War Thunder

War Thunder is a gorgeous-looking and extremely competent flight combat game, though the lack of some of the PC version's game modes means it has yet to reach its full potential.

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"War Thunder" is a free-to-play MMO combat game featuring aircraft, tanks, and naval warships from WWII and the Cold War era. Players can join massive battles with realistic vehicles and fight in historical settings. Customization and realism much are emphasized, with regular updates adding new content and features.

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Play Modes

Reviews

68%

Audience ScoreBased on 1,524 reviews

gameplay50 positive mentions

grinding65 negative mentions

The game features stunning graphics and a wide variety of vehicles, including tanks, planes, and ships, providing an immersive experience.
Gameplay offers a mix of arcade, realistic, and simulator modes, catering to different player preferences and skill levels.
The community is generally supportive, and the game allows for enjoyable multiplayer experiences, especially when played with friends.

The game has a significant grind, making it difficult for free-to-play players to progress without spending money on premium vehicles or accounts.
Matchmaking is often unbalanced, frequently pitting lower-tier players against higher-tier opponents, leading to frustrating gameplay experiences.
The installation of Gaijin.net Agent, which is difficult to remove and runs in the background, raises concerns about privacy and user control.

gameplay
122 mentions
41 % positive mentions
54 % neutral mentions
5 % negative mentions
Gameplay in War Thunder is a mixed bag, with many players praising its mechanics, graphics, and fast-paced action, while also expressing frustration over balance issues, the prevalence of pay-to-win elements, and a lack of developer responsiveness to community concerns. Although the game offers rewarding experiences and a variety of content, the grind and monetization strategies detract from the overall enjoyment, leading to a sentiment that the game prioritizes profit over player experience. Despite its flaws, some players still find it a unique and enjoyable title worth playing.
- “I love this game, and the gameplay is amazing.”
- “The gameplay is quite rewarding.”
- “The graphics, physics, gameplay of War Thunder are amazing.”
- “The entire game is designed to frustrate the players into spending money; that is the only motivation of the developers. Fixing the glaring flaws in gameplay or models is never addressed, merely shoved aside to spend more time developing premium vehicles to make a quick buck.”
- “Bugs and broken mechanics never get fixed.”
- “Regardless, this game could be so much fun, but since modern vehicles were added, most of the core gameplay loops have not changed since this game came out of beta 10 years ago, and the cracks not only have formed but have gotten very big.”
graphics
101 mentions
63 % positive mentions
34 % neutral mentions
3 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their stunning realism and attention to detail, with many users noting the beautiful visuals and impressive physics. However, some players mention that the game requires significant hardware to run optimally, which can lead to frustration if not met. Overall, the graphics are considered a standout feature, enhancing the gameplay experience significantly.
- “The graphics are stunning!!!”
- “The graphics are photo-realistic, beautiful, and surprisingly well-suited for older/slower machines.”
- “The graphics are fantastic to look at; the detail on every vehicle in this game is just amazing, showcasing the attention to detail applied to the original vehicles.”
- “Requires a lot of hardware to run at decent graphics and 60 fps, unless you are willing to take the risk of either playing at low fps at high graphics or low graphics and at high fps.”
- “From graphical bugs, to server issues, and unbalance issues, this game is no longer much good.”
- “Fair graphics and optimization, especially compared to the competition.”
grinding
67 mentions
0 % positive mentions
3 % neutral mentions
97 % negative mentions
The grinding aspect of the game is widely criticized, with many players describing it as excessively tedious and time-consuming, often requiring hundreds of hours to progress. While some find enjoyment in the gameplay, the overwhelming consensus is that the grind is designed to push players towards spending money, creating an imbalance between free and paying users. Overall, the game is seen as a grindy experience that can detract from its initial fun and engaging premise.
- “This is the most grindy game I have ever played.”
- “Gaijin doesn't want to fix things, it wants money and for this they've made the game so unbalanced, so grindy... that if you want to progress you have to throw money at the game.”
- “Grinding out new tanks and upgrading them also takes forever, in an obvious attempt to force you into spending real money.”
story
22 mentions
9 % positive mentions
77 % neutral mentions
14 % negative mentions
The game's story is largely criticized, with players suggesting that it lacks depth and is overshadowed by gameplay mechanics focused on grinding for research points. Many reviewers recommend seeking narrative elsewhere, as the game is more about combat and strategy than storytelling. Additionally, there are mentions of community issues and external sources for custom content, indicating a disconnect between the game's narrative and player experience.
- “Obviously, he refused, and sent his story to Russian websites, who published it.”
- “It was then translated by a blog called 'Status Report', which released the story to the English community and caused outrage.”
- “If you want story, then go read a book.”
- “It installs malware on your computer; end of story.”
- “This is a constant quest for research points and I do not recommend it if you hate one-shot kill mechanics.”
monetization
17 mentions
12 % positive mentions
41 % neutral mentions
47 % negative mentions
The monetization in the game is widely criticized as a blatant cash grab, with premium vehicles perceived as overpriced and unbalanced, disrupting gameplay for profit. Players express frustration over the introduction of expensive, powerful vehicles with each patch and the addition of loot boxes, which contribute to a pay-to-win atmosphere. While some assert that participation in microtransactions does not disadvantage non-paying players, the overall sentiment is that the monetization strategy detracts from the gaming experience.
- “There are microtransactions; however, you will be at no disadvantage if you do not participate in them.”
- “The final point, for a casual fan, is the microtransactions.”
- “Don't put money in this game; the premium vehicles are blatant cash grabs, and there is inconsistent balancing done to the top-tier assets.”
- “Another blatant example of a desperate cash grab is that every patch introduces a new, very expensive, and very powerful premium vehicle (T29, IS6, RU251, OBJ 120...) that disrupts the meta for a month or two until sales become satisfactory and Gaijin finally decides to balance it.”
- “Now they are adding CS:GO style loot boxes on top of the standard free-to-play microtransactions.”
optimization
12 mentions
33 % positive mentions
33 % neutral mentions
33 % negative mentions
The game's optimization is widely criticized, with players experiencing frequent stuttering and freezing upon launch, as well as lag and rubberbanding during gameplay, particularly on EU servers. Additionally, there are concerns about performance disparities between different nations' vehicles and inconsistencies in tank performance across ranks. Overall, the optimization issues significantly hinder the gaming experience.
- “Good optimization.”
- “The servers feel like they lost a bit in performance; EU servers show you a decent to good ping with no packet loss, but you can still experience a bit of lag and rubberbanding, with vehicles 'flying' over hills or spinning, most of the time at a distance around 800-1,200 meters.”
- “Tried literally everything, but the game keeps stuttering and freezing every second as soon as I launch it.”
- “Unless you are very skilled, you will have difficulty playing in arcade aircraft games, as the overpowered Russian planes will have better performance due to the lack of physics.”
- “However, there are gaps in tank performance between one rank and another.”
humor
10 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is described as inconsistent; while some players find moments of absurdity and rage entertaining, particularly in arcade modes, others feel that the overall experience lacks genuine comedic value and can be off-putting. The chaotic nature of certain interactions elicits laughter, especially when witnessing others' frustrations, but many agree that the humor does not carry throughout the entire game.
- “It makes my brother rage a lot, which is hilarious to watch.”
- “Lying afterwards and saying they didn't mean it like that is just plain hilarious.”
- “Arcades are funny; the rest of the game is pretty boring.”
stability
10 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
The game's stability is frequently criticized, with users reporting persistent bugs, lag, and freezing issues that detract from the overall experience. While some players find the game enjoyable and realistic, many express frustration over the developers' lack of support in addressing these technical problems, leading to a perception of a poorly maintained game.
- “Game freezes all the time, lost $30.00 on this.”
- “Developers have ruined this game, and offer no help in bugs and buggy gameplay or help against account hijackers.”
- “Horrible, buggy and frustrating, not helped by devs that are more interested in pushing out content than in fixing the mode.”
music
5 mentions
60 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
40 % negative mentions
The music in the game is consistently praised as amazing, complementing the stunning graphics and solid sound design. Players appreciate the spectacular soundtrack, which enhances the overall experience, despite some concerns about the cost of DLC.
- “The music is amazing, the graphics are stunning, the animation is alright, and the sounds are pretty good too.”
- “[Huge range of options, aircraft, and vehicles for combat on the ground and in the skies, embraces a wide range of skills, ranging from pick-up-and-play arcade settings to grueling realistic dogfights, large community playing, so you can always find a game, spectacular soundtrack and luxurious visuals.]”
- “Free game, but the DLC costs more than two full-priced games, and the music is by no-name artists.”
- “Free game, but the DLC costs more than two full-priced games, and the music is by no-name artists.”
emotional
2 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game is largely criticized, with users expressing strong dissatisfaction and advising others to avoid it altogether.
atmosphere
2 mentions
50 % positive mentions
50 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is enhanced by its authentic use of historical tanks and airplanes, which effectively immerses players in the period setting, even for those who typically do not engage with shooters or action games.
- “I don't normally play shooters or action games, but this is a good choice because it uses the historical tanks and airplanes of the period, which builds a great atmosphere.”