Digital Combat Simulator

DCS World includes mission and campaign editors, online multiplayer, a large inventory of land and sea combat units, AI opponents, training missions, a replay system, and a pilot log book.

The mission editor utilizes Lua support and a campaign editor for user created tasks. This allows users to extend provided missions with content created independently from module publishers, or create their own unique scenarios. Users of DCS World can host their own servers with user-made missions for co-operative and/or adversarial multiplayer missions with or against AI units.

DCS World includes one free map, which features a large area of the Caucasus region that encompasses much of Georgia – the location of the Russo-Georgian war in 2008, as well as a portion of Crimea, the site of a Russian Annexation in 2014, and a portion of Russia's southern border. Additional maps include:

• "Nevada Test and Training Range" - A U.S. Air Force training range and location of the Red Flag exercise, which includes Las Vegas, Hoover Dam, Groom Lake Air Force Station, and Tonopah Test Range Airport.
• "Normandy 1944" - centered around the English Channel, it includes areas of the southern United Kingdom, and Normandy, France during World War II.[1]
• "Persian Gulf" - centered around the Strait of Hormuz, it includes nearly the entirety of the United Arab Emirates, as well as southern areas of Iran.[2]

DCS World traces its lineage directly from the Flanker series of combat flight simulator games. Eagle Dynamics published DCS World's direct predecessor with Ubisoft as Lock On: Modern Air Combat. The aircraft from Lock On: Modern Air Combat are still available as part of the Flaming Cliffs 3 module.

The first module (though not until later referred to as a module) added to DCS was DCS: Black Shark (released in 2008) as a stand-alone simulation of the Kamov Ka-50.[3] It was originally an add-on for the previous Lock On: Modern Air Combat series, but it was deemed necessary to use a different engine instead.[4]

The second module added to DCS was DCS: A-10C Warthog (released in 2010). Originally released as a stand-alone simulation, but offering multiplayer compatibility with Black Shark, it was one of the first native 64-bit flight simulators.[5]

In 2011, DCS World was launched with concept of plug-in "modules". This allowed using previously stand-alone simulations in same scenario while sharing assets. DCS: A-10C Warthog was made available as plug-in module, while DCS: Black Shark became DCS: Black Shark 2 as part of an upgrade to the simulation.[6][7]

In October 2015, DCS World was relaunched under the guise of DCS World 1.5 via a free update.[8] 'DCS World 1.5' brought all the current aircraft, ground units, and terrain into the new Eagle Dynamics Graphics Engine (EDGE) featuring DirectX 11.

In November 2015, DCS World 2.0 was released in open alpha format via a free update. 'DCS World 2.0' gained the ability to add new theaters of war, such as the new Nevada Test & Training Range. The Caucasus map was in the process of being updated, and was not yet compatible with DCS 2.0.[8][9]

In May 2017, DCS World 2.1 was released in early access which includes support for Nevada and Normandy maps and new rendering (deferred shading and physically based rendering, PBR).[1][10]

In January 2018, DCS World 2.5 was released into open beta testing, which allowed for migration to 2.5 on Steam and from 2.2 Open Alpha. It included an updated, more detailed map of the Caucasus region along with a plethora of other changes and additions.[11][12] The release version of 2.5 was published in April 2018.[13]

PC Gamer reviewed the DCS: A-10C Warthog module with a rating of 92/100.[14] IGN praised the care and attention to detail, though remarking a level of inaccessibility: "Yes, there is a 44-page "Quickstart" guide and yes, there are tutorials – a bevy of lengthy, highly instructive tutorials, actually – but precious little of this is designed for the neophyte or even the marginally experienced jet jock."[15] Rock, Paper, Shotgun although praising the module, noted that "The Hog is a fascinating creature no doubt, but by sending it to the Caucasus and involving it in a characteristically skeletal canned campaign, the devs don’t display it in a particularly fresh or alluring light.". The absence of an instructive tutorial and the length of the included instruction manual and the presence of bugs and crashes were also criticized.[16]

• Official website
• Official forums