Aces of Thunder appear Released on February 3rd on PlayStation 5 with PS VR2 support and on PC via Steam, including VR headsets, but also playable without a headset. Gaijin Entertainment is delivering not a half-baked VR experiment, but a flight combat game intended to make VR interesting again without excluding traditional setups.
Cockpit duty instead of comfort zone
Gaijin forces all battles into the cockpit perspective. No external camera, no safety net. This is consistent and fits the studio's stated goal: maximum immersion. Anyone using a HOTAS flight stick is effectively sitting in the aircraft. The technology behind it is familiar from... War Thunder, where physically accurate flight models and damage systems can do more than just deplete health bars. This has been continuously refined by Gajin over the years.
VR is not just a gimmick. Interactive cockpits, hand controls, and free head movement are offered. Those who play without VR remain competitive, but lose out on precisely what they were hoping for. Aces of Thunder The objective is obvious. Here, the ambition is what matters, not accessibility.
History with a clear selection
On top of that, 29 aircraft from the Second World War are ready for takeoff, including classics like the Spitfire, Bf 109, P-51 Mustang, and A6M3 Zero. Things get more interesting with the First World War: the Fokker Dr.I and SPAD S.XIII bring slower, tactically different dogfights into play. This breaks up the pace and routine.
The battlefields are spread across 15 maps and three major theaters of war from World War II, plus iconic front lines from World War I. This provides enough variety without becoming overwhelming.
The core of the game is the online dogfights. Here, Gaijin wants to compete, not hold back. There are single-player missions as well as a narrative campaign. Gaijin doesn't explicitly state this, but it's pretty clear.
Aces of Thunder This is probably not a game for casual play. Gaijin focuses on precision, technology, and a clear, uncompromising approach. VR players get a serious air combat project, and non-VR pilots get an uncompromising simulation.
