Originally developed by Sphere for Macintosh and MS-DOS in 1987 and ported to several platforms between 1988 and 1992, the game earned commercial success and critical acclaim.

A Sega Genesis version intended to be compatible with the unreleased TeleGenesis Modem peripheral was planned but never released.

[3] An Atari Jaguar version was also in development and planned to be published by Spectrum HoloByte in 1994 but it was never released for unknown reasons.

For defense, the unnamed enemy was limited to MiG-21 interceptors, and ground-launched missiles - either the SA-2s, which are launched from identified and fixed sites on the ground, or the SA-7s, which could be fired from portable launchers and can therefore appear anywhere.

[7] The Atari ST and Amiga versions of Falcon feature a semi-dynamic campaign where the player can roam the airspace, sweep for hostile aircraft, and attack ground targets.

Computer Gaming World in 1987 called Falcon as one of the most detailed and accurate flight simulators for the microcomputer market.

[10] Atari ST User gave Falcon a glowing review writing, "In fact the whole game is well presented – it's just about one of the most polished flight sims that I've ever come across.