Sims, Flight Simulators
Why do you need a drone flight simulator, where can you get one, and how do you choose the most realistic one? Can you download it for free?
Authors: Никита, Валентина, Илья
Why Do You Need a Simulator?
For Training
Simulators are essential for learning how to fly. This applies to both beginners—who need to learn the basics of flying—and professionals, who use it to master new tricks and maintain their skills when real-life (IRL) training isn’t possible. For beginners, it’s the first step into the hobby (see introduction).
Saves Your Money and Time
Even an expensive simulator can save you money. In a simulator, you don't worry about losing or crashing your drone, so you can experiment, try new moves, and fly faster. You also save time—there’s no need to travel to a flying spot, as the simulator is always available on your computer. Plus, you don’t have to wait for replacement parts after crashes to keep flying.
For Beginners
Learning to fly a real drone is something only those with an unlimited budget can afford. A simulator helps you understand flight physics, what controls to press, how much to move them, and how to avoid crashes. Many stories can be found online about people who spent 10-100 hours in a simulator (the number of hours varies from person to person, more on this later), bought a drone, and flew well—performing tricks right from the start. These stories aren’t myths.
How many hours should you spend in a simulator before your first IRL FPV Drone flight?
The answers to this question vary widely—5, 10, 20, 100, or even 1,000 hours. The truth is, there’s no set number, as it depends on a variety of factors:
- Can your equipment handle the simulator, and can your body handle flying in it? (for example, when I (Valentina) started, I had a weak laptop that could barely handle the first track in Liftoff and could only somewhat run the FPV Freerider demo track. After 15 minutes, I’d start feeling nauseous due to the lag, so I couldn’t manage even an hour a day);
- Do you have prior experience with RC (radio-controlled) models or something similar from console games? (Before FPV drones, I flew visual-line-of-sight planes, which somewhat sped up my learning process for FPV);
- How determined are you, and how often are you willing to practice? (Ideally, you should spend 15-60 minutes a day in the simulator, maybe breaking training into two or three sessions a day to reinforce what you’ve already learned);
- What are you doing in the simulator? (Beginners often try to take off and start doing tricks or flying aimlessly, which is the wrong approach. You need to master basic skills like taking off, flying in a straight line, coordinated turns, flying between obstacles at a steady altitude, and landing. Once you’ve developed "muscle memory," you’ll be controlling the drone, not the other way around);
- Your mindset. (If you feel like you’re flying where you want to, that’s a sign you’re ready for your first IRL flight).
There’s a video where a guy starts understanding how to move the sticks after just an hour in the simulator, but that’s not enough to feel confident in real life—your flight shouldn’t be that jerky. His next stage at 25 hours, however, shows the kind of smoothness that indicates readiness for IRL flights.
What FPV Drone Simulators Are Available?
🐧 - Linux, 🍏 - MacOS, 🪟 - Windows
For PC
Unfortunately, it is impossible to predict which simulator will suit you best in advance, so it is recommended to familiarize yourself with all the options and choose the one that fits your needs. You might even consider purchasing several to compare. Also, keep in mind that different simulators have varying system requirements!
🐧🍏🪟 Velocidrone, buy here.
Price: £16.99.
Velocidrone (sometimes mistakenly called Velocity) is considered the best simulator for racers, as it closely mimics the flight physics of a racing drone. It includes a track editor for creating your own courses, and many maps feature real tracks from well-known competitions. All racers train in this simulator, and online competitions are held regularly (e.g., current events) as well as daily training sessions (read more here). The model list includes both micro and freestyle drones, a vast number of locations and tracks, making it suitable not only for racing but also for practicing tricks or learning. The simulator is available for all operating systems (Linux, Windows, Mac OS), but it is resource-intensive, so be sure to review the system requirements before purchasing:
VelociDrone will run on Windows 7, 8 and 10, Mac OSX and Linux - in 64 bit versions (we do not support 32 bit operating systems).
The PC should have a 2.0ghz processor or higher and an Intel HD 4000 GPU or better,
with 4GB of memory - this is the absolute bare minimum and will not run all scenes.
Our recommended specification is 2.0 ghz Intel i3 (or equivalent), Nvidia GTX 760 Graphics card,
8GB of memory, although the more powerful your PC the better your experience will be as you can run higher graphics settings.
VelociDrone is more sensitive to graphics card than CPU, so we always recommend a good graphics card over having a powerful CPU.
You should have at least 16 GB of spare disk space to install VelociDrone.Purchases can only be made through:
🍏🪟 Liftoff FPV Drone Simulator, more info here.
Price: 10.49 USD. There are also torrents available, if I’m not mistaken. Typically, this simulator is recommended alongside Velocidrone. It’s one of the better simulators for freestyle but less realistic for racing. However, that doesn’t mean you can’t train for gate flying here. If it's easier for you to buy Liftoff, give it a try.
🍏🪟 The Uncrashed, more info here.
Price: $8.49 USD. It’s a decent simulator for freestyle, but it’s not as good for racing compared to Liftoff.
🍏🪟 DCL the Game, more info here.
Price: $14.99 USD. This simulator is based on the physics of real DCL drones, but the 5" model is not as well-developed, and the flight physics are far from accurate. If you are not participating in DCL races (and likely you are not) or in online competitions from DSG, then this simulator may not be for you. The DCL sim also features pilot training lessons from DSG.
🍏🪟 Tryp FPV: The Drone Racer Simulator, more info here.
Previously free, now priced at $8.49 USD. It is considered a decent option for practicing cinematic flying due to its realism for this flight style and colorful maps. The simulator is relatively new, and it doesn’t have as many pilots compared to Liftoff and Velocidrone users who have tried the Tryp simulator.
🍏🪟 FPV FreeRider, FPV FreeRider, FPV FreeRider Recharged.
Price: $4.99 USD, with low hardware requirements. I started using it in 2018, and for its price, the physics are decent. However, it can't compare to Velocidrone, Liftoff, or Uncrashed. The graphics are quite basic, and the simulator is mainly for practicing the fundamentals. If you're choosing between the two versions mentioned in the title, I recommend opting for Recharged.
FPV SkyDive: FPV Drone Simulator, more info here
It’s free, which is great. The physics for a free simulator are top-notch, but there are better physics options available in other simulators.
For Smartphones
Velocidrone
Price: $10.50 USD. No license or account on the official website is required. The simulator is a bit rough around the edges and may not work with some smartphone models via OTG. However, it allows connection through ELRS BLE. There is noticeable latency compared to the PC version.
FPV FreeRider (standard paid or demo)
FPV SkyDive
Simulators for Whoops
Tiny Whoop GO, more info here.
It’s free.
Liftoff®: Micro Drones, more info here.
Price: $8.99 USD.
Velocidrone Micro Class Quads, more info here.
Price: £16.99 + £4.00