https://store.steampowered.com/app/2176130/Tower_Simulator_3/ This caught my eye after randomly finding a clip on YT. Has anyone here played it and can vouch for it? It seems quite expensive as do the add on airports so definitely one for a sale, but I like games that give a logistical challenge. My last foray into ATC simulation was an old title called Air Havoc Controller. I can still hear the screams of the passengers and aircrews as I failed to spot lack of separation between incoming and outgoing planes. The guy I was watching was playing Amsterdam Schipol and seemed almost overwhelmed by the number of aircraft. Presumably there’s a tutorial mode and some quieter airports to cut your teeth on.
If you like ATC you should try World of Airports. It is a mobile game, but can be played easily on PC with Bluestacks 5 Emulator in Vulkan Mode. WOA has licensed airports, airplanes, airlines and a kind of multiplayer where you can send planes to each other, no forced advertising and doesn't cost a single cent. The graphics are pretty good for a mobile game, and hey, did I mention that everything is licensed?
If you're looking for (fairly) realistic ATC simulation then you could try Endless ATC, Air traffic: Greenlight or Flight Level. I think Flight Level was created by actual air traffic controllers. In fact, just looking at the cost you could buy all three for less than the cost of Tower Simulator 3.
Can confirm that World of Airports and Endless ATC: Lite are both on my phone and both lots of fun. World of Airports isn't so much of an Air Traffic Control simulator but is focused on the ground-handling aspect (you have to send the fuel and luggage trucks to the planes and let them do their thing). You do control when planes land, takeoff and pushback, but not how. Endless ATC is different. I have the lite version which comes with Amsterdam Schiphol. You act as an approach/departure controller and have to vector planes to the ILS of a runway, as well as sending departure planes to 13000 feet. I believe the full version comes with more airports.
London Control is an excellent radar ATC simulation of UK airspace, very realistic, even with the ai voices. However, it now seems quite expensive, I'm sure when I bought it a few years ago it was cheaper. I've a feeling they may have updated it.
One thing I noticed about TS3 which is a bit off putting is that to add real schedules and aircraft to this £46 (full price) game, you need to spend another £35 or so on an extension pack. Said pack can only be purchased from the developer’s own site and not from Steam. So compared to the alternatives kindly mentioned above this one does seem a bit off putting is a money sink. The add on airports are also quite expensive at nearly £17 each.
