Aerofly FS 2 was developed by IPACS (International Professional Aviation Consultants and Simulation), a Swiss company with German roots whose earlier Aerofly RC simulator series was respected in the RC community. Released out of Steam Early Access in November 2017, it was notable at launch for two things above all others: the quality of its VR implementation, and the beauty of its photorealistic south-western USA scenery.

The VR experience in Aerofly FS 2 was, at launch, widely regarded as the smoothest and most accessible in PC flight simulation. IPACS prioritised rendering performance from the ground up, making it possible to fly in VR without the GPU headaches that plagued X-Plane 11 VR at the time. Community members praised the "addictive immersive quality" of the VR flight experience, with at least one report of a sim pilot purchasing a motion platform specifically because of how good FS 2 felt in VR.