X-Plane 12 review

X-Plane 12 is the serious alternative to Microsoft Flight Simulator for players who care about flight models and platform choice. Laminar Research has built X-Plane since 1995, and the Steam page highlights real-world physics, deep aircraft systems, volumetric clouds and a live weather system fed by global meteorological data. Photometric lighting renders surfaces with real light intensities, and the scenery now has 3D trees, reactive water and more than 20,000 3D airports from the community X-Plane Gateway. New aircraft include the Airbus A330, Cessna Citation X, BETA ALIA-250, F-14 Tomcat and Robinson R22. It runs on Windows, Mac and Linux, supports VR, and its minimum spec of 8 GB of RAM and 23 GB of storage is lighter than its main rival's. Reviews are Very Positive at 87%, though from only 3,217 English reviews. It ranks below Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 because it lacks a documented career mode and the onboarding a casual player gets there.

Who it is for

Sim pilots who want a realistic civil simulator on Mac or Linux, or on a lighter PC than Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 needs.

Price

$59.99 on Steam (US store), one-time purchase.

Ultra-Realistic Flight Simulation VR Supported $59.99
Quoted from the vendor pricing page on November 10, 2026.

Key features

• Volumetric clouds and live weather from global meteorological data
• Photometric lighting with real light intensities
• Over 20,000 3D airports from the X-Plane Gateway
• New aircraft including the Airbus A330, Citation X, F-14 Tomcat and Robinson R22
• VR support and LAN co-op

Strengths and weaknesses

• Strength: Runs on Windows, Mac and Linux
• Strength: Very Positive on Steam: 87% of 3,217 English reviews
• Strength: Lighter minimum spec than Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024: 8 GB of RAM and 23 GB of storage
• Weakness: No structured career mode documented on Steam
• Weakness: Much smaller Steam review base than the other civil sims
• Weakness: Needs a Vulkan 1.3 capable graphics card

Key facts

• Developer: Laminar Research
• Price: $59.99
• Released: December 17, 2022
• Steam reviews: Very Positive, 87% of 3,217 (English)
• Minimum RAM: 8 GB

Where it ranks

X-Plane 12 is No. 6 in our Best Flight and Dogfighting Games verdict.