Aces of thunder
About This Game
Take to the skies in Aces of Thunder, the ultimate flight simulation experience combining stunning high-fidelity visuals with seamless compatibility across both VR and standard displays.Built on the battle-tested flight and damage models from the acclaimed War Thunder franchise, every aircraft handles and sustains damage with authentic precision. Every mission puts you exclusively in the cockpit for maximum immersion, with full HOTAS support and a handpicked roster of legendary warbirds ready to fly from the moment you launch.
A Legendary WW2 LineupTake command of 20+ meticulously recreated icons of World War II — from the American P-51 Mustang and P-63 Kingcobra, to Germany’s Bf 109 and Fw 190, the Soviet Il-2 and Yak-9T, Britain’s beloved Spitfire, and the formidable Japanese A6M3 Zero. Relive the Great War Step back to the dawn of aerial warfare in the cockpits of legendary WWI fighters. Fly the Fokker Dr.I — immortalized by the Red Baron — or the SPAD S.XIII favored by history’s highest-scoring Allied ace, René Fonck. Each aircraft features authentically recreated cockpits and period-accurate armament.
Every Major Theater of War From the muddy trenches of WWI to the Pacific islands of WWII, battle across 15 stunning maps spanning the Western, Eastern, and Pacific Fronts — the very battlegrounds where history was decided.
Relentless Aerial Combat Test your skills against the world’s best virtual pilots in online multiplayer, or sharpen your flying in a series of challenging single-player missions.
Total Immersion Climb into richly detailed, fully interactive cockpits and feel every maneuver with your own hands. Between missions, explore the hangar on foot to admire your aircraft up close before heading back into the fight.Built for VRPowered by native OpenXR support, Aces of Thunder works across a wide range of VR headsets. Strap on your HMD, grab your VR controllers or hardware sim rig, and experience aerial combat like never before.
REVIEWS
Overall Sentiment: Mixed to Negative at Launch (Early February 2026)
The Good
Most reviewers agree the core flying experience is genuinely enjoyable — flight models, damage systems, audio, and VR immersion are praised across the board. Veterans of DCS and IL-2 note it sits comfortably in a “simcade” sweet spot between arcade and hardcore sim. HOTAS users who persevered with setup generally report it works well once configured. Graphics inside the cockpit are frequently highlighted as excellent, and performance is surprisingly smooth for a VR title on mid-range hardware.
The Bad (recurring complaints)
The UI is the single most-cited dealbreaker across nearly every negative review — described consistently as clunky, unintuitive, and poorly suited to VR. The requirement to use VR motion controllers to navigate menus, even when playing with a HOTAS, frustrates a large proportion of buyers. Many refunded before getting past setup.
HOTAS configuration, while technically possible, requires significant manual effort with no default presets and an awkward binding process. Several reviewers note controls occasionally reset or fail to register after restarting the game.
Multiplayer is thin — most sessions are filled predominantly with bots, there’s no text or voice chat, no crossplay between PC and PS5, and the server browser is buried and minimal. The small player base compounds all of these issues.
Content is considered limited for the price: roughly 10 single-player missions, no meaningful campaign narrative, short match timers, and missions that fade to black rather than allowing proper takeoffs and landings.
Several reviewers draw the uncomfortable comparison that War Thunder in VR mode is free, has more planes, a larger playerbase, and a better UI — making the value proposition of Aces of Thunder difficult to justify at launch.
The Verdict
The consensus is that the foundation is solid but the game launched prematurely. Positive reviewers urge patience and predict patches will address the main issues. Negative reviewers, many of whom refunded, feel it shouldn’t have launched in this state at a £25+ price point. The phrase “wait for updates” appears in a striking number of reviews on both sides of the fence.