Gameplay

What is this game?

Ever looked up at the sky and wondered who's choreographing that complex ballet of roaring jets and buzzing prop planes? That's you. In FlatoutATC, you are the unseen hand in the tower, the calm voice responsible for the organized chaos of a busy airspace.

This isn't a textbook flight simulator; it's a fast-paced, arcade-style puzzle where you call the shots. Your mission is simple: guide a sky full of arrivals, departures, and fly-throughs to their goals without bending any metal. Vector aircraft with turn, speed, and altitude commands. Manage emergencies against the clock. Line them up for the perfect landing on real-world runways, from Newark to San Diego. As you prove your skills, you'll unlock more complex levels and rise through the ranks from Novice to Master Controller. When you're ready for a break from the objectives, jump into Free Play mode for an endless traffic stream to practice on.

The sky is a puzzle, and you're the one with all the pieces. Can you handle the pressure?

Welcome!

How do I win?

Winning in FlatoutATC is about successfully completing a level's scenario. Each level has a specific objective: either handle a set number of aircraft or manage traffic for a set amount of time. To "win" and unlock the next level, you must not only complete the scenario but also meet the Minimum Success Percentage for your chosen difficulty.

An aircraft is only considered a "success" if it achieves its assigned goal—a safe landing, a clean exit over a specified waypoint, or a successful departure. Simply letting an aircraft wander off-screen or, worse, having a collision, will count as a failure. As you ramp up the difficulty, the required success rate gets higher, demanding more precision and focus. While your primary goal is to win the scenario, your secondary goal is to maximize your score through safe, efficient control to climb the leaderboards. Free Play mode, on the other hand, has no win condition; it's your sandbox to practice and handle traffic for as long as you like.

How do I start?

Your career begins with the "Basic Training" tutorial, which will walk you through the essential skills of an air traffic controller. From the main "Select Level" screen, you can choose your desired difficulty using the picker at the top. Once you're ready, simply tap the "Play" button on an unlocked level card to begin your session. New levels are unlocked sequentially by successfully completing the scenario of the previous level. If you've already beaten a level, you can replay its scenario or jump into the endless "Free Play" mode to hone your skills.

How do I play?

The main screen is your radar scope. Aircraft will enter your airspace, each represented by a symbol and a data tag. This tag tells you everything you need to know: the aircraft's flight number, its current altitude and speed, and most importantly, its goal (highlighted in magenta). Your job is to issue commands to guide the aircraft to that goal.

To control an aircraft, simply tap on it. A radial menu will appear with all available commands, such as "Turn," "Descend To," or "Clear to Land." Selecting a command will often open a keypad for you to enter specific values like a heading or altitude. Keep an eye on the top of the screen for your score, aircraft counter, active runways, and wind conditions. Use the command menu in the bottom right to control the game speed and camera. You can also access a flight strip down there to see all aircraft currently in your sector. Your primary job is to keep aircraft safely separated while guiding them to their destinations efficiently.

How are points scored?

You get points for meeting the aircraft goals and interim goals. Examples of goals are landing at a specific airport, departing an airport and transitioning a fix, transitioning through the airspace over a fix, and rescuing emergency aircraft. You can also get points for putting planes into a holding pattern, sending them direct to a fix before they reach their goal and getting three or more planes lined up for landing at the same time. Points are also scaled for the level of difficulty you are playing (Novice, Trainee, Licensed or Master).

All progress and achievements (level completions) are stored in your GameCenter account.

Some Days will have Missions

On days when special pre-defined missions are available, the mission will display at the top of the Level Selection screen. These missions will not be available for ever, and will change periodically.