X-Plane 12 Gives You the Chance to Become a Virtual Pilot From the Comfort of Your Home

It took humankind thousands of years to develop the technology required for flying. But we only needed less than a century to recreate that experience in a virtual environment, thanks to the development of computers and dedicated software.

X-Plane 1.00 was launched back in 1995, so the franchise will be celebrating its 30th anniversary quite soon. Laminar Research continued the development of the flight simulator with new improvements added almost every year. By 2008, people were already experiencing the ninth iteration of X-Plane, and the best was yet to come.

Judging by the number of major versions released since 2008, you might think that the development phase has slowed down a bit. The truth is that expanding the boundaries of the virtual world to the point where you almost can't distinguish it from the real one is not an easy task at all.

Between 2011 and 2017 X-Plane enthusiasts could play the 10th version of their favorite sim, and for the past five years, they have moved on to version 11. Now, we aren't going to go into the X-Plane vs Microsoft Flight Simulator debate here, but you can play both games and figure out which one is best for you.

The thing is that Laminar Research has just made a big step forward with the launch of X-Plane 12, which is being referred to as "the most realistic and powerful flight simulator with real-world physics, accurate aircraft systems/behavior and an immersive simulation of the world."

Some users have managed to play it during its beta phase, but now you can experience the finished product once you get your copy from the creator or Steam. While you can still try the previous X-Plane 11 for just under $25, the new game costs $59.99.

We haven't played the game yet, but we guess it should be quite exciting considering that it's built by pilots and engineers. Some of the main highlights include Volumetric 3D Clouds, Worldwide 3D Water, Seasonal Textures and Weather Effects and the list goes on. We're sure that if you've ever played any of the previous games you'll notice that right away, but let's look at the most interesting part of them all: the list of new aircraft!

There's a decent variety of machines to fly around in, but we get the feeling that most people will go straight for the Airbus A330 or the F-14 Tomcat. Of course, you can also jump inside the Robinson R22, which also has a floats version. Either way, you're in for one long flight, and there are over 17,000 detailed 3D airports to land on when you need a rest!