Birds of Steel provided the base work for Gaijin Entertainment's MMO game War Thunder.

Birds of Steel gives players command over famous warbirds of the World War II period, such as the F4F Wildcat and the A6M Zero.

Activating the throttle, or WEP (War Emergency Power), provides a major boost in flight speed.

g-forces are applied in this mode; the pilot can black- or red-out from pulling sustained G's for extended periods, resulting in the screen becoming filled with either color, obscuring the player's vision.

Aircraft can experience flutter and break apart if flying above their historical structural limits, and can rip their wings if pulled too hard, especially at high speed.