Google Earth Has A New Flight Simulator For Airborne Explorers

The web version of Google Earth now includes a Flight Simulator. This isn't actually the debut of "Google Earth Flight Simulator", however. The feature has been available since 2007 as a hidden Easter Egg for the desktop version of Google Earth.

But in a wave of updates to the web version of Google Maps, including the addition of elevation profiles, Google has also enabled the Flight Simulator mode, which can be triggered from the "View" dropdown and controlled using either mouse or keyboard input.

Keyboard controls are tied to the arrow keys for steering and Page Up/Page Down keys for controlling speed. Based on about an hour testing the feature on a 300Mb broadband connection, slower speeds are best for giving details time to load.

Additionally, I found that mountainous terrain tends to reach high fidelity quickly, but dense urban areas struggle to reach high-fidelity before you've already flown past them.

Prepare for takeoff. ✈️ Flight simulator is now available globally on web to all users. https://t.co/jV5ZW7BZeW

We've recently added many our most powerful professional desktop features to web. Elevation profiles, new import types, but there's always been one other feature… pic.twitter.com/s11NDaCx60

— Google Earth (@googleearth) June 12, 2026

Those notes aside, it's definitely a cool feature for Google Earth. It's no Microsoft Flight Simulator, and Google Earth's cloud view doesn't work within the sim, but for a free feature, it's still fun nonetheless. If anything, it help contextualize why high-fidelity experiences like those offered by MS Flight Simulator or Forza Horizon 6 can be so demanding on PC and network resources.

In any case, the web version of Google Earth and its new Flight Simulator feature are available for free right now. Be sure to set your basemap type to Satellite in order to view realistic, terrain-mapped satellite imagery instead of flying over a flat map, and have fun.