The time is near! The next generation of the IL-2 Sturmovik series, developed once again by 1C Game Studios, is about to launch onto our computers. Like most sims, this will be an early access launch. We don’t know a lot more yet but let’s dig into the details that we do have.
Ready for takeoff on June 25
1C Game Studios has made an announcement today, via YouTube video, indicating that early access will begin on June 25. We don’t know a whole lot more, however, it does neatly fit in just a few days before the end of the 2nd Quarter of 2026 which is indeed what the developer announced when the pre-order went live back in November of last year.
The pre-order, as a reminder, has a Standard and Founder’s Edition with both titles including the core features of the game (career, quick missions, multiplayer, etc.) while the Founder’s Edition includes access to an additional 5 DLC aircraft that have not yet been announced.
That 5 aircraft DLC is also supposed to come with some sort of extra layer of interactivity though we’re not sure if that is something simple or more complex like access to carrier aircraft and ops. Previous in-development screenshots have shown off the F4U Corsair and F9F Panther so some sort of Naval focused DLC is expected.
According to the 1C Game community manager, today’s announcement is a date only. We’re expecting more details in the run-up to launch and I do hope we’ll be seeing some more gameplay videos coming up soon.
You can certainly expect continued coverage here.
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