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Liftoff: FPV Drone Racing Liftoff: Night Fever DLC Liftoff: Academy Liftoff: Drone Racing (PS4, Xbox One) Liftoff: Micro Drones Business & partnerships
Remotes and controllers
Project status
Distribution and Platform
Physics and flight behaviour
Performance and crashes
Gameplay and content
Console & availability
PlayStation 4 & PlayStation Plus
Xbox One & Xbox Live Gold
What input devices are supported?
Are piloting skills required to play?
How do Giftboxes work?
My game runs slow
What is a Liftoff Pro Account?
Citrix Workspace makes Liftoff crash
Do I have to install the latest console update in order to play the game?
My Taranis does not work anymore (Windows 10)
How do I connect an input device?
On what platform is the game available?
Is PlayStation Plus required to play online multiplayer?
Can I test Liftoff Academy?
Can I use a DJI remote?
I want to promote my product in Liftoff
Is PlayStation Plus required to play offline singleplayer?
When will Liftoff Academy be available?
How do I get updates?
How to redeem a code in Liftoff?
I have PlayStation 4 network connection issues
Do I need Liftoff to play Night Fever?
I have an issue with Steam
My input device is not being recognized!
I have issues connecting to multiplayer
Is the Night Fever DLC free?
Liftoff is difficult!
What are the system requirements?
Do I have to install the latest console update in order to play the game?
The physics feel weird
Is Liftoff realistic?
Is VR supported in Liftoff: Drone Racing?
Is Xbox Live Gold required to play online multiplayer?
Is Liftoff a simulator or a game?
Liftoff flies differently from my real drone
Does Liftoff: Drone Racing support crossplay?
Is Xbox Live Gold required to play offline singleplayer?
Where can I get Liftoff?
What's included in the DLC?
What is the difference between Full Assist and Acro flight mode?
I have Xbox One network connection issues
What languages does Liftoff support?
Can I play with people who don't have Night Fever?
What does Hold Altitude do?
I can't connect to multiplayer on Xbox One
My game crashes!
When can we get a new environment or frame?
The physics feel weird, what is happening?
How do I fly with a game controller?
Is Liftoff available on Mac or Linux?
Is this an exact port of the PC version?
How can I play with friends?
How can I buy the PlayStation 4 version?
Can I use a game controller?
Can I use my regular RC transmitter?
How can I save recordings?
How do I buy the Xbox One version?
I have an idea or suggestion
When will the game be available?
How can I replay saved recordings?
Help! This game is hard.
Is Liftoff a VR game?
Can I get a physical copy of the game?
Which languages are supported in Liftoff: Drone Racing?
A little box pops up, asking how I want to play Liftoff.
With thousands of input devices on the market, it's hard to provide an exhaustive list of hardware that Liftoff supports. In fact, at LuGus Studios we have likely never even seen a good deal of the devices that work with Liftoff. In general, if you can easily connect the device to your computer, and it has at least two stick inputs, there's a high chance it will function in Liftoff.
Some of the more popular remote brands that are used by our community:
The game system can automatically detect when a controller is plugged in, and will provide default settings for well-known controllers. This means remotes such as the Taranis will work out of the box.
Controllers that do not have default settings provided can be set up using a user-friendly tool in the game. Using the right cable (often USB) is crucial here.
Not at all! Liftoff: Drone Racing on consoles is designed to be instantly fun for everyone! Experienced pilots can have an authentic simulation experience, while new gamers will find the pick-up-and-play experience you want from any race game. Furthermore the game features extensive tutorials that help you become an experienced pilot faster than ever before. There's something for everyone!
You gain Experience from a wide range of activities. If you gain enough Experience, your level will increase and you’ll get a gift box!
You can open your gift boxes in the Workbench. For each one, you'll get to pick one of three cosmetic upgrades for your drone parts.
Liftoff can perform differently depending on the game settings and the computer it runs on. A good indication to see if your game is underperforming is to look for a red triangle in the top right corner of your screen while playing. This icon appears when your game has been running below 30 frames per second for a while.
A few options to consider:
The Liftoff Pro Account grants you access to our player progression and rewards system. This system rewards you for your achievements in-game and allows you to unlock various cosmetic items to further personalize your drone setup in the Workbench. A Liftoff Pro account is also required to participate in Liftoff Pro League tournaments, which are organized on a regular basis.
Creating a Liftoff Pro account is completely optional and free.
This issue has been fixed due to updating the engine. If you still encounter crashes with a Liftoff version 1.3+, you may want to check out other support topics.
If you are on Windows and your game is crashing, check if you have Citrix Workspace installed.
In 2019, Citrix updated its Workspace application. This new version causes many games to crash upon start due to a 'virtual display adapter' that isn't recognized by the game engine Liftoff runs on.
To fix the issue on your end, you can:
To install with a different configuration, you will have to manually run the installer with command-line arguments. To do so, follow these steps:
CitrixWorkspaceApp.exe ADDLOCAL=ReceiverInside,ICA_Client,AM,SELFSERVICE,DesktopViewer,Flash,Vd3d,WebHelper,BrowserEngine
If you want to play or communicate online, you must have installed the latest console software. New games may also require the update before you can play them.
Check the PlayStation system software page for more information.
First off, check whether your input device is being recognized at all by your computer.
Remotes using OpenTX firmware can face a driver issue introduced in a Windows 10 update (October 2019), where remotes may not be detected properly as functioning joysticks. The Windows control panel will show the controller as a joystick, but won't be picking up any input. A more technical description about the issue can be found on Github.
A (temporary) workaround is to revert the drivers to their previous version. However, this option is not always available, depending on when the Windows 10 update got installed as well as when you last connected your drive. This document details a few steps you can take to get things working again:
Liftoff-Windows-10-Reinstall-Remote-USB-Driver.pdf
Additionally, make sure you have the right cable to connect the Taranis to your PC, and select the "joystick" option, rather than the "MassStorage" option when the question appears on your screen.
The game system can automatically detect when a controller is plugged in, and will provide default settings for well-known controllers. This means remotes such as the Taranis will work out of the box.
Controllers that do not have default settings provided can be set up using a user-friendly tool in the game. Using the right cable (often USB) is crucial here. If your input device isn't being recognized, make sure to check whether your system can read input from it.
Liftoff: Drone Racing is only available on Xbox One and PlayStation 4. The PC version called Liftoff: FPV Drone Racing is available on Steam.
Make sure to check our store page.
Yes, you need to be a member of PlayStation Plus or have a local user account on the subscriber’s ‘Primary PS4’ to play many games online.
We love your enthusiasm! Liftoff Academy is currently still in an early development and prototyping stage..That means there is no fully playable version at this time. Whenever we are in need of testers, you'll hear about it on this website and through our community channels. Thank you!
For the longest time, DJI remotes were not compatible with the majority of simulators on the market. However, the company has recently released a series of updates (12/2/2019) that allow DJI customers to use their remotes with Liftoff: FPV Drone Racing. This DJI forum post seems to confirm that news. However the team at LuGus Studios has not tested this and as such cannot verify this at the moment, so make sure to check with the DJI community and support to be sure.
For more information, please refer to DJI support page and forums. If you are experiencing issues connecting your DJI remote with Liftoff, we recommend contacting DJI support via support@dji.com.
We are always interested in working with manufacturers and companies to bring their products to the Liftoff simulators and consider product placement agreements on a case-by-case basis.
Adding a product to a Liftoff simulator always involves a shared vision and shared investment between LuGus Studios and the party involved. Our number one rule is that the every product needs be a good fit for the project and must add value for the players. We love creating partnerships with companies that offer great products we feel our community will enjoy.
How does this work and what do we offer?
We look forward to working with you. Feel free to contact the team directly using info@lugus-studios.be
No, all singleplayerfeatures are available to everyone.
Liftoff Academy is a big project that contains a lot of interesting development challenges. The team at LuGus Studios is always working on meeting many development milestones, while still supporting and updating or other game projects. As a result of this organic development, it's hard to provide an exact time frame for the release of the project. That being said, we hope to have an early playable version available by the end of 2020 or the beginning of 2021.
The team at LuGus Studios has currently released over a 100 free updates for Liftoff, all of which are available as an automatic update on Steam. If your game is not updating, make sure you are connected to the web and check your Steam update settings.
Not sure if you have the latest version? Check the latest development update to see what the current version number of the game should be. You can compare that to the version number displayed in the bottom left corner of the game's main menu.
Liftoff includes a code system used to redeem in-game content. You might receive such a code by participating in specific tournaments, community events, or by buying specific items from our partners for instance.
In order to redeem a code, you need a Liftoff Pro Account. Then, please follow these steps:
For questions related to the PlayStation 4 network, please check the Sony PlayStation support page
Night Fever is Downloadable Content (DLC) for Liftoff: FPV Drone Racing. You need to own and download the base game first in order to make use of the Night Fever DLC content.
Liftoff: FPV Drone Racing is distributed through Steam, but the team at LuGus Studios is not involved with the development and support of the Steam platform itself. For any issues related to Steam, please contact Steam Support.
The first thing to figure out is whether your computer as a whole recognizes your input device. If it doesn't, Liftoff obviously can't either.
HTML5 Gamepad Tester is an online tool that allows you to test whether your system can read input from an input device. HTML5 Gamepad Tester is supported in most common, modern browsers, with the exception of Safari.
If this page says that no gamepad is detected, the problem is likely external to Liftoff. To diagnose the problem further, you can try some of the other support topics under the Remotes and controllers section.
Next, it could be that Steam, the distribution platform on which Liftoff: FPV Drone Racing is hosted, is overriding your controller configuration. To check if that is the case, open your Steam client and navigate to the Steam/Settings menu. Once there, click on the Controller subsection and click the General Controller Settings button.
In the following window, ensure that PlayStation Configuration Support, Xbox Configuration Support, Switch Pro Configuration Support and Generic Gamepad Configuration are toggled off. If not, Steam hijacks the controller for use with its input system, which does not match the one used by Liftoff.
Taranis is a common controller brand in the FPV world. If you are on Windows, and are using a Taranis controller that doesn't work or has stopped working, please check the dedicated support page.
If your input device isn't being recognized, there still could be a variety of issues at play. The wide range of controllers in use in the FPV community and supported by Liftoff can make these problems complicated to diagnose. Take a look at some other support topics to get started.
For questions related to the PlayStation 4 network, please check the Sony PlayStation support page
Although we have the habit of releasing hundreds of free updates, Night Fever is our first (and currently only) paid content update for Liftoff: FPV Drone Racing. This DLC is completely optional and is not required to continue playing Liftoff.
Liftoff has realistic flight behavior, meaning that every second you fly in Liftoff is like flying a real drone. This realism means the game can be quite hard for starting pilots. It's normal to struggle in the first few hours of gameplay, but, as with everything: practice makes perfect.
For beginning pilots, we recommend the following:
Additionally Liftoff has a fantastic community who are always happy to help new players. Record and share your flight gameplay on our community channels and don't hesitate to ask other players for advice and feedback.
In order to have a smooth experience, the computer on which you run Liftoff must meet certain requirements. These requirements are also displayed on the Steam store page.
Your computer should at least meet the Minimum requirements in order to guarantee minimal performance and stability. If it does not, the game may fail to load or crash unexpectedly. The Recommended requirements are what we recommend for a smooth experience.
Additional Notes: The game is only playable with a game controller or remote. Single screen setups are recommended. Integrated Intel HD graphics cards are not recommended.
Additional Notes: The game is only playable with a game controller or remote. Single screen setups are recommended. Integrated Intel HD graphics cards are not recommended.
Additional Notes: The game is only playable with a game controller or remote. Single screen setups are recommended. Integrated Intel HD graphics cards are not recommended. RX2SIM is not supported.
If you want to play or communicate on Xbox Live, you must have installed the latest console software. New games may also require the update before you can play them.
About system updates on Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One
With Liftoff: FPV Drone Racing, we aim to get the flight behavior and physics as close to real life as possible. While a simulation can never mimic real physics 100%, we are confident we have reached very desirable result with our latest physics developments. If physics in Liftoff feel off to you, it might be worth looking into a few other factors that can affect your experience:
Click here to learn more about the simulation systems in Liftoff
While no simulator is ever 100% realistic, the team at LuGus Studios aims to make Liftoff: FPV Drone Racing as realistic as technically possible. The authentic flight behavior in our simulator is the result of dozens of different simulated systems working together.
In Liftoff: FPV Drone Racing, every single piece of drone hardware uses its exact real-life statistics, which are factored into the calculation of the flight behavior. We calculate ground effects, drag (based on air density, frame tilt,…), weight (based on drone parts) and every other factor you would expect. Liftoff simulates damage, calculates signal degradation based on distance and obstacles, and even has a working virtual flight controller that stabilizes your flight behavior according to your settings.The only thing we can’t simulate is a detailed aerodynamics model, which would be too computationally complex.
Click here to learn more about the simulation systems in Liftoff
Unfortunately, Liftoff: Drone Racing does not support any kind of VR.
Though FPV drone racing might look a little like a virtual reality experience, the goggles used by racing pilots function quite differently from VR headsets.
Many of Liftoff's characteristics, especially its fast-paced gameplay, are incompatible with a good VR experience. We would not be able to provide an enjoyable and comfortable VR experience, which is top priority for any VR game.
Yes, Xbox Live Gold is required to play multiplayer sessions with others.
Liftoff: FPV Drone Racing is a game that simulates real FPV flight behavior. A project can simultaneously be a simulator and a game. If executed correctly, the two will complement one another. Liftoff contains a lot of fun game elements that make the simulation aspects new and fresh every time. None of the flight behavior in Liftoff is scripted: it is the result of dozens of different simulated systems working together.
Click here to learn more about the simulation systems in Liftoff
Every drone setup is a little different, both real drones and virtual ones.
Drones in Liftoff behave based on their exact combination of parts and the flight controller settings used on the virtual flight controller. The number of parts in Liftoff allows for more than a 100 million unique combinations, each of which will have different characteristics. Given that wide range of possibilities, it is fair to say your virtual drone might not fly the same as your real-life drone out of the box.
What can you do when your real and virtual drones feel different?
Click here to learn more about the simulation systems in Liftoff
No, Liftoff: Drone Racing does not support crossplay between different platforms.
Liftoff on consoles and on PC are considered different games and in an effort to make the game the best possible version on each platform have a few key differences related to flight behaviour and multiplayer functionality. As such, crossplay between those platforms would not offer a balanced experience.
No, all singleplayer features are available for everyone.
Liftoff is only available on the digital distribution platform Steam. Please check out our dedicated Steam page.
Liftoff Steam keys may be available for purchase on other stores as well, but you will always need the Steam software to redeem the key and download the game.
Full Assist handles much of the complexity of drone piloting for you. Your drone levels automatically and helps you turn. It is recommended for beginning players. Acro is a realistic, completely manual control scheme. Drone orientation is fully up to you. It is targeted at seasoned race pilots.
In between these extremes, there's two transitional control schemes:
Check the Flight options menu for an overview of your flight controls.
For questions related to the Xbox One network, please check the Xbox One support page.
Liftoff: FPV Drone Racing is currently only available in English and French. We may add additional language support in future updates.
Want to help us translate the game to your language? Let us know: team@lugus-studios.be
We wouldn't want Liftoff's community to get split up. That's why players who do not own the Night Fever DLC can still join Night Fever multiplayer lobbies. DLC owners will play in the night version, while others will simply see the daytime version.
If you enable the Hold Altitude assist feature, your drone will automatically try to maintain your altitude. If instead you choose Manual Control, it’s up to you to keep your drone airborne. If you additionally enable the Checkpoint Altitude feature, your drone will attempt to match the altitude of your next checkpoint during races.
Check the Flight options menu for an overview of your flight controls.
For questions related to the Xbox One network, please check the Xbox One support page.
A game crash could be caused by a wide range of issues. Below is a list of common problems that you can check.
Check if your computer meets the minimum requirements to run Liftoff: FPV Drone Racing. If it does not, this is a likely cause for the instability. As long as you use the same Steam account, you can always install the game on a new computer.
If you are on Windows and your game is crashing, check if you have Citrix Workspace installed.
Make sure your hardware drivers are all up to date. Outdated drivers may make the game unstable.
If the above information didn't help, we are happy to help you investigate the crashes and pinpoint the culprit. After a crash, please send us the log file that is generated by the game. You can find this log file by following these steps:
Liftoff version 1.3.0 or newer:
Navigate to the following address in your Windows Explorer window:
%APPDATA%\..\LocalLow\LuGus Studios\Liftoff\
Older Liftoff versions:
Follow these steps:
macOS version 10.14 or earlier
Open console.app, open the '~/Library/Logs' category, Find the 'Player.log' file.
macOS version 10.15 and later
Open console.app, open the 'Log Reports' category, find the 'Player.log' file.
Send the log file to team@lugus-studios.be
Since the first Early Access version was released in 2015, the team at LuGus Studios has continuously worked on new updates, containing environments and drone frames, even today. Frames can take from a week to a month of work to produce, and environments often take many months. That's why we are only able to release a few of each per year. Nonetheless new content is always on its way and can be expected in future updates.
If physics feel off to you, it might be worth looking into a few factors that can affect your experience:
To experienced pilots, flying with a game controller might feel a little strange. Compared to traditional RC transmitters, they have a much lower input resolution and self-centering sticks that make throttle management harder. The assist features also help combat this handicap. If you are a seasoned race pilot, considered flying with the Acro and Hold Altitude features to compensate for the self-centering stick.
Our (optional) assist features can completely change your flight experience. Various levels of help are available. Make sure to check the Flight options menu for an overview of your flight controls. Additionally, try out the tutorials, which will familiarize you with the basic assisted flight and the more advanced Acro experience.
Every drone is completely different and every pilot has their favorite combination of parts. Any change you make in the Workbench can radically change your flight experience. Make sure to check the stats in the Workbench to get an indication of how your drone will behave.
Just like in real life, your flight controller settings may need to be tuned to suit your exact flying style, preferences and components. Though the provided default should cover a wide range of builds, a lot can be achieved by experimenting with these settings. These settings can be tuned in the Flight Controller Settings window in the Workbench or the pause menu.
Finally, looking at a screen can play tricks on your sense of scale. The environment might be considerably bigger than it appears, resulting in a feeling of slow flying, while in fact you are moving quite fast.
Liftoff: Drone Racing is designed to be a genuine console experience and having a great experience with a game controller has been a key goal since the start of development.
A series of clever improvements and Assisted Flight features will make the use of game controller considerably more viable and natural. Tests have shown that Liftoff: Drone Racing offers pick-up & play experience for people new to drone racing.
Flying with a game controller might feel a bit strange to experienced pilots. Game controllers, compared to traditional RC Transmitters, have a lower input resolution, and also have a center-stick function that makes throttle management a lot harder. Nonetheless a series of Assist Features have been added to the game to help combat the handicap created by the gamecontroller. If you are an experienced pilot, please try out the following settings in the Flight options menu: Acro + Checkpoint Altitude. While not a substitute to a real flight experience, it takes away the challenges of the center-stick behaviour.
Real life FPV hero (and in-game mentor) Joshua Bardwell has some additional tips:
Liftoff is available on Windows, Mac and Linux. Make sure your system meets the minimum system requirements listed on the Liftoff Steam page, before you purchase the game for your platform.
A lot of content is shared between both versions, but there are some key differences between the PC and console games.
While Liftoff: Drone Racing on consoles feels familiar for fans of Liftoff: FPV Drone Racing on PC, the look and feel of the game saw a major rework. The game has a stronger focus on the single player experience, tutorials and usability for gamers not yet familiar with drone racing. There's even a new soundtrack. Additionally, we made sure that playing with a game controller feels natural and provides a smooth experience.
Multiplayer offers many options for flying with friends. You can explore freely in a multiplayer Free Flight session or challenge each other in Race mode. All multiplayer activities have a wide range of options. Check it out!
Liftoff: Drone Racing is available as a boxed version at your usual game retailer. The digital version can be bought here:
Though true RC remotes offer a better experience, Liftoff also supports many popular game controllers.
These game controllers do give you a slight handicap compared to players with specialized remotes, since they have limited sensitivity and sticks that snap back to the center position.
Unfortunately, Liftoff: Drone Racing does not support any transmitters right now. Even though the game internally is perfectly capable of reading input from a wide variety of devices, consoles do not support this out of the box. Transmitter support is not considered a standard behaviour on any console.
However, we are currently looking for a possible implementation in future updates. While we can't make any promises, we will not shy away from exploring all options. Any permission of this kind are considered on a case by case basis, and allowing them for one game does not mean they are available to every game and developer.
Liftoff: Drone Racing is designed to be a genuine console experience and having a great experience with a game controller has been a key goal since the start of development. A series of clever improvements and "Assisted Flight" features will make the use of game controller considerably more viable and natural.
Your flights are recorded automatically. In Race mode, you will have the option to save your recordings once you cross the finish line. In Free Flight, you can save your previous flight (up to the last drone reset) from the pause menu.
Not sure how to watch a recording? Make sure to check our dedicated support topic.
Liftoff: Drone Racing is available as a boxed version at your usual game retailer. The digital version can be bought here:
That's fantastic, we are curious to hear what you have in mind. It's fair to say that many of the top features in Liftoff: FPV Drone Racing are the result of community feedback and ideas. Liftoff would not be what it is today without the input from a vibrant player base.
We are always happy to hear your ideas and would encourage everyone to share them on our community channels. Feel free to join our Facebook Community Group, Steam forums or Discord Channel.
Liftoff: Drone Racing will be available in digital stores at the 10th November. The retail release of the Liftoff: Drone Racing - Deluxe Edition happens at the 24th November.
Make sure to check our store page.
You can find the Replay menu under the Tools section of the mainmenu. Select the properties of the recording you made and you're ready to go!
Not sure how to do a recording? Check out our dedicated support topic.
Everything in Liftoff: Drone Racing is simulated realistically, which makes it a pretty hardcore experience. Never fear: we want you to be able to have a pick-up & play experience even as a newcomer. The game offers a series of assist features, making it possible for pilots of all skill levels to enjoy the game instantly. These features also make the use of a game controller considerably more viable and natural.
Our (optional) assist features can completely change your flight experience. Various levels of help are available. Make sure to check the Flight options menu for an overview of your flight controls. Additionally, try out the tutorials, which will familiarize you with the basic assisted flight and the more advanced Acro experience.
To experienced pilots, flying with a game controller might feel a little strange. Compared to traditional RC transmitters, they have a much lower input resolution and self-centering sticks that make throttle management harder. The assist features also help combat this handicap. If you are an seasoned race pilot, considered flying with the Acro and Hold Altitude features to compensate for the self-centering stick.
Real life FPV hero (and in-game mentor) Joshua Bardwell has some additional tips:
Though FPV drone racing might look a little like a virtual reality experience, the goggles used by racing pilots function quite differently from VR headsets.
Many of Liftoff's characteristics, especially its fast-paced gameplay, are incompatible with a good VR experience, as our internal tests have shown. We would not be able to provide an enjoyable and comfortable VR experience, which is top priority for a VR game.
Yes, Liftoff: Drone Racing should be available as a boxed version at your usual game retailer. The boxed version will be available 2 weeks after the digital release of the game: November 24, 2020.
Liftoff: Drone Racing is supported in German, English (American), French, Italian, Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, Dutch, Turkish, Russian, Korean, Japanese, Chinese (simplified) and Chinese (traditional).
Before the game starts from Steam, you'll see one of these little dialogs.
Much as we'd like it, stuff doesn't just magically get drawn onto your screen. To make things show up, a game talks to specialized software calling a rendering API. There's many different rendering APIs, some tied to specific operating systems, some very generic, some old, some new.
Our strategy with Liftoff: FPV Drone Racing was always to support the lowest common denominator: rendering APIs that are well established and widely supported. Unfortunately, that meant many of you were missing out on some more modern rendering techniques that could benefit game performance.
The newly added dialog at startup means we can have our cake and eat it too. The default selected option will give you the exact same behavior as before. If you have a reasonably modern system, you can try out the new rendering options (see below) and potentially enjoy performance benefits. If it doesn't work out or you encounter issues, you can simply exit the game and switch right back.
For the Windows and Linux versions of the game, Vulkan has been added as a new rendering option. Vulkan is a new generation graphics API that was originally conceptualized as a successor to the well-established OpenGL. Our initial tests indicate moderate to noticeable performance gains for Liftoff: FPV Drone Racing.
For the Mac version of the game, Metal is a low-overhead graphics API developed by Apple for their platforms. Our initial tests indicate moderate performance gains for Liftoff: FPV Drone Racing.
