B-17 Flying Fortress

Strap in for a nostalgic flight through history with B-17 Flying Fortress, the WWII bomber sim that puts you in command of America’s legendary “Flying Fortress” ✈️💣. Unlike any other flight sim of its era, this title adds real depth by giving each of your ten crew members a distinct personality—assign your ace bombardier, your sharp-eyed navigator and your fearless gunners where they’ll be most effective, and keep a close eye on morale to avoid mid-mission mutinies.

Every sortie feels different thanks to varied mission objectives—daylight bombing raids over heavily defended targets, flak-filled dogfights against Luftwaffe interceptors and tense night runs under blackout conditions. Flight dynamics strike a fine balance between arcade fun and realism: you’ll feel the bomber’s weight as you haul its heavy frame through the sky, trim for stable level flight, then crank the throttles and cut the engines to dodge searchlights. Success depends as much on shrewd crew management as on your stick skills—downgrade roles, treat wounded crew and rotate positions to keep performance high when the flak bursts and the fighters swarm.

Controls are straightforward: use your joystick or keyboard arrows to manage pitch, roll and yaw, throttle up with the “+” key and drop your payload with the spacebar. An intuitive cockpit interface lets you switch to each crew station—take manual control of the dorsal turret or adjust your bombing sight with a click. Originally released by MicroProse in 1988 and made freeware in 1997, B-17 Flying Fortress remains a beloved classic for fans of “flight simulator” and “WWII bomber game.” Download it free today, rally your crew and see if you have what it takes to bring the fortress home under fire!