Can you listen to real live ATC or airport radio in Microsoft Flight Simulator, and how?
Yes, but not directly through the stock simulator. Microsoft Flight Simulator’s built-in ATC and airport radio are simulated, not real live broadcasts. If you want genuine tower, ground, approach or centre audio, you usually run a separate live ATC source alongside the sim and, for realism, tune your aircraft to the same frequency.
Can MSFS play real live ATC by itself?
No. In standard Microsoft Flight Simulator, when you tune COM frequencies or use the ATC window, you are hearing the simulator’s own ATC system. Even if you are using live weather and live traffic, that does not turn the radio audio into a real-world feed.
This catches a lot of people out. The airport may be using the real runway in current weather, and the traffic may look believable, but the voices and clearances are still generated by the sim.
What counts as “real live ATC”?
There are three different things people often mix together:
| Type | What you hear | Is it real? | Can you talk back? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Built-in MSFS ATC | Simulator-generated ATC and airport radio | No | Only within the sim |
| Live ATC audio stream | Real radio transmissions from actual airports and ATC units | Yes | No |
| Online controller network | Human controllers and pilots in a simulated environment | No, but human-run | Yes |
If your goal is to hear actual tower or approach traffic from the real world, you want the middle option: a live ATC audio feed running separately from Microsoft Flight Simulator.
How do you listen to live ATC while flying in Microsoft Flight Simulator?
- Pick your airport or area. Decide where you want to fly and which frequency you want to monitor, such as ground, tower, departure, approach or centre.
- Find a live ATC audio source. Use a legal radio feed, scanner source or live ATC service outside the simulator. MSFS does not provide this natively.
- Tune the same frequency in your aircraft. Set your COM radio in the cockpit to the real airport frequency you are listening to. This does not pull the live audio into MSFS, but it keeps your cockpit workflow realistic.
- Mute or minimise the built-in ATC if needed. If you leave sim ATC active while also listening to real traffic, the two will usually conflict. For a cleaner experience, we recommend turning down the sim’s ATC voices or simply not using its ATC menu during that flight.
- Balance your audio. Keep the live ATC feed quiet enough that you can still hear your aircraft, warning sounds and engine note. A second monitor, tablet or phone often makes this much easier.
- Accept that it will not line up perfectly. The aircraft you hear on the real frequency will rarely match the traffic you see in MSFS exactly. Delays, coverage gaps and traffic-model differences are normal.
Will tuning the COM radio in the cockpit make the real audio play?
No. Tuning a frequency in MSFS only affects the simulator’s own radio and ATC systems. It does not magically receive internet audio or real-world radio signals.
Think of it as two separate layers:
- In-sim radio tuning for cockpit realism and sim functions
- External live audio for hearing actual transmissions
You can use both at once, but one does not control the other unless you are using a specialised add-on that explicitly links them.
Can you hear real airport radio on Xbox as well as PC?
Usually only in a limited way on Xbox. The main issue is not the simulator itself but how you access the external live audio. On PC, it is easy to run the sim and a separate audio source together. On Xbox, multitasking and background audio options are much more restrictive.
If you fly on Xbox, the simplest workaround is often to use a second device such as a phone or tablet for the live ATC audio while you fly on the console.
Why real live ATC will not match the sim perfectly
Even in the best setup, real-world radio and MSFS will drift apart. That is normal, and it does not mean you have done anything wrong.
- Real traffic in your feed may not exist in the sim
- Sim traffic may be in different positions or using different callsigns
- Some radio feeds have a delay
- You may hear only one side of the conversation on some frequencies
- Runways and procedures can differ if your sim weather or airport data do not match current real-world operations
This is why live ATC is best treated as an immersion layer, not a fully synchronised control system for your flight.
Can you use real ATC as actual instructions for your MSFS flight?
Not safely or practically, no. Real controllers are talking to real aircraft, not to you, and their clearances will not be intended for your simulated flight. You can listen for realism, phraseology and situational awareness, but you should not try to follow those instructions unless they just happen to match what you are doing.
If you want interactive ATC with human phraseology inside the simulator, you are looking for a simulated online ATC environment rather than a real-world radio feed.
What about ATIS, tower, ground and approach frequencies?
You can listen to any of these if a real feed exists and covers that frequency:
- ATIS for the current airport information broadcast
- Ground for taxi clearances and apron movement
- Tower for take-off and landing traffic
- Approach/Departure for arrival and departure sequencing
- Centre/Area control for en-route traffic
ATIS is often the easiest to follow because it is a repeating broadcast. Tower and approach are more dynamic, but also more useful if you want to copy real phraseology and flow while flying the same airport in MSFS.
Best way to make it feel realistic
We have found the most convincing setup is simple:
- Spawn at the same real airport you are listening to.
- Use live weather so runway use and conditions are closer to reality.
- Tune your COM radio correctly in the aircraft.
- Turn off or ignore built-in ATC to avoid conflicting instructions.
- Keep a chart or airport diagram handy so the taxiways and runway references you hear make sense.
That gives you the atmosphere of real airport operations without expecting the simulator to mirror the radio feed exactly.
Can add-ons bring real ATC audio into MSFS?
Some add-ons and utilities may try to improve radio realism, traffic matching or ATC behaviour, but stock MSFS does not include real-world ATC audio integration. If you experiment with add-ons, check exactly what they do: some replace sim ATC, some improve phraseology, and some only affect traffic or sounds.
If you are browsing for radio, ATC or immersion-related files, you can check our Microsoft Flight Simulator downloads library at Fly Away Simulation.
Quick answer
If you want real live ATC in Microsoft Flight Simulator, you do not get it from the simulator alone. You listen to a separate real-world ATC audio source while flying, and optionally tune the same COM frequency in the cockpit for realism. The built-in MSFS ATC remains simulated.