Good old Games has it for the same price at the moment and there is no Steam DRM.
IL-2 1946 at GoG: IL-2 Sturmovik™: 1946 on GOG.com
The game will run on a Windows 10 system quite nicely. Just make sure not to install the game into the default file path that includes either the Program Files or Program Files (x86) folders. Create your own folder on the C drive and install it into it instead.
Wheels
For the price it’s definitely a good buy, especially if you get the latest patches which add a few planes that '46 didn’t have at release. Bear in mind you’re looking at a game that is almost 20 years old, with the last commercial release being in '06-'07 ('46 itself). It’s also got a strong modding community behind it.
Yes it’s an old game, and you have to treat it as such. Graphics are dated, flight models are good but not outstanding. Damage model is still pretty decent though.
However, if you can get past those pitfalls, it can be amazing. There are HUGE, amazing add-on mods you can get. With various combinations of mods, you can recreate every single front of WWII from start to finish in full dynamic campaign glory. Western front? Check. Eastern front? Check.
Africa? Check. Pacific? Check. All the way from September 1st, 1939 to September 2nd, 1945 (and beyond). There are also plenty of non-WWII static campaigns, such as Spanish Civil War, Korea, etc.
The Special Aircraft Service is a good place to start. Some good mod packs include Battlefield Airborne Tactical (BAT), VP Modpack, and HSFX 7. BAT has a huge amount of extra campaigns here that you can add too.
Bottom line, for $2.49 you owe it to yourself to give it a whirl.
You have to be careful with the mods since none of them will work with the current version of IL-2 1946. The mod community split from the Official patch versions at v4.12.2m whereas the Official version is at v4.14.1m.
Steam has been keeping their version updated to the most recent Official version making modding the Steam version a little more difficult.
This patching guide at M4T will show you multiple patching options that are available to you.
The links for HSFX at SAS are broken but you can still download the files from M4T.
Don’t bother with the auto updater since the 242 squadron shut down their website in 2016 and are no longer keeping it updated. HSFX version 7.03 is the final version.
The vpmodpack can be found at M4T also.
VP Modpack for 4.12.2: Mission4Today › Downloads 4 Mods › VP Modpack for 4.12
Wheels
Ah yes, very good points. I’ve got an old disk so I usually have to upgrade to v4.12, but the GoG or Steam versions may be later ones. I’d hope there would be a way to get the older versions but can’t be certain.
Regardless, the base 1946 package is still pretty darn good.
Definitely yes if you have enough time to play it 
As others pointed out, there is enormous amount of content out there for the Il2 1946.
Just two comments from my side:
I have actually gone ahead and bought it. I mean its 2 quid…
I also got f117 stealth fighter 2 as that was an irritating hole in my collection that I wouldn’t mind revisiting (not that it’s related to il2)
I see IL-2 is on sale via steam right now. Are there particular recommendations you guys could make to a new player looking to potentially purchase the title? Are any better in VR than others?
Whoops looks like a similar question was just asked a few posts up. I’ll do a bit of reading 
Are you talking about the new IL-2 Great Battles series?
IL-2 1946 doesn’t have VR support, but the new product line does.
The IL-2 Great Battles consist of battle of:
And with Normandy on the way.
There’s also Flying Circus, which is the successor to Rise of Flight. Actually, the whole series are a continuation of the Rise of Flight engine.
VR works great in the whole franchise.
You should focus on the map and the planes you like.
Thanks Troll! After watching Spitfire on NF this weekend it makes me want to fly some WW2 stuff which personally I don’t feel DCS excels at.
Great Battles is certainly the way to go nowadays, and while it doesn’t have the same diverse planeset as '46, it still offers the Spitfire Vb and Spitfire IXe. '46 might look a little bit dated if you’re used to DCS-level graphics:
I think that what DCS has got in the WW2 arena is very good. It’s just that it’s not a whole lot of it, yet.
IL-2 Great Battles is very good! Flying mostly on the Rheinland and Arras maps, presently.
Steam let’s you use 4.12.2, it’s under beta’s so you can still use mods
IL2 Great Battles series ( BOS, BOM, BOK…) is also on sale.
I think it’s a question of value. A DCS WWII aircraft costs $50 normally, then the asset pack + Normandy bundle is $60. Finally, a campaign is an additional $10 on top of that. In contrast, a premium Great Battles title is $80, $50 if it’s the regular version, and unlocks one map for single player uses, plus comes with a career generator for the included aircraft. To top it off, you can play multiplayer on any map provided there’s an aircraft you own present in the scenario. The tradeoff is a reduction in complexity, more of a game feeling as opposed to the strict accuracy that DCS offers. I’d term IL-2 as “authentic” because you really feel there, even though a few parts are missing from the experience.
DCS just doesn’t offer enough meat for the price paid; you get a very realistic aircraft but not much else. I can appreciate the time spent on the modeling, but I have a very hard time suggesting someone burn $120 to find out if they like what DCS offers. No, the TF-51 doesn’t count! 
I’d also argue there isn’t that much trade-off for a WWII bird. For a modern jet, abstracting down to a few key presses looses a lot (look at Flaming Cliffs vs. F/A-18, etc.), but relatively little is lost for a Mustang. You still have control over your main interactions with the plane, such as prop pitch, mixture, radiators, and basic weapon controls, and most of those commands correspond to a single switch in the cockpit anyway. I appreciate DCS for allowing me to interact with and learn every single switch in the cockpit, and I often find myself using a command in Il-2 and looking and seeing the same switches moving around.
What Il-2 looses in exacting fidelity, though, it more than makes up for in atmosphere. For the eastern fronts especially, you have everything you need to recreate the battles, from bombers to attackers to fighters to a transport, plus all the ground units like trains, tanks, cars, artillery, and so much more. DCS offers a map (good), ground units (also good), but only five fighters and an AI bomber at the moment. More are coming, but it still seems a little sterile. Hard to explain, but it feels like DCS was built around the aircraft modelling and the environment was an afterthought, while Il-2 feels like the experience is the main event, and the aircraft systems modelling is there to support (while still being good in it’s own right). Given all the switches are already animated in Il-2 for startup and control manipulation, it makes you wonder if anyone has considered modelling in a clickable cockpit. . .
Well, considering this is an Il-2 1946 thread, I think I’ve derailed it enough! In my defense, Il-2 1946 and Great Battles are similar in system abstraction levels. 
1 more question and I promise not to de rail further.
I’ve bought 1946. But if I would purchase BOS…
My question is it better to buy direct from the website or from steam.
Does it make a difference?
Steam takes some of the money…
The launcher for IL-2 Great Battles is really easy to operate and checks for updates and auto logs in every time.
I agree. All I’m saying is that the meat, on offer, tastes good. 
I’d vote for going directly through their site. With Steam, you HAVE to buy Battle of Stalingrad before you can get anything else. Plus, you will get access to new planes/battles much quicker with the direct route. For the new Normandy planes, you’ll probably start seeing them from the direct launcher in a few months. With Steam, you’ll have to wait for the full pack to be released, which probably won’t be for at least a year (wild guess).
I did this but bought everything else through their site, which works too. It should be linked to your IL2/ROF account.
