Mini Review: Aces of Thunder (PSVR2) – Immersive Spectacle Throws You to the Wolves

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If you’ve played War Thunder, you’ll quickly understand Aces of Thunder. Essentially, it’s a VR version of War Thunder, but with fewer features.

Aces of Thunder is a realistic flight simulator, so it assumes you already know the basics of aerial combat. While there’s a tutorial, it’s more like a quick training session than a detailed guide, which is a bit of a drawback.

There’s quite a bit to learn if you want to truly enjoy the game. Just getting started – learning to take off and fly – can feel complicated if you’re not ready for it.

Once you start flying, the game really comes into its own. It’s incredibly immersive and looks fantastic – even on a standard PlayStation 5. The cockpits are beautifully detailed, and a helpful feature highlights the instrument you’re currently viewing. You can easily spot other planes from far away, and the sound effects are top-notch.

It’s amazing to experience – visually, audibly, and physically – but it takes some practice to learn how to control and get it airborne.

A major issue is the lack of a perfect control setup. While the PSVR2 controllers work well for moving around inside the cockpit, it’s easy to unintentionally spin out of control. Plus, some of the in-game controls aren’t always reliable.

Using the DualSense controller outside of VR gives you more overall control of the plane, though it doesn’t quite capture all the subtle details inside the cockpit. A full HOTAS setup would be perfect, but it’s probably overkill for players who aren’t serious sim enthusiasts.

Fortunately, there’s plenty to help you learn the game. You can play a 10-mission campaign, tackle individual challenge missions, or compete in player-versus-player battles. Plus, it includes a really powerful mission editor. At launch, you’ll have access to a huge selection of planes, representing most of the major powers from both World War II and a few from World War I.

Honestly, this game doesn’t really explain much to you upfront – you’re pretty much left to figure things out on your own. But trust me, once you do learn the ropes, there’s a ton of really great stuff to dive into. And the way it looks and feels? It’s incredible – totally immersive and worth the effort of learning how everything works.

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2026-02-10 15:06