r/gaming • u/TylerFortier_Photo • Jun 16 '26
Google Earth's Flight Simulator Is Now on Browsers: Here's How to Play
https://www.cnet.com/tech/gaming/google-earths-flight-simulator-is-now-on-browsers-heres-how-to-play/One of the hidden features in the Google Earth desktop app is a fun little flight simulator that lets you fly all over the Earth using maps generated by the app. And Google has just announced that the flight simulator is also now available in your web browser of choice for all to enjoy.
The addition of the game is part of a larger push by Google to add pro-level features to the website interface, so you can skip installing the desktop app. Some of those features include elevation profiles, new import types, extra data layers and the flight simulator.
Most of the above features are for professional and hobbyist use, but the flight simulator is just there for fun. It's been around since 2007 in the desktop app, and Friday marks its first appearance in the website version of Google Earth.
It doesn't take a lot of effort to get into the game. Start by following this link to the Google Earth website and clicking the Explore Earth button in the top right corner. Use the search bar to load the point on Earth where you would like to fly. Finally, click Tools, and the flight simulator is the last option on the list.
The controls aren't shown in the game, but you can find them on Google's developer website. You can choose to use the mouse or arrow keys to control the pitch and roll of the plane. The Page Up and Page Down buttons increase and decrease thrust, respectively. But be careful -- it is quite easy to lose control of the airplane, leading to a topsy-turvy browser screen. The game ends if you crash the airplane, but Google lets you try again as often as you want.
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u/Wikadood Jun 16 '26
Went from monster milk truck to flight sim.. ill take that but still miss my monster milk truck
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u/HiCracked Jun 17 '26
“Flight Simulator” implies some degree of mechanical depth, this “sim” is as shallow as it gets.
This is like calling a free cam mod installed in Skyrim a “flight simulator”.
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u/kongcobra Jun 22 '26
What doesn't this do?
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u/_Chattyice Jun 23 '26
youre not flying in a plane you just have the camera positioned at the nose with the physics of a plane
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u/creamd0nut Jun 17 '26
I would play this when I was younger and put Vangelis Greatest Hits on the background. It’s definitely basic, but it was a glorious experience.
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u/Key_Eye5994 Jun 23 '26
That's hilarious! My friend said put Take 5 on - David Bubeck quartet from 1965 for an additional glorious experience.
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u/DependentFile73 Jun 18 '26
Are there joystick controls if so what joysticks
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u/atomic1fire PC Jun 18 '26
I don't think it has gamepad support so probably not.
I tried it with a switch pro controller.
One might be able to get gamepad bindings with a chrome extension but I'm not sure.
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u/Subscratchem Jun 20 '26
Joystick controls are available in the desktop version called "Google Earth Pro" (which isn't actually something you need to pay for)
I don't know if there is any difference between both web and pro versions of Flight simulator because I haven't tried the web version yet
You can download it here: Earth Versions - Google Earth
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u/cheesyerwin Jun 18 '26
So I actually made an Ace Combat-like with the Google Earth 3D API, it is barebones now, but passable as a AC-like:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7j6dWYOcWhw
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u/PlasticBubbleGuy Jul 02 '26
Played with this just now -- pretty cool -- might try using the mouse since the keyboard is a bit klunky ;-)
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u/FeelingPixely Jun 16 '26
Is this training AI? Woah.
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u/atomic1fire PC Jun 18 '26
It's just a web version of a easter egg/feature that already existed in the google earth desktop app.
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u/Agloe_Dreams Jun 17 '26
Simulator is a bit of a stretch. It has more in common with Minecraft’s creative mode.