The video in question was captured in Digital Combat Simulator, a combat flight simulation video game.
In August 2023, a video went viral on social media allegedly depicting three UFOs spotted in New Mexico. Other social media users and websites claimed it showed UFOs "intercepted by F-22 Raptors over the Nevada desert."
An eyewitness captured what appears to be 3 UFOs in New Mexico. #DramaAlert
Do you believe the footage? ?? pic.twitter.com/7zRzsWhSXY
— DramaAlert (@DramaAlert) August 1, 2023
The video in question was originally posted on TikTok by @iceman_fox1.
@iceman_fox1 BREAKING: Three UFO's are intercepted by USAF F-22 Raptors over the central Nevada desert. #ufo #uap #unidentified #aliens #nevada #extraterrestial #lasvegas #classified #congress #sightings #conspiracy #aliensighting #ufosighting #nellis #airforce #relaxitdcs #dcs #dcsworld #msfs2020 #flightsim #airforce #warbirds #avgeek #military #aviation #aviationdaily #virtualreality #vr #shorts #reels #edit #clouds #cinematic ♬ original sound - iceman_fox1
Its description read:
BREAKING: Three UFO's are intercepted by USAF F-22 Raptors over the central Nevada desert.
#ufo #uap #unidentified #aliens #nevada #extraterrestial #lasvegas #classified #congress #sightings #conspiracy #aliensighting #ufosighting #nellis #airforce #relaxitdcs #dcs #dcsworld #msfs2020 #flightsim #airforce #warbirds #avgeek #military #aviation #aviationdaily #virtualreality #vr #shorts #reels #edit #clouds #cinematic
Filmed with Digital Combat Simulator
The viral video, as its author confirmed at the bottom of the TikTok video caption, was captured in a Digital Combat Simulator (DCS) video game — in other words, the UFO video wasn't real. Moreover, the TikTok biography of the user who posted the video stated the account published "Realistic DCS videos."
(TikTok user @iceman_fox1)
The same footage was reposted on the @iceman_fox1 Instagram profile, with the same caption that read, "Filmed with Digital Combat Simulator." One social media user commented "Your videos are so real, that a guy who reports UFOs in Mexico is claiming this is 100% legit." The viral video was also published on @iceman_fox1 YouTube channel, but the description did not state that it was captured in a video game:
BREAKING: Three UFO's are intercepted by F-22 Raptors over the Nevada desert. #shorts #ufo #uap
We checked if the DCS game actually included UFO encounters, and various YouTube videos confirmed it.
Given that the viral video was captured in the Digital Combat Simulator video game, and no reputable media outlets reported on actual UFOs spotted either in New Mexico or Nevada, we have rated this claim as "Miscaptioned."
We have debunked various false rumors about UFOs in the past. For instance, in February 2023, we debunked video recorded by NASA that allegedly showed aliens flying two rectangular UFOs. In June 2023, we fact-checked a video supposedly showing an unidentified flying object in Kazakhstan.