You can now fly a plane over your own neighborhood in 3D, directly inside your browser, without downloading anything. Google has brought its Flight Simulator feature to the web version of Google Earth, and it currently works on any desktop computer.
The simulator pulls satellite imagery, topographic data and 3D building models from Google Earth in real time as you fly. In densely mapped cities, that means photogrammetry-modeled buildings rendered in full 3D beneath you. You can buzz the Golden Gate Bridge, thread between Himalayan peaks, or do a low pass over your own street. You won’t see the laundry hanging on your balcony, but individual buildings and landmarks are clearly recognizable.
How to take off
Getting airborne takes about 30 seconds. Open Google Earth for web on your desktop, click Explore Earth, and search for any location or landmark you want to start from. Then open the Tools menu in the top bar and select Flight Simulator.
One tip worth noting: switch the basemap from Map to Satellite before you start, otherwise you’ll be flying over flat tiles instead of 3D terrain.
Controls are straightforward. You can steer, bank, adjust pitch and throttle using either your mouse or keyboard arrow keys. If you nose-dive into the ground, there’s no game over screen or penalty. Hit the restart button and you’re back in the air.
Exploration over simulation
This isn’t competing with Microsoft Flight Simulator on realism. There’s no weather system, no ATC, no cockpit instrumentation. Google built this for casual exploration of the planet’s geography, not for landing a 737 in crosswinds.
The trade-off for using live Google Earth data instead of pre-rendered game environments is that 3D buildings and textures load dynamically as you fly. On a slower connection or at high speeds, you may see temporary gaps in the imagery while the detail streams in.
The Flight Simulator addition is part of a broader push by Google to bring professional-grade features to the web version of Google Earth, reducing the need for the desktop application. Other recent additions include elevation profiles and additional data layers, though those are aimed at professional use cases. The flight simulator is purely for fun.
Try it at earth.google.com from any desktop browser.
