If reports from Eagle Dynamics hold true, we’re now just days away from the DCS World 2.5 update. This will be a historic moment for the series as years of development will finally merge the old and new together along with a brand new map showing off what DCS World can do in the modern era. The question many still have is how it will happen and what will happen with old installs. Now we have some details!

Eagle Dynamics has a two stage plan

We have word today on a two stage plan where installs of DCS World will be updated. They come from this thread and these are the details:

Gentlemen, here is some explanations how your current 1.5 (and/or 2.2) will be converted to 2.5, please take a look the attached diagram. Transition will be made in 2 stages:

1 stage: Beta-version. 1.5.8 Open Beta will be updated to 2.5.0 Open Beta. Updater will check 2.2.0 (Alpha) and add necessary modules to 2.5.0. Then Open Alpha 2.2.0 will be uninstalled (user will be prompted about 2.2.0 removing).

1.5.8 release remains as is on this stage.

Some time (maybe one-two weeks, we hope no more) for wide test of this procedure.

2 stage: Release version. 1.5.8 release updated to 2.5.0. User will be prompted before update about saving 1.5.8 Final version in the separate directory.

Modules from 2.2.0 Open Alpha (or 2.5.0 beta – see 1st stage) version will be used for 2.5.0 installation, after that old 2.2.0 will be uninstalled (user prompted).

Open Alpha 2.2.0: this branch is no more supported. If user have only 2.2.0 Open Alpha, we will suggest to download 2.5 installer – it will install 2.5 release and remove 2.2.0 Open Alpha.

Home folders (Saved Games\DCS) remains the same (Saved Games\DCS and Saved Games\DCS.openbeta). New Saved Games\DCS.release_1_5 will be created for 1.5 Final version and all content will be copied into it from Saved Games\DCS. We also strongly suggest to remove Saved Games\DCS\Config\options.lua and make graphic tuning from scratch using DCS GUI because of 1.5 and 2.5 renders are significantly different.

So, there you have the latest on what will happen with you DCS installs during the transition from 1.5 to 2.5.

We still don’t have an exact date but it could come as early as later this week or sometime next week. In a recent post we were told to expect DCS World 2.5 release by the end of January – it was a promise, not an estimate. As always, we’ll see what happens!