Martin JørgensenClassic WWII flight simulator with massive air battles
Wings of Prey is an action-packed flight simulator from Gaijin Entertainment that lets you take part in some of World War II’s most famous air battles from the cockpit of fighters, bombers, and attack aircraft.
It’s not a new game, and you can feel it in the menus, pacing, and slightly older presentation. But in our test on Windows 11, there was still something undeniably charming about being thrown over Stalingrad, Berlin, and the Battle of Britain with a prop engine humming in your headphones. Wings of Prey nails the classic feel of a PC flight game from a time when games could be a bit more demanding, a bit slower, and a touch more nerdy.
The game is still available digitally as Wings of Prey: Special Edition, which includes both the base game and the Wings of Luftwaffe expansion. On GOG, it’s highlighted as DRM-free, making that version especially appealing if you prefer to avoid launchers and online activation.
Air combat across Europe
Wings of Prey spans six theaters: the Battle of Britain, Stalingrad, the Ardennes, Berlin, Sicily, and Korsun. That variety keeps missions from feeling like the same sky with new map markers.
Some missions are classic dogfights against enemy fighters, while others send you to strike ground targets, protect bombers, or survive massive furballs with many planes on screen. This is where Wings of Prey still shows its strength. When the sky fills with tracers, engine roar, and burning wreckage, it feels more dramatic than many other older flight games.
There are over 40 aircraft in the game, featuring classics like the Spitfire, Mustang, and Messerschmitt. It’s not an ultra-hardcore simulator like the most demanding flight sims, but it’s not pure arcade either. It sits in the middle, where both newcomers and more patient flight fans can enjoy it.
Difficulty from arcade to realistic
One of the best things about Wings of Prey is how flexibly you can tune the difficulty. You can play with more arcade-like handling, where the plane is easier to control, or you can dial up realism to make the experience far more demanding.
We first tested the game with mouse and keyboard, and while it works, it isn’t the most satisfying way to play. With a controller or joystick, the aircraft feel much more natural. The game also supports classic flight-sim gear like TrackIR and joystick setups, which says a lot about the audience Wings of Prey was originally built for.
It’s worth noting that the old interface isn’t always elegant. You can tell the game comes from a different PC era. On the other hand, the flying itself still feels solid, and the large-scale air battles in particular give the game a weight that makes it worth revisiting.
Graphics and atmosphere hold up better than expected
Wings of Prey can’t match modern flight games, but the landscapes, weather, and sprawling battlefields still create a great atmosphere. There’s something special about skimming fields, towns, and war-torn areas while explosions and flak light up the horizon.
Audio does a lot of heavy lifting. Engine noise, machine guns, and the radio chatter in missions create an intense mood. The soundtrack is composed by Jeremy Soule, giving the game a more cinematic feel than you might expect from an older flight sim.
Important: Multiplayer is no longer supported
The biggest negative is that multiplayer is no longer supported in the Steam version. That means Wings of Prey should primarily be judged as a single-player game today. That’s not a deal-breaker if you’re here for the campaign, the aircraft, and the historical missions, but it’s important to know before you download.
As a single-player experience, Wings of Prey still holds up well—especially if you enjoy World War II, aviation history, and games where it’s not just about quick reflexes, but also positioning, altitude, speed, and patience.
Top 5 tips for Wings of Prey
1Use a controller or joystick
Mouse and keyboard work, but Wings of Prey feels much better with a controller or joystick—especially for smooth turns, holding altitude, and lining up precise shots in longer dogfights.
2Don’t start too realistic
It’s tempting to crank realism to max right away, but begin in the middle. Learn the missions, aircraft speeds, and weapon ranges without getting shot down constantly.
3Watch your altitude and speed
It’s not enough to chase the enemy straight on. If you bleed too much speed or altitude, you become an easy target. Try attacking from above and extend away before you get caught in a bad position.
4Play it for the campaign
Multiplayer is no longer the reason to get the game. Wings of Prey works best today as a historical single-player flight experience with missions from well-known WWII battles.
5Choose an official edition
Use Steam or GOG instead of random download sites. The game is still available digitally, and the official Special Edition includes both the base game and the Wings of Luftwaffe expansion.
A flight simulator for patient WWII fans
Wings of Prey isn’t the most modern flight game, but it still has a standout strength: the feeling of large, historical air battles. It’s for players who want to fly a Spitfire, Mustang, or Messerschmitt through dramatic missions without investing hundreds of hours in a hardcore simulator.
The biggest drawbacks are the missing multiplayer support and the aging interface. On the plus side, the single-player is still entertaining, and the Special Edition offers a solid bundle with the base game and expansion. For American players who miss a classic PC World War II flight game, Wings of Prey is still worth a look.
