Flying a drone is not as easy as it sounds. Maybe you bought a drone and crashed it on your first flight because you underestimated the skill required to fly one.
Luckily, you can avoid these costly mistakes by flying your drone in a simulator before actually flying it. No, you don’t have to pay for the simulator. Some of them are available for free.
Which is the best free drone simulator?
The best free drone simulators include ORQA FPV Skydive, Tiny Whoop GO, Flowstate, DJI Simulator Free Version, and Crazy Games Drone Simulator. You can buy a DRL or FPV Air 2 for at least $10.
Continue reading to learn more about the various free drone simulators on the market.
This is my favorite and I play it all the time.
As its name suggests, DRL Simulator is created by the same people behind one of the largest professional drone racing leagues, the Drone Racing League.
As you get better at the simulator, you can challenge the real racing league within the simulator!
I know this is a post about free drone simulators, but I had to include DRL because it costs less than $10 to install on my PC.
I purchased this simulator in June 2022 and only paid $2.99. is not it cool?
I like the comprehensive training provided by the DRL simulator. Basic drone movements and a combination of all these movements to go through loops and pop balloons placed along the track before you start freestyle flying or flying on the race track. You can get training on how.
Unlike drones from well-known drone manufacturers, DRL simulators use custom-made drones, but the physics are similar to real drones.
After the training is over, it’s finally time to challenge the “real”. What I love about DRL Drone Simulator is the wide range of scenarios you can fly your drone in. From stadiums, air force bases, campgrounds, New York gates to container deports.
There are many ways to fly. Training, Freestyle He can fly, complete challenges, and even compete with other pilots in multiplayer mode.
Did I mention the graphics look pretty realistic too? Compared to the graphics found in other simulators, I think it’s worth paying $10 to fly in the scenarios offered in the DRL simulator.
I also like how you can control your drone with an Xbox or PlayStation controller, but if you want to actually fly your drone, you’ll need to get a controller like the Taranis, Turnigy or Spektrum models.
These controllers can also be used with real drones, which helps when buying.
ORQA FPV is known for manufacturing the best FPV analog goggles, the ORQA FPV.One. If you’re not ready to buy yet, we offer a free way to start his FPV flight using his ORQA FPV Skydive, a simulator.
ORQA FPV Skydive is a plug-and-play FPV simulator that allows you to fly in scenarios such as stadiums, racetracks, canyons, construction sites and ORQA polygons.
The simulator is free on Steam and can be controlled via keyboard, gamepad, or any controller.
Most people already have a gamepad, so I think the gamepad/simulator combination is the easiest way to get started. If not, you can find cheaper ones on sites like eBay.
Simply plug in your controller, calibrate it, select your map, and start flying.
If you want access to more scenarios, you can buy things like Midnight Airport and Neon Island.
ORQA is continuously releasing more maps (scenarios) for free or for a fee.
Tiny Whoops are small FPV drones, similar to Cinewhoops but smaller and one of the most popular FPV drones.
The Tiny Whoop GO Simulator was designed by the same people who created the drones, and Team Big Whoop leader Jesse P.
Getting into Tiny Whoops is relatively easy compared to big FPV drones, but simulators are a good place to start.
Jesse P. and his team have done their best to create a wide range of scenarios that will help you understand how Tiny Whoops and these drones fly, giving you skills that will help you participate one day. I was.
Freestyle yourself or join multiplayer for free.
If you want to bring your imagination to life, Tiny Whoop also offers a track builder that lets you create your own tracks, but you’ll have to spend at least $12 to do so.
I tried this simulator for a few days and it was a lot of fun.
However, unlike other simulators that allow direct download, you will need to enter your email to get the Tiny Whoop GO sim. Software setup and activation code from Tiny Whoop (Link).
Real Drone Simulator is another simulator available to users during development.
Similar to Flowstate, you have access to basic drone flight mechanics based on real drones.
The Real Drone Simulator website says it will release mods to help users race, take pictures, shoot videos, and tackle complex missions.
The drone flight simulation is available for free on the company’s website, but a commercial version may be released in the future.
If you want to fly your drone comfortably, there’s no better way than to learn from the leading drone manufacturer, DJI. You can probably even get a drone from them when you’re ready.
While many simulators lean towards FPV, the DJI Drone Flight Simulator leans toward commercial drone use.
It can simulate wind, ground effects, and even collisions to fly most consumer drones that would probably be out of reach in real life.
This sim has a free version and a paid version. Choose the paid version to fly DJI’s enterprise drones and get hands-on training on how to use them in a variety of applications.
If your PC is too slow to handle most of the free drone simulators available, or you simply don’t want to download any software, you can try a web-based drone simulator like Crazy Games Drone Simulator.
All you need is a good browser and an internet connection.
Sims come with “coins” that you can use to buy and start your first drone. Then collect more coins while flying to be able to buy more drones within the simulator.
It’s a free web-based simulator, so you have to deal with ads, but it’s still fun and free to fly your drone.
You also can’t connect a gamepad or controller, you have to use the keyboard to control the drone.
If you’re looking for a free drone flight simulator that offers both line of sight and FPV flying, FPV Free Rider is for you.
But it’s not completely free. There’s a free demo that lets you fly with just one truck, but you can unlock the rest of the features for just $5.
FPV Free Rider sim is a “light” game. This means you can play it on your old or basic PC without any customization required.
Get up to 6 scenery and compatibility with a wide range of FPV controllers, including DJI FPV controllers and gamepads.
Even with a drone, practicing with a Sim is ideal. Controller compatibility allows you to register Muscle Girlfriend memories to your favorite controller.
There’s an Android version if you want to practice flying on the go.
A free drone simulator is a great way to start, but if I had the chance to spend a few bucks to get a better experience, I would go for it.
And for the price of a latte ($5) you get access to FPV Air 2, one of the oldest and most classic drone flight simulators.
Older means it has average graphics compared to the latest releases, but it also means that even older computers are powerful enough to handle it.
The FPV Air 2 comes preconfigured with various controller settings for easy setup and calibration.
You also have access to some free maps, but you may have to purchase them if you want more.
You have the opportunity to adjust various mechanics of a real quadcopter such as gravity, thrust, drag, propeller size, air density and air resistance.
Multiplayer and leaderboards also help keep the game interesting.
Built by the guys behind SyncFPV, World Adrift Island Creator is another great way to enjoy drone flying on your PC.
The simulator wasn’t originally made for flying drones, but it was a game that allowed people to explore different islands and even create their own in-game.
However, during the COVID-19 lockdown, SyncFPV decided to edit the game to add a quad mode that allows users to explore the island from a bird’s eye view at no extra charge.
Don’t expect multiplayer, racing tracks, or high-end graphics here. This is a simple sim with basic flight principles and a great way to fly a drone on your PC.
Unfortunately this sim is only available for Windows devices.
Flowstate is another cool drone flight simulator available for free on Steam.
Like most free drone simulators, the graphics aren’t flashy, but the physics are good enough to provide an immersive experience.
However, it is currently still in development and may change in the future.
It’s also possible that what you currently get in the simulator won’t change.
Conclusion
If you want to practice flying a drone, but don’t have the budget to buy a full-featured high-end simulator, a free drone simulator is an easy way to get started.
Some, like DRL and FPV Air 2, aren’t completely free, but they come at a fraction of the cost and you’ll find that the features they offer are worth it.
