IL-2 Sturmovik: Great Battles Series Buyers Guide

If you’re reading this, you may be thinking of buying one of the many titles or pieces of content released for IL-2 Sturmovik: Great Battles Series. The series got its start in 2013 with Battle of Stalingrad and has extended out into several titles and extra DLC packages that you can add on to your experience.

There is so much to choose from, however, that it can be overwhelming and so this guide will hopefully help you make your decision.

NOTE: This article is currently a work in progress and is likely to be updated and changed regularly.

Official store or Steam?

The Great Battles Series is available on both Steam and through the company’s official webstore. Both are viable options and you can choose to purchase on one or both stores depending on how you do it.

Why choose Steam? The Steam Store is one of the most recognized game storefronts around and so many users are familiar and comfortable with the system. More than that, Steam offers reliable servers that can quickly update the game. In this way the Steam store experience is somewhat superior to the IL-2 webstore which relies on a custom Launcher to conduct updates. Steam does take its cut of the money purchased and so some purchasers have, over the years, elected to buy from the official webstore.

Provided that your Steam and IL-2 accounts are linked, you can also make your first purchase on Steam and subsequently purchase from the webstore while taking advantage of the Steam downloader system. You won’t see the purchases show up in your Steam account, however, but they will be there in the game.

Which title should I buy?

If you’re buying from Steam, the first choice is made for you. IL-2 Sturmovik: Battle of Stalingrad is the first title in the series released into the sim and Steam considers this the “base” or “core” game. Everything else is then DLC that you add-on to the experience. If you purchase from the webstore, you can buy any title in the series.

Your next criteria should be based on what interests you. Are you wanting to fly a specific WWII airplane? Are you more interested in one specific battle over the others? This would help inform the decision that you’re making. Fortunately, the Great Battles Series is very good at packaging in a more or less complete experience within each “Battle of” title so that means you’ll get a map, campaigns/career mode experience, single missions, quick missions, advanced quick missions (which create mini scenarios to play out), multiplayer, and an ample selection of aircraft for both Axis and Allied sides.

If you’re interested in the tactical air war of the Western Front, both Battle of Normandy and Battle of Bodenplatte will cover your interest. The Normandy campaign takes you from the Spring of 1944 through to the fall of 1944 including before and after the D-Day Overlord invasion. Bodenplatte covers the fall of 1944 through to May of 1945 and the end of the war. The two titles are often purchased together offering a wide variety of western front aircraft.

The Eastern Front is the other theatre of war that the series covers well with each of the three titles focused on it covering a different time period. Battle of Moscow covers the fall of 1941 through to the end of the winter campaign in 1942. Battle of Stalingrad picks up in the late summer of 1942 and covers the battle for that eastern front city through to the end of the winter of 1943. Battle of Kuban then covers the spring of 1943 through to autumn of 1943. Each title comes with a selection of aircraft that are appropriate for the time periods of each of these battles. You can buy any one and have an ample selection of fighters, bombers, and attack aircraft.

Read the reviews

As each title has released, I’ve comprehensively reviewed it. The following reviews will give you overviews of what content and features are included in each sim, however, older titles had fewer features and have been upgraded over the years so keep that in mind while reading the reviews.

What about Tank Crew and Flying Circus

The IL-2 Sturmovik: Great Battles Series has extended its reach a little further than just World War II air battles and has also offered content focused on World War I air combat and World War II tanks.

Flying Circus Vol 1 through 4 each offer a selection of World War I aircraft with each volume representing a selection of types as typically flown by the American, French, British and German forces involved in the battle. From the famous Sopwith Camel, Nieuport 11 and Fokker Dr. I through to the more obscure types like the DFW C.V.

All of the titles in the Flying Circus series include the large scale Western Front map with five seasons (spring, summer, early autumn, late autumn and winter), a career mode, single missions, and both the quick mission and advanced quick mission builder.

Tank Crew meanwhile represents a more unique experience within the series putting the player on the ground in tanks. Tank Crew has fewer gameplay opportunities with the quick mission builder and scripted scenarios, one for the German and one for the Soviet side, offering the bulk of the gameplay experience.

Tank Crew is focused on the Battle of Kursk and specifically the clash around Prokhorovka. The tank choices are thus determined by this mid-1943 era battle with T-34 and KV-1S fighting Pz III, IV, V and VI tanks in battle. Some self-propelled artillery is available and both sides feature a drivable AAA vehicle as part of an additional DLC package.

Read the review

Multiplayer compatibility and community

All titles in the IL-2 Sturmovik: Great Battles Series are multiplayer compatible with the others. Own any one title in the series and you’ll be able to join a multiplayer server and, if they have content that you own, join in on the fun.

At this point you’ll have to find the server that best caters to the content that you own. There are a few servers dedicated to tank battles, a few that are dedicated to Flying Circus World War I content, and the bulk of servers aimed at Great Battles WWII aerial content. Some, will mix in both with a server like the Finnish Virtual Pilots hosted Dynamic War Server (featuring a dynamically moving frontline) mixing in both ground vehicles as well as aircraft in the same experience.

The multiplayer community has waxed and waned over the years, however, a small number of servers remain vibrant and busy during most times of the day and night. This is particularly true for people joining in from North America and Europe. Those connecting from the Oceana region may struggle to find folks flying during their evening hours.

The Flying Circus community tends to fly on one or two servers and while their numbers are small, the community is extremely dedicated with open multiplayer events happening weekly which nearly always guarantees a nearly full server to join and have fun.