Approach Control vs Busy ATC
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Approach Control
Experience a realistic air traffic control simulation with genuine ATC procedures and pilot voice recordings. Make critical decisions under pressure, manage traffic across 10 unique sectors, and test your skills with challenging scenarios. Includes training modules and career tracking.
- Realistic radar simulation
- Genuine ATC procedures
- Actual pilot voice recordings
- 10 unique approach sectors
- 10 ATC challenges
- In-built training modules
- Career statistics and trophy case
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Work real approach radar. Make real decisions. Feel the pressure. Approach Control: Remastered is a highly realistic air traffic control simulation designed by real-world air traffic controllers. It delivers an authentic radar-control experience using genuine ATC procedures and actual pilot voice recordings. It's a game, but it feels very real. The radar behaves exactly like real approach control radar, including a true 3-second sweep used by professional controllers, plus actual ICAO separation and wake turbulence standards. Every element is designed to replicate how controllers scan, think, and manage traffic in real time, all within a clean, intuitive interface built for mobile. Control traffic in 10 unique approach sectors, each with its own localizer configuration and arrival entry points. Put your skills to the test with 10 ATC challenges that demand precision, planning, and calm decision-making under pressure. Train Like a Controller. New to air traffic control? Built-in Ground School and guided on-the-job training teach you the fundamentals step-by-step, preparing you for increasingly complex traffic scenarios. Track Your Career. Career statistics and a trophy case track your progress, performance, and long-term achievements as an approach controller. If you love flight simulation, try an air traffic control simulation. Approach Control: Remastered delivers one of the most authentic ATC experiences available on mobile.
Busy ATC
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You've got the tower, Controller. Busy ATC is a warm-hearted air-traffic time-management game. Tap a plane, pick its runway, park it at the gate, and send it off again. Then keep that up for a whole parade of planes at once. LAND • LOAD • LAUNCH • 84 hand-tuned shifts across 8 airports, from sleepy Stevens Point Municipal to Aurora Polar International • Real weather works against you: snow buries runways, sea fog rolls in, desert dust gusts rattle your traffic. Plan around it, or buy the gear that beats it. • Build out every airport in the shop: gates, runways, hold over spaces, a paint shop, fuel trucks, arrivals boards and more • Color-match planes to gates, chain landing combos, chase Early departures • Earn Bronze, Silver and Gold Wings on every shift. Sweep Gold and be named Controller of the Year. • Game Center: chase 11 achievements and climb the Career Score leaderboard • Premium, not pushy: no ads, no energy timers, no consumables. Three airports are free, and two one-time purchases unlock the rest of the career. Night shifts under runway lights. Helicopters that land right at the gate. Supersonic darts with passengers who wait for no one. VIP stands, commendations, and a promotion certificate with your name on it. Clear every plane before time runs out and keep the parade moving. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: Busy ATC at every 4 days against Approach Control's every 3 weeks. Approach Control's advantage is iOS requirement (13.0 vs 16.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases 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
Both are free to download. Approach Control sells 9 one-off in-app purchases and Busy ATC sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Approach Control ships an update every 3 weeks, Busy ATC every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on September 20, 2026 and September 18, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Approach Control | Busy ATC |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.0 (8 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 28.6% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 8 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | Every 4 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, Mac |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 — better | 16.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 174 MB | 34 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Big Fat Simulations Inc. | Vertolini |
In-app purchases
Approach Control
- Advanced$1.99
- Ninja$1.99
- Approach Control: Remastered$1.99
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- Cornered$1.99
- Insanity$1.99
- Windy$1.99
- Pandemonium$1.99
- Gridlock$1.99
- Full Unlock$14.99
Busy ATC
- Polar Finale$2.99
- Career Pack$4.99





