Il-2 Korea Release Date Officially Revealed, and It's Sooner Than You Think

I see Korea everywhere I look these days. The radio at the bar was blasting a K-pop playlist, and we were mindlessly downing soju. I called an Uber and boarded a Hyundai to get home after saying my goodbyes, then sat on the couch to find a K-drama was playing through my trusty old Samsung TV.

Despite this and a strong domestic game industry, before this year, you'd be hard-pressed to find a good war game set anywhere in the Korean peninsula.

Two giants of their niches are trying to do something about this, and if plans don't change, we will have two great games that cover different eras of the Korean conflict this year.

There is the one you already know, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4, set to release on October 23, which will tell the story of a fictional, reignited Korean war through the eyes of the Republic of Korea Marine Corps and our old friend Captain Price.

But if you're the type of person who prefers the source material to the adaptation, or just got tired of getting hit by AMRAAMs straight after takeoff in DCS, then you get to visit virtual Korea earlier.

Il-2 Korea Release Date Officially Announced

According to a short teaser video uploaded by the game, Il-2 Korea goes live on June 25, less than a month away.

The choice of date is no coincidence: the game is coming out on the 76th anniversary of the start of hostilities, when North Korean troops crossed the 38th parallel in an attempt to take full control of the Korean peninsula.

Like previous flight simulator titles developed by 1CGS, Il-2 Korea is launching in early access. According to a roadmap, this will be followed by a DLC in Q3 2026, widely speculated to bring aircraft carriers and naval aircraft to the game.

Upon release, Il-2 Korea will feature a massive map spanning 200,000km², and the following aircraft:

F-86A-5 Sabre

Introduced in 1949, the Sabre was far from the first American jet fighter, but it was the first to be universally loved.

Armed with six .50 machine guns on the nose, it boasted excellent maneuverability, good dive performance, and great visibility, at the expense of poor acceleration relative to the MiG-15bis.

F-51D Mustang

During World War 2, the Mustang was a flying sports car, blending performance with sleek looks. By the time the Korean War had broken out, the dream fighter of yore had been relegated to ground attack duty by American and South Korean forces.

The first Mustangs to land in South Korea were leftovers from the last war that were still stored in Japan, and the type took the new mission in stride. It may not have been as tough as other ground attack planes, but it could carry plenty of boom over long distances, and that was enough to keep this workhorse going for a little longer.

F-80C-10 Shooting Star

The Shooting Star was the first American jet fighter to enter service, and despite its fantastic looks, it was thoroughly obsolete as a fighter by the time the F-86 arrived in sufficient numbers.

The F-80 had shorter legs than the F-51 in a ground attack role, but its speed made it less vulnerable to North Korean anti-aircraft gunners, and it served in that mission until the end of hostilities.

F-84E Thunderjet (Founders Edition)

The primary jet fighter-bomber in American service was the F-84E Thunderjet. Heavy, tough, and somewhat unsightly, it was a spiritual successor to Republic's P-47 Thunderbolt.

The F-84E exceeded the payload of the F-80C while not being far behind the F-51D in terms of range. It was no hotrod, but it didn't have to be.

MiG-15bis

The MiG-15bis changed the air war over Korea in late 1950. American bombers were forced into night bombing to avoid the jets, while USAF fighters quickly fell to the wayside until the F-86 arrived.

The MiG-15bis stood out with its acceleration and high altitude performance, hampered by controllability issues during high speed dives and a slow roll rate. Ironically, the MiG-15bis had a fairly short career outside of Korea, with Soviet Units quickly replacing it for the more powerful MiG-17.

Il-10

The younger brother of the famous Il-2 'Flying Tank', this was a ground aircraft that could never get the timing right. It arrived too late to make a difference in World War 2, but was obsolete by 1950.

North Korean forces made extensive use of it in the first year of the conflict, but losses mounted quickly, making it a rare sight by 1953.

Yak-9P

Despite being a World War 2 relic, the Yak-9P was the mainstay of North Korean forces at the time of the invasion.

Light and easy to fly, this fighter was an even match for the F-51D, but struggled to do much against the jet fighters that came after it.

La-11 (Founders Edition)

North Korean, Chinese, and Soviet forces used the La-11 during the war, but it was relegated to a side piece. Although the La-11 was quick for a prop fighter, it had poor high-altitude performance, which made it inadequate against American B-29 bombers.

For most of the war, the La-11 found its niche as a night fighter. In Il-2 Korea, it will likely be a threat to bomb-laden F-51D Mustangs flying at lower altitudes.

Il-2 Korea is coming on June 25 for PC and will be available via Steam. Pre-orders are already open on its official website.