Technobrain released a free demo of its upcoming ATC simulator, Bokukan5 Tokyo (HND), providing a small taste of what the game will offer.
The demo is available on Steam, and for now it allows you to stand on the observation deck of Terminal 1, observing the planes taking off and landing on runway 16R/34L.
While the interactivity is still limited, it’s a good chance to take a look at the models of the aircraft and the airport.
A “Tower Side” option that actually lets you perform your ATC duties is said to be coming in a new version of the demo at a later date.
This is what you can do in the demo for now.
- Freely explore Terminal 1 observation deck
- Take photos
- Change the background music (included tracks only)
- Listen to airband radio (Tower frequency only)
- View flight schedules for the included stage
- Use the observation deck binoculars
- Sit on a bench and relax while enjoying the airport atmosphere
That being said, here’s what is planned for future updates.
- Additional aircraft
- Enhanced airport and scenery models
- Additional time-of-day and weather options
- Additional service vehicles and ground staff (NPCs)
- Improvements to both the in-game and out-of-game UI
- Expanded explorable areas in Terminal Side
- Improvements to the apps available in Terminal Side
- Additional apps for Terminal Side
- New missions for Terminal Side
- New Achievements for Terminal Side
- Additional Tower Side (Air Traffic Control Game) content
- Traditional Chinese and Simplified Chinese language support
On top of that, we learn that Technobrain is exploring the “development of modding and creation tools, including support for aircraft texture customization and scenario creation.”
This should solve a pretty common complaint with the previous version of the ATC simulator, which only had fictional airlines in the version for the West. Allowing users to simply replace them with real airlines will certainly make many users happy.
Below you can check out a few screenshots.
Bokukan5 Tokyo (HND) will release at some point in 2026 for PC via Steam.
If you’re not familiar with the franchise, it debuted all the way back in 1998, and it’s known as “Boku wa Kōkū Kanseikan” (I am an Air Traffic Controller) in Japanese, abbreviated as “Bokukan.” Interestingly, Technobrain has now adopted that abbreviation as the official title. It sure is less of a mouthful.
Basically, the games of the series place the player in the role of an Air Traffic Controller in a major Japanese airport, tasked with getting aircraft safely from the gates to the runway and the other way around, while tackling a series of challenging scenarios.
While the main games usually focus on Tokyo Haneda Airport, several DLCs expand them to other hubs in the country.
I Am an Air Traffic Controller 4 was actually the first of the series to be released officially in English on Steam in 2020, and it’s currently available on Valve’s digital platform with some of its DLC: Narita, Nagoya, New Chitose, Naha, and Osaka.
The series has also been ported to consoles as “Airport Hero” in collaboration with SonicPowered.
Even if you’re not into ATC simulation, the name Technobrain may ring a bell. They have also been making excellent scenery for flight simulators for many years, including Kansai Airport and Yao Airport for Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 and MSFS 2024.
We have been waiting for quite a while for their rendition of Tokyo Haneda for Microsoft Flight Simulator, which appears to be very promising. After a long time in development, it should release this summer.
