A curated list of training, singleplayer and multiplayer content for DCS providing hundreds of hours of gameplay.
Training
Self-Paced Flight Training
Flying a module for the first time? Start a free flight mission and just fly around for a while. Try level turns, flying at different airspeeds, and some basic maneuvers to get a feel for the jet.
Then, learn how to start up the aircraft. Make your own checklists as you learn to help internalize the steps.
Practice take-offs and landings. Do ten touch-and-go landings in a row. Do a few full stop landings.
If your plane is naval, practice carrier launches and CASE I recoveries using Bankler’s CASE 1 Recovery Trainer.
Learn how to use your navigation system. Create a flight plan and follow it. Add a waypoint mid-flight. Create mark points. Use the TACAN receiver to find airfields and refueling tankers.
Self-Paced Weapons Training
Learn basic employment of weapons. Practice each weapon one at a time using Sedlo’s trainer mission.
BFM/BVBR and Air to Ground Weapons Trainer Trainer by Sedlo
You can also try Dark Sentry’s Nevada range template for a less game-like experience.
Nevada SP/MP Red Flag Template
Tutorials
Use a tutorial or training campaign to learn more about the aircraft.
⚠️ Older tutorials may not reflect changes since the publishing date. Check Matt Wagner’s channel for recent videos for changes introduced in recent patches.
A-4E
DCS Sport’s videos - Probably the best video guides for any module.
A-10C
Iron Flag Part I 💵 - story-based training campaign about an airline pilot and Air National Guard reservist training on the A-10C upgrade. Fully voice acted including instructor pilots, custom ATC and range controllers. The missing A-10C tutorial.
Zero to Hero video series - comprehensive video guide to functional proficiency in the A-10C.
Official tutorials
AV-8B
F-4E
Reflected Simulations - Tutorials on realistic procedures
Redkite - Some of the best video tutorials anywhere
Dave Gaming - Quick yet detailed weapon employment tutorials
Iain Christie - Goes into much greater depth on weapons employment than the official manual
F-14
Speed and Angels 💵 - story-based campaign ideal for players who are comfortable starting up and flying the Tomcat, but want to take their skills to a new level. Features voice acting by real world Tomcat aviators who talk you through advanced maneuvering taking the jet right to the edge. Capped off by a series of combat missions. A must play for anyone who wants to become a proficient Tomcat dogfighter.
FlyAndWire’s article and video series on BVR timelines - The ultimate guide to operating the Tomcat as a long-range air-to-air platform.
Virtual Backseaters Volume I - The ultimate guide to operating the RIO position in the Tomcat. A holy bible for any RIOs.
FlyAndWire F-14 RIO articles - Additional material for Tomcat pilots and RIOs, including an in-depth guide to BVR combat.
Official tutorials
F-14A/B Combat Fundamentals Manual - A supplemental tactics and procedures guide with helpful illustrations of maneuvers.
F-15C
F-15C Training Missions by Alex Stoll - comprehensive interactive tutorials for the F-15C suitable for pilots of any skill level.
Radar Tool - web tool for visualizing how the attack radar page words
F-15E
Official manual - the F-15E official manual is excellently written, largely complete and internally hyperlinked. A gold standard for sim manuals.
Official tutorials
Notso’s videos - In depth explanation videos from RAZAM’s in-house expert.
F-16C
Matt Wagner - Official and canonical source for new changes to the Viper.
F/A-18C
Redkite - Some of the best video tutorials anywhere, including definitive carrier ops guides.
Tricker - More great video tutorials especially for carrier ops.
Matt Wagner - Official and canonical source for new changes to the Hornet.
BVR Timeline
They key to surviving medium to long range air combat is the BVR timeline. If you learn how to follow a timeline, you will be invincible. If you don’t, you’ll suffer from frustrating and avoidable deaths.
FlyAndWire: BVR Timeline Overview
FlyAndWire: BVR Timeline in Detail
Basic Fighter Maneuvers
BFM and dogfighting is a difficult topic to learn by yourself. The AI opponents in DCS cheat and teach you bad habits.
The best way to learn BFM is to dogfight against a human with better skills and debrief every fight. A human can teach you more in an evening than you would learn in a year.
Supplementary resources for BFM:
Art of the Kill by Pete Bonanni
The Ops Center by Mike Solyom
The Air Combat Tutorial Library by Requiem
Speed & Angels campaign by Reflected
Note that DCS is a flawed simulation of real life. If you are mostly interested in milsim and roleplaying real tactices, the above resources are useful. If you are interested in optimizing your performance, you should learn the game mechanics, not just the real tactics.
Advanced Topics
Learn how to:
- Perform an overhead break landing. Shit Hot! Useful to quickly recover a full flight of aircraft.
- Fly in near-zero visibility conditions over a long distance using instruments. Bonus points for doing it in VR! A rite of passage.
- Fly a Time-on-Target attack where your ordnance hits the target within a 15 second window. A useful skill for coordinating with other players.
- Fly an emergency fuel profile. A useful skill if you burn too much fuel in a dogfight, or get a hole shot in your fuel tank.
- Fly in close formation with other humans. Difficult, stressful and rewarding.
- Air to Air Refuel. This is just formation flying with extra steps- you can do it!
- Land on the carrier in CASE III conditions (night / poor weather). The most stressful thing I’ve ever done in a video game.
Singleplayer
Multi-module
Briefing Room mission generator - Quick and simple mission generator
DCS Retribution campaign generator - Complex, powerful dynamic campaign generator
Digital Crew Chief - Easy to use campaign generator
Pretense - Persistent dynamic campaign where you operate as a mercenary and earn money for completing missions
Apache Hunting Ground - 130 CAS missions on the Syria map
A-10
The Enemy Within 💵 - A very large story-based campaign about an A-10 squadron deploying to fight an insurgent force. The definitive A-10C singleplayer experience. Same continuity as Iron Flag.
Inherent Resolve for A-10C - A realistic mission set in Syria in 2016, featuring custom ATC and voice acting.
AV-8B
Inherent Resolve for AV-8B - A realistic mission set in Syria in 2016, featuring custom ATC and voice acting.
Kerman Campaign 💵 - A story based campaign with deep systems and realistic procedures. Probably the best single player content available for the Harrier.
F-4E
Gulf Guardian - An exciting mission included with the module. Amid tensions with Iran, a combat patrol in the Persian Gulf becomes a flashpoint.
Paradise Lost missions - Two missions included with the module set in the same continuity as the Paradise Lost campaign for the UH-1H.
F-14
Operation Reforger - Story-based campaign included with the module.
Cage the Bear - Story-based campaign included with the module.
Zone 5 💵 - A story-based campaign with realistic procedures and increasing difficulty.
Fear the Bones 💵 - A action-focused story-based campaign inspired by Hollywood movies like Top Gun.
F-15E
Inherent Resolve for F-15E - A realistic mission set in Syria in 2016, featuring custom ATC and voice acting.
F-16C
Inherent Resolve for F-16C - A realistic mission set in Syria in 2016, featuring custom ATC and voice acting.
Weasels Over Syria 💵 - A realistic campaign featuring a dynamic mission system. Each mission is nonlinear and changes depending on your actions. Same continuity as Operation Cerberus North.
F/A-18C
Inherent Resolve for “CF-18” - A realistic mission set in Syria in 2016, featuring custom ATC and voice acting.
Bold Cheetah - A free story-based campaign featuring voice acting and scripting comparable to a paid campaign.
Operation Mountain Lion - A simple free campaign, featuring some voice acting. An alternate version is available for 2-player co-op
Raven One - A series of complex, challenging story-based campaigns based on a techno-thriller novel series written by a real-world aviator. Difficult, but rewarding.
- Raven One 💵
- Optional but recommended: Raven One novel 💵
- Raven One: Dominant Fury 💵
Operation Cerberus North 💵 Story-based campaign set in 2010s Syria. Same continuity as Weasels Over Syria.
The Serpent’s Head - A series of story based campaigns with the first part available for free.
Multiplayer
Tools and Missions
Briefing Room mission generator - Quick and simple mission generator
DCS Retribution campaign generator - Complex, powerful dynamic campaign generator
Digital Crew Chief - Easy to use campaign generator
Pretense - Persistent dynamic campaign where you operate as a mercenary and earn money for completing missions
Apache Hunting Ground - 130 CAS missions on the Syria map
Operation Reforger, Cage the Bear, Inherent Resolve for F-15E, and Operation Mountain Lion are all playable in co-op.
Public Servers
Grayflag - Modern PvE. Has an innovative logistics system requiring players to deliver ammo to frontline airbases. Rotates between a peer-threat scenario and a counter-insurgency scenario.
Flashpoint Levant - 80s PvE. Has a scripted mission system and loadout restrictions to focus on a variety of late Cold War aircraft.
Enigma’s Cold War - 50s-80s PvPvE. Has a dynamic PvP battlefield system and a points system where completing objectives with lower tier aircraft unlocks more capable aircraft.
Tempest’s Blue Flash - 90s PvPvE. Similar to Enigma’s, but with a 1990s setting.
Rotorheads - Helicopter focused PvE server, with smaller missions suitable for rotary wing aircraft.
Contention - Large scale PvP server with multiple maps and eras
Growling Sidewinder - Modern PvP team deathmatch. Nicknamed “Airquake”.
World War X - 40s-70s PvPvE, with a focus on supply and A2G gameplay. Features some unique missions like anti-submarine warfare.
Shadow Reapers Dynamic Campaign - A complex, randomzied PvPvE dynamic campaign server.
Open Event Groups
Tactical DCS - Weekly training sessions, campaigns, and events. Organized training courses from time to time.
Border Zone - Regular campaigns and events.
DCS Dogfighters - Air to air combat mentorship and training
Private Squadrons
The best gameplay in DCS is found by joining a private squadron and playing organized, structured missions together. You can meet squadrons on the official forums and on the wingman finder Discord.
Private Squadrons are a gateway to private campaigns, such as Red Flag and Summer Skies.
When choosing a squadron, ask:
- Is the squadron a safe and welcoming environment? Do I enjoy spending time with the members?
- Are they a good match for my skill level? Am I looking for a casual or more serious environment? Are there good learning opportunities?
- Do they fly the modules and missions I’m most interested in?
- Do their events align with my time zone and life schedule?
Always fly a few trial missions with a squadron before committing to join! If a squadron doesn’t offer this, then they have low standards and you should look elsewhere.
Private Campaigns
If you reach the upper tiers of proficiency, you may have the opportunity to participate in private campaigns such as Red Flag or Summer Skies. These represent the peak of combat flight simulation.