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The best free ATC simulators, compared

Six ways to try air traffic control — in a browser, on Steam or on a live network — and which one suits you.

There is no single "best" ATC simulator: they put you in different seats and ask different things of you. Some are radar games you can start in seconds; some want you to type commands like a real controller's keyboard; one connects you to real pilots flying real flight simulators. The questions that matter are which position you want to work (approach radar, tower or en-route), how you give instructions (clicking, typing or speaking), what device you play on, and how much setup you will put up with.

A note on fairness: we make the ATC Radar Simulator, so we are not neutral. The descriptions below stick to what each game's own site or store page says, and say plainly where the others do something better. They were checked in October 2026 — prices and features change, so check the links before you buy.

At a glance

ATC Radar Simulator — approach radar in your browser

This site. You work an approach radar position at one of 28 real airports — London Heathrow, Dubai, Paris CDG, Rome, Tokyo Haneda, New York JFK, Sydney and more — vectoring arrivals onto the ILS, climbing departures out on their SIDs and keeping everyone 3 NM or 1,000 ft apart, with a short-term conflict alert to warn you. You assume an aircraft by double-clicking its label (on a phone, tapping it) and give headings, levels and speeds from a panel or the flight strips; every instruction and read-back is spoken in standard R/T. It needs no download and no account, and on a phone it opens a version built for small screens. Free sessions take up to three arrivals, three departures and an overflight; a one-time Premium upgrade removes the limits and the ads and adds continuous traffic and emergencies. There is also an Auto-Controller to watch, and you can build your own airport from a small data file.

Where others do better: if you want to type commands the way many real radar systems work, openScope and ATC-SIM are built around that; and nothing single-player replaces talking to real pilots on VATSIM.

openScope — free and open source

openScope is a free air traffic control simulator that runs in the browser, developed in the open on GitHub under the MIT licence. You control traffic by typing commands from its command reference, choosing from a range of real airports. Because it is open source, anyone can read the code, report problems or add an airport. The typed commands give it a learning curve, and it is happiest on a computer with a keyboard.

ATC-SIM — the classic typed-command browser game

ATC-SIM is a long-running browser simulator played on a radar display with flight progress strips. You type a flight's callsign followed by a short command — a new altitude, a heading, a landing clearance — into a command box. Airports include Chicago O'Hare, London Heathrow, Dubai, Osaka Kansai and Sydney, with more available after logging in as a member, plus difficulty levels, changing winds and a high-score table. It is quick to start and rewards fast, accurate typing.

Endless ATC — a paid arrival-radar game with a free demo

Endless ATC, by startgrid, has been on Steam since 2015. You guide arriving aircraft to the runway from a radar screen with heading, altitude and speed instructions, at a choice of airports with endlessly generated traffic and spoken pilot replies. It is a paid Windows game, but a free demo on Steam lets you try it first.

Vector Approach — a minimalist approach game on Steam

Vector Approach is a newer Steam game (released in March 2026) with a deliberately minimalist 2D radar. Around a single airport you sequence arrivals onto the ILS, handle departures and keep 5 NM between aircraft, giving instructions from an on-screen command panel that plays each one back as radio audio. It is a paid Windows game.

VATSIM — real pilots, real voices

VATSIM is not a game but a free online network: pilots fly Microsoft Flight Simulator, X-Plane, Prepar3D or FlightGear, and the controllers they talk to are other people. To control, you join your local VATSIM region and division and work through its training — theory, then a practical assessment — before you are given your first rating. It takes real time and commitment, but it is the closest a hobby gets to the real job. (IVAO is a similar network.) A browser simulator is a good way to learn vectoring and phraseology before you start.

Which one should you pick?

• You want to try ATC right now, on any device — the ATC Radar Simulator: one click, no download, no account.
• You like typing commands — openScope or ATC-SIM.
• You want a paid PC game — Endless ATC (try the demo first) or Vector Approach.
• You want to control real pilots — VATSIM, once you have done its training. Practise radar vectoring and the phraseology first.
• You would rather be in the tower — try Runway Madness, a tower game of take-offs, landings and runway crossings, or Sky Jam, where you draw each aircraft's path to its runway.

Common questions

Is there a free ATC simulator I can play online?

Yes — the ATC Radar Simulator, openScope and ATC-SIM all run in a web browser and are free to play. Endless ATC and Vector Approach are paid Steam games, and VATSIM is free to join but needs a flight simulator, for pilots, or training, for controllers.

Which ATC simulator is the most realistic?

For the human side — unpredictable pilots, real radio and real coordination — nothing beats a live network like VATSIM. Among single-player games, realism comes down to what is modelled: real airport layouts, ILS approaches, SIDs and STARs, separation standards and standard phraseology. The ATC Radar Simulator models all of these, but it is a game and an educational aid, not certified training software.

Can I play an ATC simulator on my phone?

The ATC Radar Simulator opens a mobile version on phones: the radar fills the screen and you control the selected aircraft with large buttons, upright or sideways. Games built around typed commands are easier with a physical keyboard.