The best Flight Simulators for Mac range from sim stunners to ruthless war games, but they all have one thing in common: They let players spread their wings. Once the sole domain of PC gamers, flight sims, and more arcade-focused experiences have spread to the Mac, and whether you’re playing on an Intel Mac or an Apple Silicon one with M1 or M2, there are plenty to choose from.
We’ve rounded up our favorites from the best flying games on Mac, with plenty of different experiences spread across all kinds of subgenres.
💡 And if you’d prefer something entirely different, this 100 Best Mac games guide covers the most popular games across all genres.
Our favorite Mac Flight Simulation games
X-Plane 12
It’d be fair to say that Microsoft Flight Simulator is the gold standard for, well, flight simulators, but X-Plane 12 makes its own case for being considered.
With X-Plane 11 being the gold standard for flight simulators back in 2022, the release of X-Plane 12 makes the entire game just that much better. with tons of new planes, such as the entire Boeing 737-800 series, an F14, 20 other planes, and the ability to fly around 17,000+ airports around the world, the game has certainly beefed up in terms of graphics and gameplay.
You need a high-end Mac, either an M1 or M2, to be able to play the game, and that’s a direct quote from the developers!
Note: The game offers a free demo for you to be able to try out the game before you purchase it.
System requirements: macOS 10.15, Intel Core i3, i5, i7, or i9 CPU with 4 or more cores, 8 GB RAM, AMD Radeon RX 500 or newer, 23 GB available space.
| Art | Game | Genre | 64-bit? | 64-bit | API | M1 Support | Performance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | X-Plane 12 | Simulation | Yes |  | Metal | Native | Good |
Aerofly FS 4 Flight Simulator
Aerofly is similar to X-Plane in that it’s a strictly sim-based experience, with a variety of assists to help budding pilots move from beginner to intermediate, and expert.
Airports and aircraft are full of lush detail, but the real kicker here are the over ten thousand routes players can fly with planes ranging from small two-seaters to huge airliners. There are even pilotable helicopters, alongside fighter jets and more.
It runs great on M1, although higher resolution textures may mean it takes up a hefty chunk of your hard drive – there’s a 100GB minimum storage requirement. Don’t worry, Intel users – you can still play it, but you’ll need a quad-core processor.
System requirements: Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system. 16 GB RAM, NVIDIA or AMD GPU with 6 GB of RAM or Apple M1 GPU.
Sky Gamblers: Storm Raiders 2
The sequel to the Apple Design Award-winning original, Sky Gamblers: Storm Raiders 2 offers a faster, combat-focused experience on Mac (but also on iPhone and iPad) with joystick support.
You’ll find a lot to love – between a variety of upgradeable and customizable World War 2 aircraft doing battle across multiple theaters of war and a campaign, there are also multiplayer modes including Last Man Standing for an air-based battle royale.
Newcomers can take part in training missions, too, meaning in no time you can go from novice to ace pilot, and while there are microtransactions, these are to unlock additional aircraft.
System requirements: REQUIREMENTS.
| Art | Game | Genre | 64-bit? | 64-bit | API | M1 Support | Performance |
Sky Rogue
Arguably the most visually striking game on this list, Sky Rogue isn’t just a pretty face – it easily deserves its spot on any list of the best flight games on Mac.
Offering a polygonal design that definitely calls to mind the heyday of Starfox, players fly (and blow stuff up) over procedurally generated locations, meaning a fresh experience with every level. Be careful, though – if anything shoots you down, you’re dead and will need to start from scratch.
That adds a level of tension that makes for white-knuckle excitement, but to even the odds there are 30-plus weapons and split-screen co-op, plus you can earn upgrades that carry over to subsequent runs. If you’re looking for a gorgeous aerial roguelike, you’ve found it.
System requirements: macOS 10.10.
FlightGear
Flightgear is an open-source flight simulator, meaning it’s essentially being constantly built upon by its community. Not only does that mean it’s sustained by flight fans worldwide, but it also means it’s free – anyone can download it and get started.
The project aims to let players customize and tailor their experience. There are over 20,000 airports included and modeled with impressive nuances like the runway markings and lighting, while there are plenty of aircraft included but with more being added through the open-source dev process.
If you want to download something and get flying without spending a penny, Flightgear is a great choice – and it’s only getting better.
System requirements: 2 GHz quad core processor, 2 GB RAM, OpenGL 2.1 support with at least 1GB VRAM.
AirFighters – Combat Flight Simulator
AirFighters offers “thousands” of missions, and while we’ve not been able to play through all of them to confirm, it’s an impressive flight combat sim nonetheless.
With over 500 real airports and aircraft carriers, it’s a dogfighting fan’s dream as you follow enemies across the sky while trying to keep others off of your tail. There are bombing runs to complete, too, and you can create your own missions, too, or try the community’s.
With aircraft including F-16s, F-22s, and A-10 Thunderbolts, there’s plenty to see, do, and, well, blow up.
System requirements: macOS 10.6.6 or later.
Flight Sims for Mac: Best alternatives
Bomber Crew
A flight sim that’s focused on recruitment, Bomber Crew offers a little less control over the actual flying part of the game and instead lets you build a crack team of pilots, engineers, and plenty more.
Each is procedurally generated, but you can customize their equipment, too. The more successful missions flown, the better your team will become, but death is permanent – one gamble too many, and you’ll be starting from scratch with a rookie.
The bomber itself can be upgraded, too, but if you’d prefer something a little more sci-fi, you’ll find Space Crew which translates much of the experience to space.
System requirements: iMac 27 (Late 2015), 2 GB RAM, 500 MB available space.
War Thunder
Ok, sure, War Thunder’s flight mechanics are only a small part of what it offers, but this Battlefield rival offers plenty of depth to its fighter jet combat.
A free-to-play title with both aerial, ground, and naval vehicles included, whether you want to lead a tank battalion or drop bombs from on high, there’s something for you – with over two thousand war machines to use.
Aside from its core multiplayer modes, there are historical campaigns to play solo, as well as really impressive visuals. It runs well on Intel Macs, but M12Pro users have noted that they’re able to hit 120 FPS. It also is one of the best war-simulatr games out there.
System requirements: macOS 10.16, Intel Core i7, 8 GB RAM, Radeon Vega II or higher with Metal support, 95 GB available space.
| Art | Game | Genre | 64-bit? | 64-bit | API | M1 Support | Performance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | War Thunder | MMO | Yes | | Metal | Rosetta | Good |
Liftoff: FPV Drone Racing
Almost all of the games on this list are focused on flying planes, but Liftoff: FPV Drone Racing, as the name suggests, focuses on something a little smaller.
Drones are becoming more commonplace, sure, but we’re not sure you’d want to send your expensive gadget flying through these obstacle courses. Liftoff’s genius is in the simple concept that allows it to put players hurtling through all manner of tracks in all different directions in a first-person view.
Drones can be tweaked, but perhaps most excitingly, players can build custom tracks to race around – essentially ensuring endless possibilities.
System requirements: macOS 10.9, 8 GB RAM, 2 GB video card memory, 15 GB available space. Only playable with a game controller or remote.
Avorion
Less a flight game and more a space exploration title, Avorion lets players build a custom spaceship so they can live out their Millennium Falcon fantasies.
Not only does the game feature space combat (which self–respecting space title wouldn’t?), but pilots can also build their fortune by mining resources and trading. Just be sure to keep your weapons prepped, in case you’re attacked by pirates.
Avorion’s deep systems go some way to alleviating the pain of Elite Dangerous not being available on Mac anymore, and while there’s no native M1 version, the Rosetta emulation is excellent.
System requirements: macOS 10.13, Intel Core i7 2.7 GHz, 6 GB RAM, Intel HD 5000, 3 GB available space.
| Art | Game | Genre | 64-bit? | 64-bit | API | M1 Support | Performance |
Our Criteria
Games have a largely subjective aspect to them. You may love some games while I might prefer completely different ones. This is why we identified a set of criteria that every single one of our picks has to meet:
Native support: This should go without saying, but each and every one of the games mentioned here has to be officially supported on MacOS and does not require Bootcamp or Wine.
MacOS performance: There’s a plethora of reliable Windows-PC reviews, guides, and videos on the internet. However, they never acknowledge MacOS gaming. This is why our focus is always on the Mac performance of the games listed here.
Critical acclaim: Video games can be subjective, but to keep this guide as relevant as possible, we only consider proven games with positive reviews from both professional reviewers and average gamers.
Pricing: We all want quality, but pricing also plays an important role. We always keep in mind price tags and production value to give indies and AAA games equal chances. After all, we’re after games that are fun to play. Looks are important but fun gameplay is even more so.
Your Turn
So, there you have it – the best flight games on Mac. For more lists, why not check out the best strategy games on Mac?
Last updated: December 17, 2023
We keep our content up to date! These are the latest changes made to this guide:
- Added X-Plane 12
- Removed X-Plane 11
Bottom line: This guide has been updated to fully reflect the current state of our favorite Fllight Mac games! Stay tuned, and don’t forget to bookmark in a few months!
Disclaimer: Some of the links above are affiliate links, which means that if you choose to make a purchase, I will earn a commission (this is how we pay the bills). This commission comes at no additional cost to you.
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