The DCS series continues to quietly be one of the prettiest things on PC

Perhaps one of the most famous jet fighters of all time, the F-14 Tomcat, is making its way into DCS World this winter. Developers Heatblur have been working on the F-14 for four years, with incredibly detailed modeling going into everything from the aeronautics and flight characteristics to the individual bolts, buttons, and switches in the cockpit. 

A pre-order on the plane is currently 10% off until it launches into an Early Access phase in winter. The plane is multiplayer compatible, a feature that will be available immediately on launch, with a second player sitting RIO behind the pilot. The F-14A will be available at launch, with the F-14B following later.

Digital Combat Simulator World, or DCS World, is a sprawling free-to-play digital battlefield simulator. Aside from its free aspects, developers sell additional planes and missions for the game, each constantly trying to top the others on fidelity, realism, and quality. It's known to some for reviving the niche hardcore simulation genre of the A-10 Warthog back in 2010. It's known to others for requiring to you familiarize yourself with the actual manuals used to fly the actual planes in order to play.

A lot of people are familiar with the F-14A's blazing afterburners—it’s the fighter from Top Gun, after all. Heatblur’s trailer shows off the absolutely beautiful plane and is absolutely worth a watch:

You can check out all the pre-order options on Heatblur’s website. The pre-order packages do not include friends to play beach volleyball with. 

Jon Bolding is a games writer and critic with an extensive background in strategy games. When he's not on his PC, he can be found playing every tabletop game under the sun.