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Ultrawings

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Ultrawings
Information
VR/AR VR
Developer Bit Planet Games, LLC
Publisher Bit Planet Games, LLC
Platform SteamVR, Oculus Rift (Platform), Samsung Gear VR, PlayStation 4, Meta Horizon OS
Device HTC Vive, Oculus Rift, OSVR, Windows Mixed Reality, HTC Vive Pro, Valve Index, HTC Vive Cosmos, Samsung Gear VR, PlayStation VR, Oculus Quest
Operating System Windows
Type Full Game
Genre Adventure, Simulation, Open World, VR, Flight
Input Device Tracked Motion Controllers, Gamepad, PlayStation Move, HOTAS, rudder pedals
Play Area Seated
Game Mode Single Player
Language English, French, Italian, German, Spanish, Japanese, Brazilian Portuguese, Simplified Chinese
Rating Everyone
Review Very Positive
Release Date Feb 21, 2017 (Oculus Rift); Jul 20, 2017 (Steam)
Price $14.99 (Steam, PlayStation Store); $4.99 (Meta Quest)
App Store Steam, Oculus Store, Meta Horizon Store, PlayStation Store
Website http://ultrawingsgame.com
Infobox Updated 10/06/2026

Ultrawings is a VR App: an open-world flight game developed and published by Bit Planet Games, LLC, in which the player flies light aircraft around a group of islands and completes jobs such as popping balloons, taking photographs, landing on marked spots and racing.[1] The cockpit controls are handled with the player's virtual hands: in UploadVR's hands-on with Oculus Touch, the player flipped switches, adjusted levers and worked the throttle before takeoff instead of memorizing button prompts.[2]

The game launched on the Oculus Store for Oculus Rift on 21 February 2017 and on Steam on 20 July 2017.[3][4] It was later released for Samsung Gear VR in 2017, PlayStation VR on 19 December 2017 and Oculus Quest on 21 May 2019.[5][1][6] Press coverage repeatedly compared it with Nintendo's Pilotwings series.[3][2] A sequel, Ultrawings 2, was released in 2022.[7]

Reviewed 6 October 2026. Re-checked infobox values, platform release dates and prices, the Steam update history, development history, review scores and quotes, and sequel dates against the cited Bit Planet Games posts, Steam, PlayStation and Meta store pages, Steam news posts, archived Steam and VRFocus pages, and the UploadVR, Road to VR, Tom's Hardware, MIXED, Kotaku, PlayStation Country, Metacritic and Thumb Culture articles. About review dates.

Gameplay

Ultrawings is built around a loop of jobs and purchases. The player completes jobs, earns in-game money based on performance, and spends it on new airports and new aircraft; each newly bought airport unlocks a new job type, and each new aircraft makes more jobs available. Bit Planet Games stated that players do not need to finish every job to unlock all of the game's content.[8] Jobs are chosen from a laptop in the player's office and award bronze, silver or gold medals.[9] Job types include flying through score rings, popping balloons with a dart gun, spot landings, taking pictures with an in-cockpit tablet and air races.[1] According to the studio, an average player needs about 15 hours to complete the missions, and double or triple that to earn a gold medal on all of them.[1]

The aircraft are an Ultralight, a rocket-powered Glider, a Sport Plane and a racing plane called the Gee Racer.[1] The current store descriptions list four aircraft and four islands.[4][10] The world also contains ambient traffic such as flocks of seagulls, other aircraft, boats and cars, and English voice-overs guide the player.[4]

The studio describes the game as an accessible simulator: the aircraft run on a realistic flight simulation engine that was modified so each aircraft is fun to fly, while the jobs themselves are deliberately unrealistic.[8] Players can switch between Arcade and Simulation flight physics; in September 2017 the default was changed to Arcade for new players.[11][9] To reduce simulator sickness, the game has several comfort settings and a simpler physics model in which the aircraft yaws instead of rolling when the player banks.[8] UploadVR's hands-on also noted cockpit view options and peripheral blocking.[2]

Controls

On PC the game supports gamepads, HTC Vive wands, Oculus Touch and Windows Mixed Reality motion controllers, as well as HOTAS joysticks and rudder pedals. The Steam page lists the Saitek X52, X55 and X56 and the Thrustmaster HOTAS Warthog, HOTASX, HOTAS4 and T16000M as officially supported sticks, warns that unlisted sticks will not work, and states that the game does not support Virtual Desktop.[4] Bit Planet Games published instructions for remapping controls by editing the game's schema configuration files.[12] On PlayStation VR the game can be played with a DualShock 4 controller or with two PlayStation Move controllers.[1] Before release, the studio recommended playing with Oculus Touch rather than a gamepad.[8]

Development

Ultrawings was the first virtual reality game from Bit Planet Games. Studio director Chris Stockman wrote that the idea came from a dream he had about 25 years earlier, in which he flew an ultralight over an ocean and landed on an aircraft carrier.[3][13] UploadVR reported that the team also took some inspiration from the Super Nintendo game Pilotwings.[14] According to the studio, the project started with two developers, the Unity engine and a couple of DK2 headsets.[15][8]

Bit Planet Games announced the game in August 2016 for Oculus Rift with Oculus Touch and a playable demo was scheduled for the VRLA expo in Los Angeles that month.[14][16] Tom's Hardware reported that Bit Planet Games had received funding from Oculus to help cover development costs, which made the game an Oculus exclusive at launch.[3]

In March 2017, a Samsung Gear VR port was shown at an Oculus press event in San Francisco. It used the Gear VR's new motion controller, removed much of the pre-flight button pressing and switch flipping, and was steered with wrist movements instead of whole-arm movements.[17] Stockman told VRFocus that the studio "partnered with both Oculus and Samsung to bring over the popular VR flight game to mobile with nearly all game modes, planes, and environments intact!"[5] In 2022 Bit Planet Games wrote that many sacrifices had been made for the Gear VR release, and that by the time Quest launched the team was deep in sequel development, so little changed in that version beyond support for motion controls.[18]

Release

Platform Store Release date Notes
Oculus Rift Oculus Store 21 February 2017 US$24.99 at launch[3][19]
Windows PC (HTC Vive, Oculus Rift, OSVR) Steam 20 July 2017 US$24.99 in September 2017; seated play area[20]
Samsung Gear VR Oculus Store 2017 (reported 11 August 2017) GBP 7.99; three aircraft and three islands; Gear VR Controller or Bluetooth gamepad[5]
PlayStation VR PlayStation Store 19 December 2017 Simultaneous release in North America and Europe[1]
Oculus Quest Oculus Store 21 May 2019 Quest launch title[6][21]

When Oculus confirmed the first games for Oculus Go in October 2017, Ultrawings was on the list.[22] Bit Planet Games also made Ultrawings Flat, a version that does not need a VR headset. The studio said the content was mostly unchanged, with streamlined gameplay and interface and added external chase cameras.[23] The studio announced a 28 March 2019 launch for the Nintendo Switch version.[24]

As of October 2026 the game is listed at US$14.99 on Steam and the PlayStation Store and US$4.99 on the Meta Horizon Store.[4][10][25] The Steam page also states that the game is available to VR arcades through SpringboardVR.[4]

Updates

After the Steam launch, Bit Planet Games released frequent patches, adding content and support for further headsets and controllers. Selected updates:

Date Changes (PC version)
2 August 2017 Music that varies with mission difficulty, added after players criticized the music as repetitive; ignition button and mission fixes[26]
8 August 2017 Retroactive Steam achievements added[27]
22 September 2017 Default flight physics changed to Arcade; sound effects for birds, cars, boats and other planes[11]
2 December 2017 Controls fixed for Windows Mixed Reality headsets[28]
29 March 2018 Large "HOTAS and content" update: HOTAS and Thrustmaster rudder pedal support, customizable controls, toggle grab for Vive wands, a new aircraft, a new island and new content for all aircraft[29]
10 April 2018 Support for the HTC Vive Pro headset[30]
11 April 2018 CH and Saitek rudder pedal support[31]
15 May 2018 New control scheme for Windows Mixed Reality motion controllers; a new Gee Racer race[32]
29 June 2019 Valve Index support, with the Index controllers emulating Vive wands[33]
6 November 2019 HTC Vive Cosmos support with native controller support[34]
3 December 2020 Oculus Quest support through a Link cable (Oculus Link) and Thrustmaster T.Flight HOTAS One support[35]

Reception

In UploadVR's review of the Rift version, Joe Durbin wrote that "Flying in Ultrawings feels amazing" and praised the Touch-based pre-flight routine. He wrote that the game "doesn't commit firmly enough" to either cartoonish escapism or realistic simulation, called its environments "grey, blocky, and dull", and found that the missions lacked motivation and that the appeal faded once the novelty wore off.[19]

The PlayStation VR version scored 6/10 from PlayStation Country, which praised the flying controls and the distinct feel of each aircraft but described the environments as bland and the gameplay variety as limited.[9] Metro GameCentral gave it 70/100, writing that the balloon-popping sub-game "isn't up to much" but that the rest of the game is "a dream come true for fans of Nintendo's charming slice of amateur aviation".[36] Thumb Culture gave the PlayStation VR version its Gold award, comparing it to Pilotwings and noting the difference between motion controllers and a standard controller, while criticizing the photography jobs and uneven voice volume; the reviewer also noted frequent graphical glitches but said they did not bother him much.[37]

As of October 2026, Metacritic lists two critic reviews, too few for a Metascore.[36] The game holds a "Very Positive" user rating on Steam.[4] When Ultrawings 2 was announced, Road to VR described the original as an arcade VR flight sim that had become "something of a classic".[7]

Sequel

Bit Planet Games announced Ultrawings 2 on 24 September 2021, saying it had been in development for nearly four years.[38][39] The sequel has five aircraft and adds combat, including dogfights and attacks on enemy bombers and ground and naval targets.[39] It was released for Meta Quest 2 on 3 February 2022 and on Steam on 27 October 2022.[7][40] Its PlayStation VR2 version appeared on the PlayStation Store on 25 January 2024, ahead of the estimated 9 February release date the studio had set; Bit Planet Games said it did not know how the early release happened.[41][42]

Features

System Requirements

Windows

Minimum

  • OS: Win 7
  • Processor: Intel-i3-6100 or equivalent
  • Memory: 8 GB RAM
  • Graphics: NVIDIA GTX 960 or equivalent
  • DirectX: Version 11
  • Storage: 3 GB available space
  • VR Support: SteamVR

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 Christopher Stockman (2017-12-15). "Take Flight in Ultrawings on December 19 for PS VR". PlayStation Blog. Sony Interactive Entertainment. https://blog.playstation.com/2017/12/15/take-flight-in-ultrawings-on-december-19-for-ps-vr/. Retrieved 2026-10-06.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 David Jagneaux (2017-01-12). "Hands-On: Flight Game 'Ultrawings' Wants to Be The 'Pilotwings' of VR". UploadVR. https://www.uploadvr.com/ultrawings-pilotwings-vr/. Retrieved 2026-10-06.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 Kevin Carbotte (2017-02-21). "'Ultrawings' Evokes Fond Memories Of 'Pilot Wings,' Available Today On Oculus Rift". Tom's Hardware. https://www.tomshardware.com/news/ultrawings-available-oculus-rift-vr,33690.html. Retrieved 2026-10-06.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 "Ultrawings on Steam". Steam. Valve. https://store.steampowered.com/app/639130/Ultrawings/. Retrieved 2026-10-06.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Kevin Joyce (2017-08-11). "Ultrawings Lands on Samsung Gear VR". VRFocus. https://web.archive.org/web/20201028212646/https://www.vrfocus.com/2017/08/ultrawings-lands-on-samsung-gear-vr/. Retrieved 2026-10-06.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 "Ultrawings on Quest!". Bit Planet Games. 2019-05-21. https://bitplanetgames.com/ultrawings-on-quest/. Retrieved 2026-10-06.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Ben Lang (2022-01-28). "Arcade Flight Sim 'Ultrawings 2' to Release on Quest February 3rd, Promising 40-60 Hours of Gameplay". Road to VR. https://roadtovr.com/ultrawings-2-release-date-40-60-hours-gameplay-vr-flight-sim/. Retrieved 2026-10-06.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 "Ultrawings FAQ!". Bit Planet Games. https://bitplanetgames.com/simply-sylvio-is-vines-first-avant-garde-gorilla-and-hes-doing-big-things/. Retrieved 2026-10-06.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 Gareth (2017-12-26). "Ultrawings - PSVR Review". PlayStation Country. https://www.playstationcountry.com/ultrawings-psvr-review/. Retrieved 2026-10-06.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 "Ultrawings". PlayStation Store. Sony Interactive Entertainment. https://store.playstation.com/en-us/product/UP0067-CUSA07445_00-100000ULTRAWINGS. Retrieved 2026-10-06.
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 "9/22 Update...". Steam. Bit Planet Games. 2017-09-22. https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/639130/view/2149763711094815771. Retrieved 2026-10-06.
  12. ↑ "HOTAS Support!". Bit Planet Games. 2019-03-27. https://bitplanetgames.com/hotas-support/. Retrieved 2026-10-06.
  13. ↑ "Ultrawings!". Bit Planet Games. https://bitplanetgames.com/the-surprising-rise-of-googles-new-ceo/. Retrieved 2026-10-06.
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 David Jagneaux (2016-08-02). "'Ultrawings' is an Open World Flight Game Coming to Oculus Touch". UploadVR. https://www.uploadvr.com/ultrawings-open-world-flight-oculus/. Retrieved 2026-10-06.
  15. ↑ "Buckle Up!". Bit Planet Games. https://bitplanetgames.com/this-insane-pixar-theory-proves-sulley-was-killed/. Retrieved 2026-10-06.
  16. ↑ "Oculus Rift: Ultrawings für Oculus Touch ist wie Pilotwings in VR". MIXED. 2016-08-03. https://mixed.de/oculus-rift-ultrawings-fuer-oculus-touch-ist-wie-pilotwings-in-vr/. Retrieved 2026-10-06.
  17. ↑ Joe Durbin (2017-03-29). "Oculus Touch Games Dead and Buried, Ultrawings Coming to Gear VR". UploadVR. https://www.uploadvr.com/oculus-touch-games-dead-buried-ultrawings-getting-gear-vr-ports/. Retrieved 2026-10-06.
  18. ↑ "Ultrawings 2 (Meta Quest 2) Launch Date and other musings.". Bit Planet Games. 2022-01-25. https://bitplanetgames.com/ultrawings-2-meta-quest-2-launch-date-and-other-musings/. Retrieved 2026-10-06.
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 Joe Durbin (2017-02-21). "Ultrawings Game Review: Flying the Empty Skies". UploadVR. https://www.uploadvr.com/ultrawings-vr-game-review/. Retrieved 2026-10-06.
  20. ↑ "Ultrawings on Steam (archived 20 September 2017)". Steam. Valve. https://web.archive.org/web/20170920225325/http://store.steampowered.com/app/639130. Retrieved 2026-10-06.
  21. ↑ David Jagneaux (2019-04-30). "Here Are The 50+ Titles Launching For Oculus Quest On May 21". UploadVR. https://www.uploadvr.com/quest-50-launch-titles-list/. Retrieved 2026-10-06.
  22. ↑ Jamie Feltham (2017-10-11). "OC4: First Oculus Go Games And Apps Confirmed". UploadVR. https://www.uploadvr.com/first-oculus-go-games-apps-confirmed/. Retrieved 2026-10-06.
  23. ↑ "Ultrawings FLAT". Bit Planet Games. https://bitplanetgames.com/breakdancing-meets-bach-get-down-with-the-flying-steps/. Retrieved 2026-10-06.
  24. ↑ "Ultrawings Flat launches March 28th, 2019!". Bit Planet Games. 2019-03-11. https://bitplanetgames.com/ultrawings-flat-launches-march-28th-2019/. Retrieved 2026-10-06.
  25. ↑ "Ultrawings on Meta Quest". Meta Horizon Store. Meta Platforms. https://www.meta.com/experiences/ultrawings/1798409083604479/. Retrieved 2026-10-06.
  26. ↑ "8/2 Update Notes!". Steam. Bit Planet Games. 2017-08-02. https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/639130/view/2093464278153437756. Retrieved 2026-10-06.
  27. ↑ "Achievements!". Steam. Bit Planet Games. 2017-08-08. https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/639130/view/2093464278176653775. Retrieved 2026-10-06.
  28. ↑ "Mixed Reality Support!". Steam. Bit Planet Games. 2017-12-02. https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/639130/view/2152021858901644814. Retrieved 2026-10-06.
  29. ↑ "HOTAS and Game Content Live!". Steam. Bit Planet Games. 2018-03-29. https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/639130/view/2383968106569660189. Retrieved 2026-10-06.
  30. ↑ "4/10/18 Patch Notes". Steam. Bit Planet Games. 2018-04-10. https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/639130/view/2394101748816843110. Retrieved 2026-10-06.
  31. ↑ "4/11/18 Patch Notes!". Steam. Bit Planet Games. 2018-04-11. https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/639130/view/2394102381814940850. Retrieved 2026-10-06.
  32. ↑ "5/15/18 Patch Notes...". Steam. Bit Planet Games. 2018-05-15. https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/639130/view/3822871998328221658. Retrieved 2026-10-06.
  33. ↑ "Index support!". Steam. Bit Planet Games. 2019-06-29. https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/639130/view/2436926440575027681. Retrieved 2026-10-06.
  34. ↑ "HTC Cosmos Support!". Steam. Bit Planet Games. 2019-11-06. https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/639130/view/2448197582015555902. Retrieved 2026-10-06.
  35. ↑ 36.0 36.1 "Ultrawings Reviews". Metacritic. https://www.metacritic.com/game/ultrawings/. Retrieved 2026-10-06.
  36. ↑ John (2018-02-28). "Ultrawings PSVR Review - O! For a Game with Wings". Thumb Culture. https://www.thumbculture.co.uk/ultrawings-psvr-review. Retrieved 2026-10-06.
  37. ↑ "Ultrawings 2!". Bit Planet Games. 2021-09-24. https://bitplanetgames.com/ultrawings-2/. Retrieved 2026-10-06.
  38. ↑ 39.0 39.1 David Heaney (2021-09-24). "Ultrawings 2 Announced For Quest & PC VR With Five Unique Aircraft". UploadVR. https://www.uploadvr.com/ultrawings-2-announced/. Retrieved 2026-10-06.
  39. ↑ "Ultrawings 2 on Steam". Steam. Valve. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1485140/Ultrawings_2/. Retrieved 2026-10-06.
  40. ↑ Zack Zwiezen (2024-01-26). "New PS5 Game Launches Early And Its Devs Don't Know How Or Why". Kotaku. https://kotaku.com/ps5-psvr2-game-accidentally-launched-early-ultrawings-2-1851201554. Retrieved 2026-10-06.
  41. ↑ Henry Stockdale (2024-01-29). "Ultrawings 2 Wasn't Supposed To Launch On PSVR 2 Yet". UploadVR. https://www.uploadvr.com/ultrawings-2-psvr-2-launch/. Retrieved 2026-10-06.
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