Comparison

ATC 4.0 vs City Gridlock

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

ATC 4.0

Take on the role of an air traffic controller and make critical decisions to manage flights and prevent disasters. Oversee all aircraft in your airspace, guiding them safely to their destinations. Thousands of passengers depend on your split-second judgment.

Highlights
  • Manage all flights in your airspace
  • Make split-second decisions to avert disaster
  • Detailed graphics with weather effects
  • Multiple plane types and airports
  • 49 challenging levels
  • Internet highscore leaderboards
  • Featured scenarios like emergencies and no-fly-zones
Features
Read full description

Control the Whole Sky! The fate of thousands rests in your hands, as AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLER, you must routinely make split-second decisions to avert disaster! Are you up to the task? From the flight control center you oversee all flights in your airspace and you need to control all in and outgoing flights. Be aware that thousands of passengers depend on you! ********* SPECIAL LIMITED TIME SALE ********* To reward our loyal fans, and due to the great success of ATC 4.0, we decided to place ATC on SALE! For a limited time, ATC 4.0 will be reduced from its regular price the lowest possible price in the App Store! We initially wanted to go on sale for 1 week, but we decided to extend the sale for a little while longer. We will return to our normal price very soon, so act quickly! Thanks again to all of our loyal fans! ***** Find out what critics are saying ***** Macworld 4 ½ out 5 “In short order, ATC 4.0 has become one of my favorite iPhone games” AppCraver 10 out 10 “I dig ATC 4.0 in a major way. It’s innovative, challenging and smart. If you like sims, then you’ll want to wrap your head around this one.” SlideToPlay 3 out 4 “We found that ATC 4.0 mostly generated the good kind of stress, keeping us glued to our iPhone.” PocketGamer 7 out 10 “ATC 4.0 comes cleared for landing by the Pocket Gamer crew.” iPhone App Reviews 5 out 5 “The thing I like most is the Survival game where you simply need to clear as many planes as you can before the inevitable mid-air collision ruins your day in the tower.” ***** Game features: ***** - Detailed graphics -- from plane blinking lights and runway lights to tiny cars that drive around on the road - Weather effects, clouds, snow, etc - Wind - Night levels - Elegant touch interface and waypoint system to manage planes - Collision warning effects - Sound effects - Multiple plane types -- from small planes to jumbo jets and military fighters -- all are relying on you to guide them to their destinations! - Airports with up to 6 runways to simulate a busy airfield! If you have a mania for busy airports, you will be satisfied! - High replay value with 49 levels! - Internet highscore leaderboards -- can you compete to be the best ATC in the world? - In-game tutorial - In-game help - Featured scenarios: - day levels, snow levels, cloudy levels - plane emergencies - computers crashing - hurricane winds - high-speed military planes - Presidential visits with no-fly-zones - and more! ********************************************* UPDATE INFORMATION & FORUM DISCUSSION To participate in a discussion about ATC, come to the ATC discussion/comments page : http://www.iphoneappindex.com/2009/02/06/atc-40-control-the-whole-sky/ [ TinyURL: http://tinyurl.com/ba76cu ] (Or, just go to iphoneappindex.com and type "ATC" in the search if the above URL(s) are too hard to remember.) ********************************************** ********************************************** TWITTER USERS! Follow me on twitter for app news: http://twitter.com/cculianu **********************************************

About

City Gridlock

Engage in a city traffic simulation where you strategically place road signs and traffic lights to manage vehicle flow. Solve complex traffic challenges, divert cars, and optimize routes to prevent congestion and keep citizens happy. Unlock new features as you progress through various game modes.

Highlights
  • Traffic simulation gameplay
  • Strategic placement of road signs and traffic lights
  • Divert cars and optimize routes
  • 13 unique levels
  • Time attack and manual control game modes
  • Unlock new game features
Features
Read full description

Turn traffic chaos into a city that flows. City Gridlock is a traffic simulation puzzle game where every sign and signal matters. Study the routes, spot the bottlenecks, and decide how to keep the city moving. Place road signs, program traffic lights, and divert cars around busy intersections. Press GO and watch your plan come to life. Cars head toward their destinations, buses stop to collect passengers, and queues begin to form. Keep drivers moving before their patience runs out, then adjust your strategy to improve traffic efficiency. Want a different challenge? Switch traffic lights yourself in Manual Control, or find the fastest way to clear the city in Time Attack. Features: - 10+ unique traffic puzzles; - 8 Time Attack levels; - 8 Manual Control levels; - Place traffic lights and fine-tune their timing; - Redirect traffic with road signs and roadblocks; - View vehicle paths to understand routes and plan your solution; - Explore cities in daylight, at sunset, in the evening, and at night; - Enjoy dynamic lighting, glowing headlights, and real-time shadows; - Unlock new features and increase your player level; - Compare your scores with other players; - No ads or content locked behind in-app purchases. Can you keep the whole city moving?

Screenshots

ATC 4.04 screens
City Gridlock4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: ATC 4.0 at 53% against City Gridlock's 0%. ATC 4.0 also leads on ratings volume (13 vs 2) and price ($0.99 vs $2.99). City Gridlock's advantage is rating (4.5 vs 3.2) and in-app purchases (none vs 2). On update cadence, ads, monetization model and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

ATC 4.0 costs $0.99 and City Gridlock $2.99 up front. ATC 4.0 sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. City Gridlock asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

City Gridlock holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 3.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: ATC 4.0 has 13 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 53% of ATC 4.0's written reviews are positive against 0% of City Gridlock's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

ATC 4.0 ships an update every 4 weeks, City Gridlock monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 27, 2026 and October 18, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
ATC 4.0 versus City Gridlock: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterATC 4.0City Gridlock
Price$0.99 — better$2.99
Rating3.2 (13 ratings)4.5 (2 ratings) — better
Positive reviews52.7% of reviews — better0.0% of reviews
Number of ratings13 — better2
Update frequencyEvery 4 weeks — betterMonthly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationPaidPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad, Mac — better
Requires iOS8.0 — better17.6
Further details — not scored
Size47 MB274 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperC3 SoftwareLucky Loot

Customer experience

ATC 4.0

All ratings13 ratings
Positive53.8%
Neutral7.7%
Negative38.5%
Written reviews319 reviews
Positive52.7%
Neutral15.0%
Negative32.3%

City Gridlock

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral100.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

ATC 4.0

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Game crashes or freezes on certain devices
  • Levels become impossible to complete past a certain point

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add altitude control for planes
  • Improve runway and plane size for better visibility
  • Implement better collision detection and avoidance
  • Provide more level variety and difficulty progression
  • Add more realistic air traffic control features

City Gridlock

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

2 purchases

ATC 4.0

One-time2
  • Adventure Pack$0.99
  • Military Pack$0.99
None

City Gridlock

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is ATC 4.0 free?
ATC 4.0 costs $0.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Is City Gridlock free?
City Gridlock costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, ATC 4.0 or City Gridlock?
City Gridlock is rated higher. ATC 4.0 averages 3.2 out of 5 from 13 ratings, while City Gridlock averages 4.5 from 2 ratings.
Do ATC 4.0 or City Gridlock have ads?
Neither ATC 4.0 nor City Gridlock shows ads.
Which is updated more often, ATC 4.0 or City Gridlock?
ATC 4.0 ships an update every 4 weeks, and City Gridlock monthly. Most recently, ATC 4.0 was updated on October 27, 2026 and City Gridlock on October 18, 2026.

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