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IL-2 Sturmovik: Battle of Stalingrad vs Aces of Thunder

IL-2 Sturmovik: Battle of Stalingrad and Aces of Thunder both land in Action, Simulation on Steam, which is why they keep getting compared. The comparison below is built from each game's Steam metadata — release year, genres, categories, Steam Deck status, price, and review score — refreshed daily by imho.run's scraper. Headline differences: Both share Action, Simulation on Steam. IL-2 Sturmovik: Battle of Stalingrad (2014) is 12 years older than Aces of Thunder (2026). IL-2 Sturmovik: Battle of Stalingrad scores higher on Steam reviews (79.2% positive) than Aces of Thunder (54.7% positive). No login or purchase needed — scroll for the full table, the verdict FAQ, and links to ranked similar games for both titles.

Which should you pick?

Choose IL-2 Sturmovik: Battle of Stalingrad

Choose IL-2 Sturmovik: Battle of Stalingrad if you want the Online Co-op, Camera Comfort, and Custom Volume Controls side of the pairing. On Steam, it carries the stronger Steam consensus at 79.2% positive across 5,292 reviews.

Choose Aces of Thunder

Choose Aces of Thunder if it's the newer release (2026) and ships with the modern feature baseline. Aces of Thunder launched in 2026.

Both IL-2 Sturmovik: Battle of Stalingrad and Aces of Thunder sit in Action and Simulation on Steam and both list Multi-player, Online PvP, and PvP, so either pick lands in the same broad neighborhood. Use the side-by-side table for the feature view, or follow the "Games like" links below to see ranked alternatives for either title.

Side-by-side comparison

IL-2 Sturmovik: Battle of Stalingrad vs Aces of Thunder — Steam metadata comparison
IL-2 Sturmovik: Battle of Stalingrad — Steam game coverIL-2 Sturmovik: Battle of StalingradAces of Thunder — Steam game coverAces of Thunder
Released20142026
GenresAction, SimulationAction, Simulation
PlatformsWindowsWindows
Steam DeckDeck UnsupportedDeck Unsupported
Price9.49 USD29.99 USD
Steam reviews79.2% positive (5,292 reviews)54.7% positive (708 reviews)
MultiplayerMulti-player, Online Co-op, Co-opMulti-player
Developers1C Game StudiosGaijin Entertainment

Side by side

IL-2 Sturmovik: Battle of Stalingrad vs Aces of Thunder — FAQ

Which is better, IL-2 Sturmovik: Battle of Stalingrad or Aces of Thunder?
On Steam reviews IL-2 Sturmovik: Battle of Stalingrad scores higher (79.2% positive) than Aces of Thunder (54.7% positive). Both have enough reviews to trust the signal, so for players using reviews alone, IL-2 Sturmovik: Battle of Stalingrad is the safer pick. Genre fit still matters — check the side-by-side table for the categories each game lands in.
Should I play IL-2 Sturmovik: Battle of Stalingrad or Aces of Thunder first?
If you want chronology, IL-2 Sturmovik: Battle of Stalingrad (2014) came out before Aces of Thunder (2026). If neither is a sequel to the other, order doesn't really matter — start with whichever fits your current mood, since both share enough on Steam to make either a reasonable opener.
Are IL-2 Sturmovik: Battle of Stalingrad and Aces of Thunder similar?
They overlap on Action, Simulation on Steam, so the catalogue groups them together — but "similar" depends on the specific mechanics. Use the genre + category rows above to decide whether the overlap matches what drew you to the one you've already played.
IL-2 Sturmovik: Battle of Stalingrad vs Aces of Thunder · imho.run