Comparison

Approach Control vs Space Rocket Exploration

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

Head to head
About

Approach Control

Experience the thrill of managing air traffic in a realistic simulation. Guide passenger jets to safe landings by controlling their heading, speed, and altitude, adhering to strict separation rules. This app offers an authentic taste of air traffic control.

Highlights
  • Realistic radar simulation
  • Authentic pilot voices
  • Manage heading, speed, and altitude
  • Maintain aircraft separation
  • Simulates final approach procedures
  • Earn points for efficiency
Features
Read full description

Approach Control is a highly realistic air traffic control simulation, designed by real world air traffic controllers. It uses authentic pilot voices. This app is designed to give aviation enthusiasts a taste of the world's greatest job. The radar behavior in this app is identical to that of real-world air traffic control radar screens, utilizing a 3-second sweep that air traffic controllers are accustomed to. Much work has been done to make such a complex job fit inside the palm of your hand. You are the approach controller whose job is to manage arriving passenger jets at various busy airports. Establish arriving aircraft onto 'final approach' as safely and efficiently as possible. As in the real world of ATC, you must walk a very fine line between being cautious and being expeditious. A top notch air traffic controller knows how to bring planes in 'tight', without breaking the 'three mile rule'. Keep all aircraft at least THREE MILES apart or at least 1000 FEET VERTICALLY apart. That's your job in a nutshell! Earn extra points by establishing the planes onto final approach without extra wasted space. Air traffic controlling is achieved by assigning a mixture of three things: HEADING, SPEED, and ALTITUDE. Use these three tools to achieve safety and efficiency. A successful air traffic controller must remain CALM, COOL and COLLECTED, known as the 'three C's'. Who knows, you may one day use these skills and apply for a real ATC job! Find out why real-world air traffic controllers have nerves of steel.

About

Space Rocket Exploration

Build and launch custom rockets to explore planets and moons in our solar system. Construct a space station with unlimited potential and deploy various satellites. Experience realistic space physics and astonishing graphics.

Highlights
  • Build custom rockets
  • Explore solar system planets and moons
  • Construct unlimited space stations
  • Launch and control satellites
  • Realistic space physics simulation
  • Astonishing graphics
Features
Read full description

Space Rocket Exploration gives you the ability to feel the exctiment of traveling to space and exploring planets like you never have felt and seen before. The game has astonishing graphics and physics that simulate space how it's in the real life! First part of the game is where you have to build your own rocket and launch it in the launch area! There are three stages: small stages, medium stages and larg stages. You can combine all parts of different size and make a big rocket that you can travel and discover planets further and further. Most interesting part of the game is the ability to build a Space Station in space by attaching every single part that you bring from earth. Size of Space Station is unlimited you can also add controllers to make it controllable. Satellite is another object that you can launch in space. You have many different satellites. The Game has all planets with their moons that exist in our solar system which all of them have different characteristics. Now is time for you to try it!

Screenshots

Approach Control4 screens
Space Rocket Exploration4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Space Rocket Exploration at 3.7 against Approach Control's 3.2. Space Rocket Exploration also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 5) and review sentiment (69% vs 47%). Approach Control's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and iOS requirement (6.0 vs 12.0). On price, update cadence 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

Both are free to download. Approach Control sells 5 one-off in-app purchases. Space Rocket Exploration asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Space Rocket Exploration holds the better App Store score, 3.7 against 3.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Space Rocket Exploration has 313 ratings behind it against 18, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 47% of Approach Control's written reviews are positive against 69% of Space Rocket Exploration's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Approach Control ships an update every 2 weeks, Space Rocket Exploration monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 10, 2026 and October 14, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
Approach Control versus Space Rocket Exploration: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterApproach ControlSpace Rocket Exploration
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.2 (18 ratings)3.7 (313 ratings) — better
Positive reviews46.6% of reviews69.3% of reviews — better
Number of ratings18313 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeks — betterMonthly
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesAd-supported — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS6.0 — better12.0
Further details — not scored
Size26 MB216 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperBig Fat Simulations Inc.Genc Sadiku

Customer experience

Approach Control

All ratings18 ratings
Positive50.0%
Neutral11.1%
Negative38.9%
Written reviews73 reviews
Positive46.6%
Neutral15.1%
Negative38.4%

Space Rocket Exploration

All ratings313 ratings
Positive65.8%
Neutral8.6%
Negative25.6%
Written reviews270 reviews
Positive69.3%
Neutral10.7%
Negative20.0%

User reviews

Approach Control

From 18 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Realistic feel
  • 👍 Good for passing time
  • 👍 Challenging gameplay
  • 👍 Addictive
  • 👍 Professional interface

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent crashes
  • 🐛 Game freezes
  • 🐛 Does not save progress
  • 🐛 Lacks realism in procedures
  • 🐛 Limited space for traffic

Space Rocket Exploration

From 313 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Smooth gameplay
  • 🌟 Great graphics
  • 👍 Easy to use
  • 💯 Awesome game

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Bugs and glitches
  • 🔍 Lack of tutorials
  • 🔌 Ads interrupting gameplay
  • 🔧 Difficult to build space stations

Bugs and requests

Approach Control

Reported bugs

60 issues
  • Game ends without user awareness
  • End game screen broken
  • Try again/replay button doesn't work
  • Game feels like crashing
  • Game is frozen
Show 55 more
  • Close app and re-launch needed
  • Loss of previous gameplay
  • Broke sep on aircraft over 30degrees
  • Diverting or paths won't intercept
  • Scores won't reset
  • Glitches
  • Crashes
  • Scores won't reset
  • Crashes a lot
  • Doesn't save the score
  • Crashes after playing for 10 mins or longer
  • Crashes on both iPad and iPhone
  • Doesn't save your game
  • Lose all your progress
  • 4x3 aspect ratio in a 16x9 world
  • Crashes regularly after prolonged play
  • Behaving funny on paid level
  • Basically unplayable on paid level
  • Game bugs
  • Frequently crashing when selecting a target
  • Issues with altitude
  • Errors aren't detected
  • Better ATC apps available
  • Crashes after 8-12 minutes of gameplay
  • Lose all my progress
  • Game over problem
  • Force quit the game after each game
  • Blank screens and nothing comes up
  • Stopped working following iOS8 upgrade
  • Doesn't work on iOS8
  • App stopped working following iOS8 upgrade
  • Deleted and reinstalled to no avail
  • Not working on iOS 8
  • Black screen on iPad Air running 8
  • App won't even open
  • Just a blank screen
  • Was a fun game back when it worked
  • Separated my planes over 1000' as stated yet it says that I haven't
  • Takes a life off me until the game ends
  • Deleted as a waste of time
  • Completely non-compatible with iOS multitasking
  • Once you switch to another app for more than a few minutes, the game would restart
  • All scores reset
  • Quite annoying
  • Game crashes and freezes continually
  • Have to start all over again
  • Stats aren't recorded
  • Start with 203 landings and 'n' number of strikes
  • Doesn't keep your game score
  • If you pause the game and turn off the phone you loose your game score
  • Effort of over an hour being wasted
  • No facility for your high scores to be saved and displayed
  • If you end a game by getting '3 strikes' and start a new one, you start with the previous games stats
  • Good but judgemental
  • Some times this man comes up and starts giving you tips and assigns blame

Requested features

33 requests
  • Random VFR traffic
  • Varying runway alignment
  • More traffic
  • Two runways or more
  • Departures
Show 28 more
  • Real airports (JFK, KLAX)
  • Clear for ILS only in localizer
  • Real airlines with callsigns
  • New scenarios
  • Adjust passage of time (faster/slower)
  • Dual airport
  • More variety of planes
  • Save option
  • Ability for time shifting
  • More interesting progression
  • More features (bigger map, real movements, traffic)
  • Choose different airports
  • Vectors to direct planes
  • Details about planes
  • More space to sequence
  • Basic aircraft data (light, medium, heavy)
  • Space according to wake turbulence
  • Divergence rules
  • Diverging courses
  • Different planes
  • Different approach categories
  • Dogleg right approaches
  • Save game
  • Spacing of 3 miles instead of 6 miles
  • Pause game and turn off phone
  • High scores saved and displayed
  • Voice option
  • Separation rings

Space Rocket Exploration

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Rockets exploding on launch
  • Satellites randomly exploding in orbit
  • Inability to remove space station parts
  • Orbit lines not showing correctly

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add landing on planets
  • Improve space station building
  • Introduce more rocket parts
  • Add astronaut and EVA functionality
  • Implement interplanetary travel

In-app purchases

5 purchases

Approach Control

One-time5
  • Airport 2$1.99
  • Airport 3$1.99
  • Airport 4$1.99
Show 2 more
  • Level 5$1.99
  • Level 6$1.99
None

Space Rocket Exploration

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Approach Control free?
Approach Control is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Space Rocket Exploration free?
Space Rocket Exploration is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Approach Control or Space Rocket Exploration?
Space Rocket Exploration is rated higher. Approach Control averages 3.2 out of 5 from 18 ratings, while Space Rocket Exploration averages 3.7 from 313 ratings.
Do Approach Control or Space Rocket Exploration have ads?
Space Rocket Exploration shows ads; Approach Control does not.
Which is updated more often, Approach Control or Space Rocket Exploration?
Approach Control ships an update every 2 weeks, and Space Rocket Exploration monthly. Most recently, Approach Control was updated on October 10, 2026 and Space Rocket Exploration on October 14, 2026.

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