After reviving an abandoned flight simulator franchise, the team at 1CGS has now announced a release date for its most ambitious project.
The new project, Il-2: Korea, finally has a release window, and you can already pre-order it on the game’s official website.
1CGS has revealed that Il-2: Korea will release in Q2 2026. If that release date holds, it will mean it took 73 years for the Korean War to get a proper retelling in the videogame world.
Recreating Korea: The Forgotten War
Despite involving the divided Korean Peninsula, the United Nations, the Soviet Union, and the People’s Republic of China, the Korean War ended up relatively forgotten by history.
The Second Indochina War, now better known as the Vietnam War, ushered in a new era of domestic awareness that eclipsed the Korean conflict. In both movies and videogames, this has meant Korea took the backseat, and flight simulators are no different.
While DCS: World and War Thunder have paid sporadic attention to the Korean War, it has never had a proper flight simulator with a fully-fleshed campaign.
Il-2: Korea Features
The overall format of Il-2: Korea will follow that of Il-2 Sturmovik: Great Battles, with a selection of iconic Korean War aircraft, a map of the Korean peninsula, and a quasi dynamic pilot career.
The following playable aircraft have been announced:
- F-86A-5 Sabre
- F-51D Mustang
- F-80C-10 Shooting Star
- F-84E Thunderjet
- MiG-15bis
- Il-10
- Yak-9P
- La-11
Among other bonuses, the founder’s edition pre-order pack will also include five unannounced aircraft. It is likely these will include one of the Gloster Meteor jet fighter, and naval aircraft like the F9F Panther, the F2H Banshee, the AD Skyraider, and the Hawker Sea Fury.
A potential highlight of Il-2: Korea is the new Museum feature, which will allow players to learn more about the equipment and units involved in the conflict.
During earlier developer diaries, 1CGS has also mentioned that pilots will be able to walk around and climb onto their planes, mimicking similar features to those introduced in Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024.
Il-2: Korea is currently on sale for $79.99 for the standard pre-order, and for $139.99 for the Founder’s Edition via the game’s official store.
