Regarding airplanes in games, they tend to fall into one of two categories. First, there are flight simulators, where you can act out your dreams of flying certain well-known planes. The second option is sandbox games, where you have little to no choice over the airplane you fly. There’s a third, much smaller category of games that allow you to actually create planes.
While some games let you add on custom features to airplanes and others let you create structures that look like airplanes but not fly them, we focus on games where you can create planes from scratch. There’s also often a lesson or two in physics in these games.
7 Besiege
Year: 2020
Platform: XB1, Windows, Linux, macOS, Series X/S, Mac
Besiege is likely to be the most unusual game on the list. Giving you the goal of building machines to utilize castles or medieval armies, Besiege also lets you build modern vehicles, including planes, tanks, and battleships. Instead of completing crafts that make it throughout the game, you will likely end up creating machinery that will not last too long because the game gives you far too much freedom too early.
While building crafts in some of the other games can be challenging, creation in Besiege is often much easier due to the game’s adaptable construction system that’s easy to use. That doesn’t mean, however, that you won’t make a creation or two that simply fails at physics. Also, unlike many of the other games which require a strict set of elements to be met, Besiege utilizes a much more free-form approach. If you know nothing about physics but might like to build a plane, this is a great way to go.
6 Kerbal Space Program
Year: 2015
Platform: Linux, OSX, Windows, PS4, X1, PS5, Series X/S
Some people think that Kerbal Space Program is just about landing on the moon and other planets. While there’s plenty to be done with rockets in this game, there’s also an airplane hangar where you can create your own planes. The cute characters and humorous tone make it much easier when you immediately discover that you are not Orville Wright. This game, though, fills you with a sense of awe and wonder that the Wright Brothers probably felt when they created something that flew.
Some of your planes in Kerbal might explode on the runway. Others might crash a few seconds into the air. You start building an airplane in the game with a plane capsule. Then, you need to add a few barrels of jet fuel to your plane. You also need to give your plane wings for lift, control surfaces so your pilot can adequately steer the plane, elevators to alter the plane’s nose, ailerons to control the roll of the plane, and a rudder to move the plane left to right. And oh yeah, if you want to land this plane, you must also add landing gears. With all these complexities, Kerbal gives you the closest sensation to building a plane without going to a real-life hangar.
5 SimplePlanes
Year: 2014
Platform: Android, Windows, IOS, macOS
Whether you’re a licensed pilot or never took physics in high school, SimplePlanes is an easy-to-grasp game where you can build planes. From the game’s start, you’re met with a tutorial about both creating and flying planes. You can also play tutorials to get the hang of certain tasks involved with flying, like landing.
If you encounter difficulty modifying your plane, the game also offers pre-made crafts that make it easier to get into the air. The SimplePlanes online community also has made an overwhelming (100,000+) number of custom aircraft available on the game’s website. Some of these include references to various movies, TV shows, and even Air Force One. If you actually want to build a plane from scratch, SimplePlanes gives you tons of options. You can give your plane distinct paint jobs to make sure your craft really stands out. The more you know about aviation (or the more you want to learn), the more rewarding this game is.
4 X-Plane 11
Year: 2022
Platform: Androids, iOS, Linux, macOS, WebOS, Windows
An improvement on earlier X-Plane entries, the game boasts a new interface and 3D cockpits for every default aircraft. The game also boasts a new graphics engine that offers improved lighting and explosions. The world below, including airports, road mapping, and buildings, is also much more fleshed out.
X-Plane 11 includes a mode called Plane Maker that allows you to create your own airplanes and helicopters. The powerful application offers a wide range of plane and helicopter parts you can utilize. While it’s easy to build a simplistic plane, creating a craft in X-Plane that’s capable of flying for miles is a difficult challenge.
3 Stormworks
Year: 2020
Platform: Windows, macOS
Stormworks is set in a randomly generated open world that primarily includes water and islands off of Scotland. You run a coastguard service that employs various vehicles you create, ranging from boats to planes. Creating crafts in this game is challenging but immensely rewarding. Unlike the other games on this list, Stormworks is all about building the right vehicle at the right time.
Once you create a craft, you are greeted with an immensely detailed vehicle that functions similarly to how it would in the real world. Like its competition, in Stormworks, as you finish missions, you are awarded money to build bigger crafts and new construction facilities. The weather effects are much more noticeable than in other games. Stormworks feels like it offers a ton more to do and play than many of the other comparable games.
2 Balsa Model Flight Simulator
Year: 2020
Platform: Windows
A slight twist from other entries on this list, this game lets you create and then fly your own balsa wood planes. The game utilizes much of the physics behind airplanes, though. And like most of the other games on this list, you’re guaranteed at least a few glorious failures before you get the hang of things. When it comes to flying your Balsa plane, you navigate an environment that includes water, cities, beaches, hills, and mountains. The game’s career mode teaches you about the mechanics behind how aircraft fly. With each successful flight, you earn both money and XP to unlock additional parts and funds for repairs.
The game offers one of the more nuanced workshops on the list. Many parts must be unlocked before you have full access to features. After fully designing your plane, you can also paint it however you like. You can even add weapons. (The first and only occurrence on this list.)
1 Main Assembly
Year: 2020
Platform: Windows
In Main Assembly, you play as a robot with the task of creating additional robots. You are assigned various parts, structures, and other accessories with which to create any vehicle you can imagine. Then, you test out the creations in a world modeled around realistic physics. To help you learn the game, a skippable tutorial is offered. The game also offers a challenge mode where you deal with multiple scenarios and receive stars on completion. There’s even a Bot Brawl, where you can fight other players or vehicles.
Like most games where you can build airplanes, making mistakes is just part of the experience. Eventually, though, if you play the game long enough and get good at it, you get to the point of creating mechs and flying planes. While many simulators go for a serious, polished look, Main Assembly feels much more cartoonish and light-hearted.