On this page you will find the following Combat Flight Simulator 3 downloads:

• CFS3 AIRCRAFT UPDATE v3.1a
• CFS3 UPDATE v3.1
• CFS3 SDKs & TOOLS
• CFS3 MISSION PACK
• CFS3 WINDOWBLINDS SKIN

Combat Flight Simulator 3 Aircraft Update v3.1a

This update fixes a problem with the B-25H & B-25J cockpit airspeed indicators displaying incorrect airspeeds. This problem only occurs in CFS3 v3.1. This update will only work if you have the CFS3 Update v3.1 already installed (available below).

DOWNLOAD NOW English 171KB
DOWNLOAD NOW Japanese 172KB

Combat Flight Simulator Update v3.1

Note: We strongly recommend that you use Microsoft DirectX 9.0, released in December, in conjunction with Combat Flight Simulator 3. This version of DirectX fixes cross-compatibility problems that surface in the version of DirectPlay originally shipped with Combat Flight Simulator 3.0.  DirectX 9 also contains some fixes that improve multiplayer performance.  To get the latest version of Microsoft DirectX, please go to http://www.microsoft.com/directx.

If you purchased a standard CFS3 "box" product from your favorite retailer or web distributor, your will want to download and apply these v3.1 updates.

Update Installation: Installing the update requires 30 megabytes of space on your PC's hard drive. Backups of files that have changed are stored in a folder called "Backup" in your Combat Flight Simulator 3 directory. If the CFS3 Update has been successfully installed on your machine, you can remove this backup directory to reclaim the space occupied by the Backup folder.

Note: Installation of the Combat Flight Simulator 3 update installs a new configuration profile, which enables CFS3 on more machines. This configuration profile is stored on a per-user basis. If you have more than one user account on the PC where you run CFS3, you will need to install the CFS3 update under each account for the appropriate configuration changes to take effect.

Cancel Button: During the update process, a Cancel button is available that allows you to stop the installation process. Clicking Cancel will stop the installation of the update, but may leave Combat Flight Simulator 3 in an incomplete state. You will need to either restart and complete the installation of the update, or reinstall Combat Flight Simulator 3 to ensure that the simulation functions properly.

Custom Aircraft: If you have installed any add-ons which have changed the list of aircraft that came with Combat Flight Simulator 3, you may be unable to install the update. If this is the case, you will see an error message during update installation stating that certain original files could not be found. To work around this error, please restore the original Combat Flight Simulator 3 aircraft files; you may need to uninstall and reinstall Combat Flight Simulator 3 to do this.

Uninstalling the CFS3 Update: There are two methods to uninstall the CFS3 update.  The recommended method is to simply uninstall and reinstall Combat Flight Simulator 3. This will ensure that Combat Flight Simulator 3 is restored to its original state.

Another method of uninstalling the CFS3 update is to use the automatically-created backups of files that are modified during the update process.

To use the backup files:

1. Locate the Backup folder within your Combat Flight Simulator 3 folder. On most machines, this is located at C:\Program Files\Microsoft Games\Combat Flight Simulator 3\Backup.
2. Find the unpatch.bak file located in this folder and rename it as "unpatch.bat."
   • Right-click the unpatch.bak file and select Properties from the menu.
   • Type unpatch.bat where the filename unpatch.bak is displayed.
   • Click OK to close the Properties window.
3. Double-click the renamed unpatch.bat file.
4. Locate your Combat Flight Simulator 3 folder.
5. Rename "cfs3configdatabase.txt.bak" to "cfs3configdatabase.txt".

For a list of fixes and improvements, please read the CFS3 Update v3.1 release notes.

The CFS3 Update v3.1 contains several fixes to improve the gameplay, controls, and configuration of CFS3.

DOWNLOAD NOW English 4.2MB
DOWNLOAD NOW French 4.2MB
DOWNLOAD NOW German 4.2MB
DOWNLOAD NOW Italian 4.2MB
DOWNLOAD NOW Japanese 5.1MB
DOWNLOAD NOW Spanish 4.2MB

Combat Flight Simulator 3 SDKs

Download the latest Software Development Kits (SDKs) to enhance your gaming enjoyment. You'll find descriptions of these SDK below. Check this site often to download the latest CFS3 tools.

Although portions of the SDKs may prove useful to Combat Flight Simulator enthusiasts with little or no programming experience, keep in mind that many parts of the SDKs assume familiarity with XML, the C programming language, and game development.

Combat Flight Simulator 3 Mission Pack

Two new missions are available for Combat Flight Simulator 3! These missions, which were designed with multiplayer in mind, will get you into action quickly.

Death Beach
Death Beach is a historically-oriented mission that takes place during the Normandy invasion. Allied troops are storming the beaches of Normandy; unfortunately, a nasty surprise awaits them. A reserve German tank company has moved in to act as coastal artillery, and is hammering the landing craft as they come ashore. You are flight leader of a section of P-51Bs loaded with Bazooka rockets and bombs. Take out those tanks!

Death Beach can be played as a cooperative or competitive multiplayer mission. Because it starts in the air near the battleground, you won't need to fly for extended periods of time to reach the action. German players man an intercept flight of Bf-109s scrambled to protect the platoon.

Defend Factory
The Defend Factory mission is simply a free-for-all shooting-gallery type mission, and is not based on any historical events. German armored vehicles are attacking an allied factory. As pilot of a flight of Typhoons, you must destroy the attacking tanks before they cause heavy damage to the factory. The mission is challenging because the tanks attack quickly—as flight leader, you will need to prioritize what is attacked first.

The Defend Factory mission can be played cooperatively.

DOWNLOAD NOW 150KB

Note: The mission installer uses Microsoft Windows Installer technology. You have Windows Installer installed on your machine if you are running Windows 2000 or Windows XP, or have installed any major application that uses Windows Installer.

If this file does not run correctly, you may need to install Windows Installer. You can do so via these links:

Windows Installer 2.0 Redistributable for Windows NT 4.0 and 2000

Windows Installer 2.0 Redistributable for Windows 95, 98, and Me

Combat Flight Simulator 3 Windowblinds Skin

Download the ALL-NEW Combat Flight Simulator 3 WindowBlinds skin and turn your desktop into a virtual WW II experience! Customize virtually every part of Windows (start bar, title bars, buttons, etc)... you'll feel like you're on the tarmac, ready to speed across the English Channel every time you fire up your PC!

WindowBlinds lets users completely customize the Windows user interface. It can change your title bars, push buttons, scroll bars, borders, radio buttons, Start bar, and virtually every other part of Windows.

Once you've downloaded the .ZIP file, save the two files which are included to the directory of your choice. Locate and double click on the CFS3_WindowBlinds.exe file. This will install WindowBlinds. Once you've done that, right click on your desktop, choose Properties, choose the WindowBlinds tab, and then select the CFS3 skins!