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About

"Liftoff" is a drone racing and freestyle game that provides a realistic flight experience with its advanced physics engine. It offers a platform for both veteran pilots and newcomers to hone their skills, explore various environments, and compete against each other. The game features extensive customization options for drones and allows players to experiment with different setups.

Liftoff screenshot
Liftoff screenshot
Liftoff screenshot
Liftoff screenshot
Liftoff screenshot
Liftoff screenshot
Liftoff screenshot

95%
Audience ScoreBased on 5,571 reviews
graphics192 positive mentions
stability18 negative mentions

  • graphics
    333 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The graphics in the game are widely praised for their quality and realism, with many users noting stunning visuals and well-defined environments that enhance the overall experience. While some players mention that the graphics can be demanding on hardware, the game still runs well on various systems, and the attention to detail in the graphics contributes significantly to the immersion and enjoyment of flying drones. Overall, the graphics are considered one of the standout features of the simulator, providing a visually appealing and engaging experience for users.

    • “Stunning visuals, exhilarating races, and enough crashes to make you rethink your life choices.”
    • “The graphics are amazing, the controls don't lag at all if you have fast enough internet, and I really feel like I've progressed enough so that I can start practicing in the real world and not just the simulator anymore!”
    • “The graphics are stunning when camera sound is off, terrific use of shadows.”
    • “Everything else is just bad - maps are too small, graphics are very meh and it's barely playable on controller.”
    • “The graphics are not great.”
    • “Graphics are shitty just like real fpv.”
  • optimization
    98 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The optimization of the game has received mixed reviews, with many users reporting significant performance issues, particularly on lower-end systems and macOS. While some players experience smooth gameplay on mid to high-performance PCs, others struggle with stuttering and low frame rates, even on high-end rigs. Overall, the consensus indicates that the game requires substantial optimization improvements to enhance performance consistency and usability across various platforms.

    • “For me this is the best FPV simulator game, runs smoothly even on a weaker PC.”
    • “Liftoff allows you to build and modify your drone, simulating real-life scenarios where tweaking components can significantly impact performance.”
    • “Performance is good, I'm having stable 60 fps on 'good' graphical settings.”
    • “Why is this game so unoptimized???”
    • “I hope you have a good computer, because they did a terrible job of optimizing this simulator for performance.”
    • “The performance is horrible (even on really good rigs) and the menu takes ages to load.”
  • gameplay
    69 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The gameplay in Liftoff is praised for its realistic flight mechanics and graphics, making it an excellent simulator for both beginners and experienced pilots looking to improve their skills. Players appreciate the gradual learning curve, which allows them to master controls and techniques over time, although some have noted issues with physics and performance on certain systems. Overall, the game offers a solid foundation for practicing drone flying, with engaging mechanics and a variety of modes, despite some calls for more varied content and improved physics.

    • “Super difficult but step by step as you understand the principles and mechanics you will start to improve.”
    • “The gameplay is super realistic and translates amazingly well to actually flying.”
    • “Great for learning the flying mechanics, very close to the real experience.”
    • “While it serves its purpose well, there's not a lot to do in terms of varied content or gameplay.”
    • “The whole gameplay is like trying to control a camera flying wildly around the map.”
    • “This results in non-fluid gameplay, and honestly it made me feel nauseous at times.”
  • music
    64 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with many players praising the soundtrack as enjoyable and fitting for the flying experience, often describing it as chill and motivating. However, some users express frustration over the limited selection of tracks, noting that the music can become repetitive over time. Overall, while the soundtrack enhances the gameplay for many, there is a desire for more variety and the option to import personal playlists.

    • “The courses are gorgeous and the soundtrack has no right being this friggin' good!”
    • “An awesome feeling of flight; each quad feels different; great soundtrack.”
    • “I own multiple drone sims that I fly for different reasons but this one is where I come to put on some chill music and get into the groove of flying.”
    • “The basic soundtrack is immensely awful.”
    • “Feels like I listen to the same 4 songs on repeat constantly.”
    • “Only downfall is the music tracks get really repetitive, so fire up your own music.”
  • stability
    24 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game generally runs smoothly with impressive graphics and good drone control, but users report a variety of bugs, including clipping issues, menu glitches, and occasional freezing during loading screens. While it performs well on multiple platforms, including high-end PCs and Macs, some players experience frustrating auto-resets during races and frame rate drops. Overall, the stability is mixed, with many minor issues that do not completely detract from the gameplay experience, especially considering its early access status.

    • “Seems well optimized and runs great.”
    • “Runs great natively on my MacBook Pro M1 Max (Metal) as well as on my gaming PC.”
    • “Although this is important, it is not buggy, and I had no issues even on the less well-tested Linux platform.”
    • “Menu is buggy; tutorial pretty empty; you can get stuck under every single map and you can go inside every single object (ramps, seats, trees, panels), it's like a 'no-clip' which lets you go in but not out.”
    • “Sadly sometimes the loading screen freezes and I have to force quit.”
    • “Even with high-end GPUs, you still get random frame rate glitches that will cause you to crash.”
  • story
    13 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The reviews indicate a mixed perception of the story aspect in the game. While one user highlights a compelling narrative centered around Elon Musk and SpaceX's early challenges, others note the absence of a story, likening the experience to gameplay focused solely on mechanics without a narrative context. Overall, the game's storytelling is either praised for its depth or criticized for its lack of engagement.

    • “The story begins with the early days of SpaceX, focusing on the vision of Elon Musk, his ambition to revolutionize space travel, and the hurdles he faced in securing funding and support.”
    • “The author skillfully weaves together the technical aspects of the space missions, the struggles faced by the team, and the human stories behind the achievements.”
    • “Epic story.”
    • “This game has no story.”
    • “There is no story, no unlockables; this game stays fun as long as you like flying drones.”
    • “Game is okay, but trying to get these updates is a different story.”
  • humor
    9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Players appreciate the humor in the game, noting spontaneous laughter and enjoyment from funny skins and moments, such as humorous tutorials and quirky map designs. The active developer team is also recognized for their lighthearted approach, although some players find certain gameplay mechanics, like menu navigation, to be frustratingly humorous. Overall, the game's comedic elements contribute positively to the player experience.

    • “It's the first time I've caught myself smiling and laughing spontaneously while playing a video game.”
    • “Funny simulator with several amazing maps.”
    • “From beginner experience, it was painful to get through the tutorial (funny, because the tutorial should be the place where you actually feel comfortable getting in touch with the controls for the first time).”
    • “The jokes fall flat and feel forced.”
    • “I expected more clever humor, but it was mostly just cringeworthy.”
    • “The attempts at comedy are so bad that they become painful to listen to.”
  • replayability
    9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Overall, the game offers strong replayability, particularly through its competitive elements like personal best times and multiplayer options. However, some users feel that the limited number of maps and modes detracts from its long-term engagement potential, suggesting that additional content could enhance replay value further.

    • “☑️ infinitely replayable”
    • “The 3 lap races let me compete against my personal best times, which make for great replay value and shows me when I am improving.”
    • “Bottom line: looks great, best replay value of those I've tried, and great exposure to beta flight and lingo for newbies.”
    • “Could use more maps and customizability for more replayability.”
    • “Only 2 levels are playable and only acro mode is flyable.”
    • “The multiplayer surely adds to the replay value, but even without it, flying a drone will always remain a challenge. It is more of a simulator than a game; it is a tool to help you get better.”
  • grinding
    5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be initially tedious and challenging, particularly due to navigation issues and a steep learning curve. However, after investing time and effort, many report a rewarding experience as they improve their skills and build their first drones, ultimately appreciating the game's value in saving time and money on repairs.

    • “First 20 minutes: unbelievably tedious.”
    • “Also, the track editor is incredibly finicky and tedious to use in my (admittedly limited) experience with it.”
    • “About a month later (about 20 hours of playing Liftoff), I built my first FPV racing drone and although I've had more than my share of crashes, I can honestly say that Liftoff may have saved me hundreds of dollars and hours of tedious repairs.”
  • emotional
    4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Users express a mix of emotions regarding the game's learning experience, highlighting both the satisfaction of mastering flying skills and the frustration caused by non-fluid gameplay, which can lead to feelings of nausea. Overall, the game is praised for its effectiveness in helping beginners improve, but the emotional impact of gameplay mechanics can detract from the experience.

  • monetization
    4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Users express frustration with the monetization strategy, viewing the ongoing paid DLC without sufficient content updates as a cash grab. While some appreciate the app's quality and value, the overall sentiment leans towards dissatisfaction with the approach to monetization.

    • “The monetization model is fair and doesn't feel exploitative, allowing players to enjoy the game without feeling pressured to spend money.”
    • “I appreciate that the game offers cosmetic items for purchase, but they don't impact gameplay, which keeps the experience balanced.”
    • “The developers have done a great job of providing free content updates alongside optional paid DLC, making it feel like a good value.”
    • “I consider the lack of content updates but the continued paid DLC to be 'monetization.'”
    • “This is a cash grab.”
    • “Pretty nice app, good advertisement for Vortex itself.”
  • atmosphere
    3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The atmosphere of the game is highly praised for its vibrant community, where experienced players engage in competitive discussions while beginners receive support. Additionally, the game's visual design and realistic drone mechanics contribute to an immersive experience, with outstanding map quality enhancing the overall ambiance.

    • “I love the atmosphere of the community, where pros fight head to head about the best lap time while beginners learn and get help and hints from more experienced pilots.”
    • “Liftoff has an amazing atmosphere with its visual appearance, the drones fly like they would in real life, and the maps are simply outstanding work.”
    • “It’s as if it got tired of my incompetence and just left the atmosphere.”

Buy Liftoff

23h Median play time
80h Average play time
10-75h Spent by most gamers
*Based on 21 analyzed playthroughs

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