayer. While some players experience smooth performance and minimal issues, others face significant challenges with joystick connectivity and loading times. Overall, the game appears to require further optimization and bug fixes to enhance the user experience.
- “Excellent flight, damage, and ballistics model, maps are top notch, graphics are beautiful, VR performance is buttery smooth, and gameplay (both single and multi) is accessible and surprisingly bug free.”
- “It looks and runs great and is quite fun to play once you get over the rather steep learning curve.”
- “Extremely immersive, looks and runs great.”
- “Game crashes, runs great sometimes yet other times just stops responding.”
- “Problems started once I fired up the VR, freezes, flickering seizure-inducing loading screens, and PC lockups.”
- “I have a really good PC with an i7 processor, 16 GB RAM, SSD, etc., and even on low settings the game freezes or crashes; most of the time I can't even run it because it's not responding.”
atmosphere
30 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
57%
33%
10%
The atmosphere in the game is widely praised for its immersive and realistic depiction of WWII air combat, with many players feeling transported back in time through detailed graphics, authentic flight models, and engaging sound design. While the multiplayer experience enhances the sense of camaraderie and tension, some critiques highlight a lack of depth in the single-player mode due to AI issues. Overall, the game is considered one of the best in its genre for creating a compelling and atmospheric experience.
- “Whether you're playing as a German or Soviet pilot, the missions are gripping, the enemy AI challenging, and the atmosphere is so immersive you'll feel like you've been transported back in time.”
- “Il-2:fb is a lovely looking game full of atmosphere and, in VR especially, very immersive with flight models that feel very authentic and actually make you feel like you are flying.”
- “The game has a fantastic atmosphere and immerses you in the history.”
- “What I would love to see added to the game is an environment outside the simulation itself to create and enhance the atmosphere of WWII.”
- “As a single player game, it is lacking in atmosphere due to the terrible AI and auto-cue voices barking orders in series.”
- “Lack of WWII atmosphere; buttons and menu are like Windows 8.1... too modern design.”
humor
25 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
96%
12%
The humor in the game is often derived from its absurdities and frustrations, with players finding amusement in the game's shortcomings, such as poor AI, copy-pasted maps, and technical issues. Many reviews highlight the irony of the game's serious intent juxtaposed with its comedic failures, making it a source of laughter, especially in multiplayer settings. Despite its flaws, some players still recommend it for its entertaining moments, particularly when shared with friends.
- “Best game to have funny moments in.”
- “Funny plane game would recommend on sale.”
- “Hilariously good fun, especially on VoIP with friends.”
- “$20...just stop it, it's not funny, it's sick.”
- “The jokes fall flat and feel forced, lacking any real wit.”
- “I expected humor, but instead, I got cringeworthy attempts at comedy.”
grinding
25 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
4%
8%
88%
The grinding aspect of the game is widely criticized for being tedious and time-consuming, requiring players to invest hundreds of hours in repetitive missions to unlock aircraft and upgrades. Many reviewers express frustration over the lack of fast-travel options and the slow progression in career mode, which detracts from the overall experience. While some appreciate the realism and challenge, the overwhelming consensus is that the grinding mechanics can be a significant barrier to enjoyment.
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “It's tedious in every aspect.”
- “If you want to sell both your kidneys and spend the next 3 years on life support while grinding the most unbearable tech trees just to get to a certain aircraft, go for it.”
- “Unlocking anything requires grinding in the campaign mode.”
replayability
22 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
27%
59%
14%
The game offers significant replayability through its single-player campaigns, pilot career mode, and various downloadable content (DLC), allowing players to engage in diverse scenarios and missions. However, some users express frustration over the limited base game content compared to the number of DLC campaigns available. Overall, the combination of detailed pilot campaigns, active online play, and mission-building variables contributes to a high replay value, with many players noting it as infinitely replayable.
- “With over 1000 hours of replayability all in one....”
- “A lot of detail goes into the pilot campaigns, and the various freedom granted to the player for choosing their squadrons allows for countless replayability in that alone.”
- “For a full-priced game, it is frustrating how much of the content is DLC; the menu displays many different campaigns, but only two of them are playable with the base game.”
- “There is a whole section of scripted campaigns, none of them are playable.”
- “The game offers a lot of variables in mission building, so replayability is very high.”
monetization
19 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
16%
32%
53%
The monetization in this game has been widely criticized as a predatory cash grab, with players expressing frustration over expensive DLCs and a lack of meaningful content without additional payments. Many reviewers feel that the game prioritizes profit over player experience, leading to a disappointing and incomplete product that relies heavily on costly microtransactions. Overall, the monetization strategy has left a negative impression, overshadowing the game's potential.
- “It has zero grind, no microtransactions, and no in-game economy as seen in War Thunder.”
- “Nice game, but I am tired of this spirit of monetization.”
- “Sadly gets the simulator treatment regardless, meaning a mediocre update schedule, an absolutely ridiculous monetization scheme, and overall a lack to achieve its true potential.”
- “Pay over $100 in DLC and still have limited ability to fly planes; disgusting cash grab.”
- “Awful monetization, awful controller support unless you own a flight stick. Please abandon this misleading title or update all the controller schemes, monetization schemes, and give us all missions and real co-op content besides PvP that doesn't require third-party effort or mods.”
- “Don't waste your money on this pathetic DLC excuse of a cash grab from a company that continues to rip its fans off.”
music
15 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
27%
53%
20%
The music in the game receives mixed feedback; while the menu theme and overall soundtrack are appreciated for their quality, players express a desire for more immersive battle music to enhance gameplay. Some users have created custom tracks, but technical issues hinder the experience, and there are complaints about annoying voiceovers. Overall, the music contributes positively to the game's atmosphere, but improvements are needed in specific areas.
- “The game has a good feel to it, the graphics are okay, and I love the intro music.”
- “One thing that main menu theme song is amazing!”
- “I very much enjoy the menu music, and the graphics are simply unmatched.”
- “No music in battles: some music for battle situations would be really nice, because this brings more immersion to the game itself.”
- “The soundtracks are all okay, but the voices they used are just flat-out annoying!”
- “The game has a good feel to it, the graphics are okay, and I love the intro music, but constant freezes in VR are extremely annoying to the point where I find myself spending more time restarting the game and waiting for everything to load than actually playing.”
emotional
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the emotional experience of the game to be profound, as it combines intense dogfighting with moments of serene beauty, prompting reflections on the nature of war. The emotional depth is highlighted by personal connections to the game's themes, evoking nostalgia and a sense of realism that resonates deeply with players. Overall, the game successfully elicits a range of emotions, from heartbreak to awe, enhancing the flight simulation experience.
- “You’re not just flying these things; you’re bonding with them, like some kind of emotionally unstable plane whisperer.”
- “You’ll be tearing through dogfights one second, and the next, you’re cruising over gorgeous scenery thinking, 'Wow, war is hell, but also kinda pretty?' It’s weirdly emotional, okay?”
- “Even being hit feels kinda real, and the emotional depth of this game is really cool.”