War Thunder

 PC
User Score
3.8

Generally unfavorable reviews- based on 1908 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 590 out of 1908
  2. Mixed: 203 out of 1908
  3. Negative: 1,115 out of 1908

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  1. ChoicestGames
    Feb 15, 2019
    8
    War Thunder is a free-to-play fighter and tank simulation MMO that's got something to offer for both the casual player and the WWII tank buff, although a lot of its content and even its interface is probably better suited to the latter demographic. I found myself bewildered and confused by the number of options, in-game currencies, research trees, game modes, weapon statistics, etc. thatWar Thunder is a free-to-play fighter and tank simulation MMO that's got something to offer for both the casual player and the WWII tank buff, although a lot of its content and even its interface is probably better suited to the latter demographic. I found myself bewildered and confused by the number of options, in-game currencies, research trees, game modes, weapon statistics, etc. that when I went into a battle, I never knew whether my plane or tank was truly setup to unleash its full potential. However, if you don't give a damn about that stuff and are quite content to just blast away a few enemies, I'd strongly recommend sticking around in Arcade mode. If you are willing to invest the time though and you love simulation games, the other game modes in War Thunder might be just for you.… Expand
  2. Useful1d1ot
    Jun 10, 2014
    8
    A spectacular visual, some of the finest ww2 era combat, it's not without flaws but it gets you hooked and you just keep coming back. A free to play title that isn't pay to win (but it is close)
  3. Raptor2410
    Dec 12, 2013
    8
    This is one game, I will not uninstall from my computer, graphically it looks beautiful, the models, animations, physics, all very very good. I can't say i'm a hardcore war thunder player but whenever I do find the time to play it i'm always finding it enjoyable, the 3 different game modes arcade/historical/full real battles is just what I think a lot more games should have as an option.This is one game, I will not uninstall from my computer, graphically it looks beautiful, the models, animations, physics, all very very good. I can't say i'm a hardcore war thunder player but whenever I do find the time to play it i'm always finding it enjoyable, the 3 different game modes arcade/historical/full real battles is just what I think a lot more games should have as an option. most tend to have a "hardcore" element but yet just seem to be a harder version on arcade, not realistic like war thunders historical or full real battles. This game is free, so there is no obligation to spend money on it if you end up not liking it just simply uninstall it, no harm no foul. Like world of tanks I do not have a premium account and have only recently used real money to buy a couple of their premium tanks, and I will be doing the same with war thunder.… Expand
  4. Brosman
    Sep 4, 2013
    8
    I'm kind of suprised this game is on Metacritic since its still in Beta. That fact aside, it is incredibly fun to play and is absolutely stunning to look at. This is one of the most impressive looking games to ever be made. Flying is one of those things that is easy to learn yet hard to master, so everyone can play it but those who put in the time to get better can give themselves anI'm kind of suprised this game is on Metacritic since its still in Beta. That fact aside, it is incredibly fun to play and is absolutely stunning to look at. This is one of the most impressive looking games to ever be made. Flying is one of those things that is easy to learn yet hard to master, so everyone can play it but those who put in the time to get better can give themselves an advantage in combat. Planes all handle differently and have different roles which gives this game great strategy features. Planes have just enough customization options to give you plane personal flair without going overboard, and every plane levels differently. Now the problems i have with it i dont really want to effect the score given its beta phase but ramming is a major issue. I think if the devs could solve the problem of other players who use ramming to either a) dont know how to shoot or b) are trolling this game would improve a lot. Also, IMO, i think that the game should be more details on how you got shot down. Its hard to learn from your mistakes when you dont know what happened to your plane. Sometimes it tells you (like when you have a fuel leak) somtimes it doesnt. I just find it annoying to be fine and then suddenly your plane loses control and crashes. Overall i cant give this game over an eight simply because its an unfinished product, and i i wont let some of its problems effect its score because of that fact too. I cant wait for them to expand the Beta and get ground and Naval combat in the game.… Expand
  5. prosytecsa
    Sep 17, 2013
    8
    A great game, with some drunken developers (vodka anyone?).

    Graphics, game looks amazing, flight models look extremely good with lots of detail put into them. Scenery is also very good looking both from high altitudes and low. Effects such as wings getting ripped off and crashes are spectacular, parts falling from the sky, small particles from the aircraft getting ripped off such as    A great game, with some drunken developers (vodka anyone?).

    Graphics, game looks amazing, flight models look extremely good with lots of detail put into them. Scenery is also very good looking both from high altitudes and low. Effects such as wings getting ripped off and crashes are spectacular, parts falling from the sky, small particles from the aircraft getting ripped off such as fuselage. 10/10 on the graphics side.

    Gameplay, here is where it probably lacks the most. There are lots of maps, a couple of different game modes and 3 different difficulties (arcade, easy historical, hard full real, dont even try unless you are good at hisorical), there are also 5 different nations (americans, germans, russians, brits and japs). So as you can see there is a very good amount of variety in that respect.
    The problems start with the matchmaker, but those problems mostly occur in historical battles. As there is quiet alot of unbalance when going up tiers (every nation has level 1-20), playing some planes will be literally impossible because the team you play against will have such an advantage over you. Some planes are just plain broken, in the way that they do not perform as they should, some will overperform like crazy and some will not be as good as they should be. This causes alot of complaint and "whining" but its understandable to some degree. As an example, the spitfire IX is overperforming quiet a bit for its tier, it turns better than most planes, it climbs better than most planes and those combinations in this game is fatal, therefore there is a metric butt ton of people flying that plane, this results in a game with 50% spitfires against the russians which most of the time at its tier does not stand a chance, same with the germans but because the Bf 109s are good aircraft it can be easier. 8/10

    Support, don't make me talk about it. The developers seem to be playing around. They release a new patch, not fixing anything of the previous one and introducing new problems. They do hotpatches fixing most of the gamebreaking stuff but its often a big problem. They seem not to listen to the community what so ever, they are way to transparent. 5/10.

    Now as this is free to play, and still in beta its expected to have problems, so i cant be too harsh. But you will probably wonder, it is free2play, does that mean its pay2win. uuuhm, NOPE, not at all. Only thing you can buy for ingame currency are premium planes (which are a few planes on each nation that is from an other nation, for example a premium spitfire IX at the americans, it also gives you a 100% expirience boost and lions (free ingame currency, eagles are buyable) boost. You can also use eagles to buy more expirience to you're desired nation, this might sound cheap, and yes it is but it doesnt do ANYTHING to the gameplay in any way. You can also buy lions but its expensive and lions are possible to get tons of if you play historical battles. Other than that everything can be purchased with ingame currency. In that respect i also give WT 10/10.

    Hope this review helped, its a great game and you should definitly try it out AND ITS FREE!    … Expand
  6. StevieGe
    Aug 24, 2013
    8
    For a free-2-play, this game is very good. Great atmosphere, nice plane models and overall good visuals. This game even runs on low-end PCs (such as mine) without so much as a hiccup. At the time of writing this review, the game is in open-|3eta. Atm it stands as one of the most fun warplane multiplayer dogfight simulators I have played.
    This game is worth a try, especially since it won't    For a free-2-play, this game is very good. Great atmosphere, nice plane models and overall good visuals. This game even runs on low-end PCs (such as mine) without so much as a hiccup. At the time of writing this review, the game is in open-|3eta. Atm it stands as one of the most fun warplane multiplayer dogfight simulators I have played.
    This game is worth a try, especially since it won't cost you anything (if you don't in-game purchase), except 7Gb of hard drive and your precious time.    … Expand
  7. foxthor
    Aug 24, 2013
    8
    Great World War 2 simulation. The controls are easy to use, the planes look very impressive, the details are great. It seems like a steep level progression and might become repetitive after a while but for a free to play game its worth trying. If they do bring out the land and sea part of this game too it would make for a very impressive F2P WW2 simulator.
  8. Jappp
    Oct 16, 2013
    8
    Great game, aerial combat is top notch, handling of the large array of planes varies greatly which is of course how it should be.
    Few minor complaints, its not as fast paced as it can be. Flying to the "battle zone" takes way too long imo, plus, the only indication that you are flying fast is some low volume sound effect.
    Any complaints in negative reviews as: the planes aren't balanced    Great game, aerial combat is top notch, handling of the large array of planes varies greatly which is of course how it should be.
    Few minor complaints, its not as fast paced as it can be. Flying to the "battle zone" takes way too long imo, plus, the only indication that you are flying fast is some low volume sound effect.
    Any complaints in negative reviews as: the planes aren't balanced or the Japanese have fewer planes than the Germans. Yeah well that's because they did. I believe Gaijin did an excellent job of recreating the actual planes and their specs.
    Matchmaking is fine, sure you might come across one or two tier 10 planes when you're flying a tier 6, but that's because you have a tier 8 or 9 plane somewhere in you're "hangar". That's what the matchmaking does, it's takes your highest level plane. Thus providing a challenge!
    Also, this is not a Play2Win game, I've never paid a dime and I still kick *ss ;-)
    Last but not least, the mouse aiming is vastly superior to every other type of control, hence I would suggest to ditch that. It's still a fair battle now that everyone is using it but it would make the game more difficult, which is good.

    So in short, if you're looking for a an fun, REALISTIC WWII dogfight, this game is for you.
    If you can't get your head around the fact that a British Spitfire is better than Russian La-GG than you shouldn't be playing games like this at all.

    PS: why is every negative review here coming from users with only negative reviews, troll or just sourpuss?    … Expand
  9. RobCO
    Feb 4, 2014
    8
    For all the people giving negative reviews because they "randomly die instantly", i had the same problem. Except, i Googled it. Instead of doing nothing and running out of ideas. Turns out you just increase the pilots vitality, and/or get a covered cabin and it's solved.
    Awesome game, i don't think it's really PTW because, it really does reward Human player skill level. And being a well    For all the people giving negative reviews because they "randomly die instantly", i had the same problem. Except, i Googled it. Instead of doing nothing and running out of ideas. Turns out you just increase the pilots vitality, and/or get a covered cabin and it's solved.
    Awesome game, i don't think it's really PTW because, it really does reward Human player skill level. And being a well seasoned gamer on all genres & platforms, i know my way around a game. This is what i Love about it, if you are actually good at aiming a mouse and tracking people, then you hit and kill regardless of the other guy spending $1000 bucks. With the exception of fully upgraded AI guns on Bombers, which are tough.
    I give an 8 for the Beta bugs and very complicated (but eventually understandable) menus.    … Expand
  10. Anguem
    Mar 13, 2014
    8
    This game is excellent as far as gameplay goes. Don't listen to the whiners who gripe about 1.37 or Gaijin being greedy. They have no clue what they are talking about. My suggestion is to practice a lot with free flights, where you can take your plane out in a calm environment and learn it's strengths and weaknesses, or fly lots of low level arcade battles against new players to improveThis game is excellent as far as gameplay goes. Don't listen to the whiners who gripe about 1.37 or Gaijin being greedy. They have no clue what they are talking about. My suggestion is to practice a lot with free flights, where you can take your plane out in a calm environment and learn it's strengths and weaknesses, or fly lots of low level arcade battles against new players to improve your skills and upgrade your aircraft.

    As far as the forum site, don't bother. It seems to be full of power hungry moderators, whiny petulant children masquerading as adults, and folks who just love to insult and disrespect others.    … Expand
  11. sealclubbering
    Mar 2, 2014
    8
    People say this game isn't fun. They say its a grind(well you're right now that 1.37 rolled out and screwed some things up). Somethings are right, while other things are wrong. So let me give you an analysis from a person who's played this game since patch 1.27(yes, that was about a year ago).

    Progression This game's former progression system was pretty good. Getting to the jets    People say this game isn't fun. They say its a grind(well you're right now that 1.37 rolled out and screwed some things up). Somethings are right, while other things are wrong. So let me give you an analysis from a person who's played this game since patch 1.27(yes, that was about a year ago).

    Progression

    This game's former progression system was pretty good. Getting to the jets wasn't too tricky, and money was never a problem for me. Now, things are slightly different(or very). With this new system, you have to grind each plane one by one, just like WoT, which I don't like, but have gotten through. Its not as good as it used to be, but its not as bad as some say.

    Planes

    This game has a massive selection of planes, and soon, tanks. All major countries of WW2 have their lines of aircraft. You will be able to fly Yak 9s, Mustangs, Zeros, B17s, Spitfires, Typhoons, Bf 109s, Fw 190s, etc. and even jets. Its competitor, WoWP, doesn't even have british planes, and misses many great aircraft, like the P47, the F6F(which is the reason I won't play it until), the Fw190(which is intolerable). But, as always, there is always some ridiculous things that are in this game. There is a common joke that the USSR has OP planes(which is somewhat true at points, but at the time of writing this, I have just finished a 7 game losing streak in russians). But there are tons of aircraft, and they mostly are good.

    Game modes(multiplayer)

    There is a arcade mode, which is a simpler game mode for everyone, realistic mode, which is for more seasoned pilots, and then simulator battles, which is the joystick land of War thunder(which I've never played in). Its like 3 games in one. Not only that, there is even a singleplayer, but it's not the greatest.

    Money

    Yes, many people say that this is pay to win, but let me tell you straight, they just are bad a flying. If you are a good pilot, you can beat anyone you face. Prem planes aren't expensive compared to WoT($10:$50, yeah, $40 dollars cheaper than the best Wot Prems, hooray), and they DON'T give any advantage besides more money. And when it comes to repairs and ammo, they aren't the money suckers like in WoT. You can play this game completely free(I did until all my countries were tier 3).

    So in short, this game is great, and like every game, it has drawbacks. Some days, you will be pissed at it, and others, it will feel like you are jesus, bu overall, this game is great, and is free, sooo,

    see you in the skies!    … Expand
  12. PsychoticAztecs
    May 2, 2014
    8
    (Started playing on 1.37 patch so... i don't know how the game changed.)

    For a F2P "Flight Sim", it's a good/decent game. (+++ Pros | - - - Cons) - A bit too grindy but it isn't that bad unlike other F2P MMO games. - Community is somewhat.... Terrible. *Cough* WT Forums *Cough* + Surprisingly, NOT-ish Pay-to-win, only helps to progress through grind bit faster (though it will cost    (Started playing on 1.37 patch so... i don't know how the game changed.)

    For a F2P "Flight Sim", it's a good/decent game.
    (+++ Pros | - - - Cons)

    - A bit too grindy but it isn't that bad unlike other F2P MMO games.
    - Community is somewhat.... Terrible. *Cough* WT Forums *Cough*
    + Surprisingly, NOT-ish Pay-to-win, only helps to progress through grind bit faster (though it will cost a fortune to get into a decent Tier5) Premium Planes are not OP, it has the same stats as the silver lion planes. *Get a grip whiners, They need to earn money too... *
    + Though there's only a handful of available maps, it doesn't feel repetitive because the weather pattern varies (cloudy, clear skies, haze, fog and my favorite Night/Dusk/Dawn).
    ++ Wide selection of planes, Plane Tactics varies (BnZ, Energy fighting, turnfighting, etc). *Personally i love skill based games, it puts me on edge being a really tryhard.* Cough, Realistic Battles, Cough*
    +++ Very well-optimized game (I have a **** pc, so.... this helps me a lot)
    + Tanks will come out soon. *Merged Planes and Tanks *
    +++ NO HEALTH-BARS, It has damage models
    - Painful grind on Crew Leveling (Tanks are planes a separate)
    - B*ll**** Ground strike mode in Arcade.
    + In-game voice chat (For squads only)
    - Devs doesn't support Sound Mods (It's bannable guys xD)
    + Decent game economy
    + 3 Modes Arcade, Realistic, and Simulator = Baby-flyin/Seasoned/Veteran|Elitist
    + Mini-games *We need turret mini-game)
    + Detailed plane models. Textures are great (For a F2P game)
    - - - Bugs (A lot of game breaking bugs)
    - - - Slight touch on the ground is deadly (Can clip the wing, destroy a tail fin)
    +++ Landing mechanics (Airstrips and Carriers) *I'm a really fan of this*
    +++ Still somewhat playable even with 250 - 310 Ping *Though some hits will not trigger*
    - - - Slow processing of payment on Paypal.

    Overall: If you love "Flight Sim" definitely worth checking this one out. *cough* 7.2 GB *cough*
    play with a squad, works better that way.    … Expand
  13. punk
    Sep 24, 2014
    8
    Until update 1.37 I would give 12 out of 10 and walk away, but this whole research point thing made the game worse, you need to play a lot to get new planes, but still the gameplay is awesome. Anyone can find his sort of battle: arcade for beginners and for players who are just looking to have fun, historical battles for thoose who wants some more challenger or want to relive the events ofUntil update 1.37 I would give 12 out of 10 and walk away, but this whole research point thing made the game worse, you need to play a lot to get new planes, but still the gameplay is awesome. Anyone can find his sort of battle: arcade for beginners and for players who are just looking to have fun, historical battles for thoose who wants some more challenger or want to relive the events of WW2 and realistic battles for real pros. All in all it's a great game and I love it, but it's becoming a pay to win game, that I hate.… Expand
  14. nov141
    Oct 30, 2014
    8
    Despite the best efforts of the developer, this game offers a surprisingly accessible and fun experience of both WW2 ground and air combat. Players that are joystick-averse can still easily participate as the control schemes make mouse control intuitive and effective (especially when it comes to precision aiming), and simulator-shy pilots will enjoy the relaxed flight models and fastDespite the best efforts of the developer, this game offers a surprisingly accessible and fun experience of both WW2 ground and air combat. Players that are joystick-averse can still easily participate as the control schemes make mouse control intuitive and effective (especially when it comes to precision aiming), and simulator-shy pilots will enjoy the relaxed flight models and fast combat found in arcade mode. Those looking for more realistic representations can participate in realistic battles, which have more accurate physics for the aircraft, or simulator battles which lock you into a cockpit view and require joystick usage to play, keeping everyone on an even playing field.

    Nearly every iconic aircraft is available from the five major nations of the war (with some French and Italian additions), alongside many more less-known machines. Players can fly fighters, bombers, ground attack aircraft and the timeline ranges from pre-war biplanes to Korean-era jet aircraft. Matchmaking ensures that aircraft will generally meet comparable aircraft, preventing jets from engaging biplanes.

    This game is not without issues - constant patching by the developer often breaks established areas of the game while fixing other bugs, and tinkering with the matchmaking system based on player statistics has created a incomprehensible and illogical rating of various aircraft (identical models being ranked differently, for example) that can often prove frustrating for players.

    Ground forces gameplay is still in its infancy, currently featuring many tanks but only from German and Soviet armies, with some severe balance issues due to the nature of armored warfare - some tanks simply lack the capability to consistently hurt other tanks, but still can find themselves matched against one another.

    Free to play business model and the customer support are the final major negatives concerning this game. For many players, especially on the lower end of the skill spectrum, the game may prove to have too much of a grind. New planes need to be unlocked through experience, bought with money, and then flown in several missions to unlock "upgrades" which simply bring the plane up to the stock standard. At lower levels this is merely annoying but with higher level planes the process can take a long time, which practically begs for purchasing of premium currency or experience boosters. Much of the discussion concerning any of the game's problems is shut down immediately on the game's official forums, and the support staff act in a very authoritarian fashion even in the face of obvious bugs, denying any problems.

    This all goes out the window though once you play and manage to be the last plane in the air after a brutal furball, or outmaneuver a skilled opponent to achieve a killing snapshot on his aircraft. Just remember that the "end-game" content shouldn't be the goal - fly the aircraft that look cool, fly the aircraft that are fun to play, and ignore the rest of the grind.    … Expand
  15. LoneWolfSones
    Nov 8, 2015
    8
    After having played this game for....1,415 hours; if steam is to be believed...I still haven't grown tired of it. Each match feels different from the last. The game has evolved considerably since I first started playing. I can remember when each nation only had a handful of aircraft. Now the game boasts over 300+ Unique aircraft (Guiness World Record). And the game also now has tanks forAfter having played this game for....1,415 hours; if steam is to be believed...I still haven't grown tired of it. Each match feels different from the last. The game has evolved considerably since I first started playing. I can remember when each nation only had a handful of aircraft. Now the game boasts over 300+ Unique aircraft (Guiness World Record). And the game also now has tanks for Russia, Germany and the US. They just added a few premium British tanks as well.

    WarThunder has a variety of modes to appeal to a variety of different people. Arcade is a good mode for quick matches. Realistic battles are more challenging and remove aim indicators. And full sim battles are particularly intense in that your view is restricted to the commander or cockpit view.

    The vehicles all have distinct characteristics and models and perform differently as a result. You can go a whole match without scoring one kill and still come out on top of the leaderboard if you play the objectives. If you manage to belly land your plane after sustaining critical damage your rewarded for it. If you take a lot of hits your rewarded for it with an adamant reward. Playing in a squad and assist your team mate killing a tank; your rewarded for it. This is in stark contrast to a game like WoT. In WoT you get one spawn, and when your vehicle's HP pool is depleted thats it. In WarThunder you can try to get back to base in your plane. Or you can repair your tank in the field if you have the repair module unlocked. You aren't just given a static 'death' animation once your HP is depleted as you get in WoWP.

    It also needs to be said that the tanks have evolved quite a bit in WarThunder. With changes like ground deformation you see your tank's tracks sinking into the ground. And if you get into 'muddy' terrain. Your tank becomes covered in Mud and ends up bogged down. The new Dagor 4.0 engine allows for fully destructible environments.

    WarThunder also has a great customization system. You can put decals on your vehicles, adjust their camo, and on tanks you can even adjust how worn that camo is. Or you can load up the texture in photoshop or another program and make your own skins.

    WarThunder has a lot to offer especially for being a free game. People have criticized its microtransactions and premium vehicles. I think its important to distinguish that WarThunder is a free to play game. Your not paying $60 and another $50-60 on top of that for a season pass. Any free to play game needs to be monetized in some way. Its how the developer makes money off said game. The premium vehicles aren't pay to win either as some might suggest. In fact a fully upgraded stock tank tends to be better statistically than a premium of its tier. The only real advantage premium vehicles have is that they have greater credit and XP earning potential.

    You may find yourself coming back for more and more. I know I have. Especially when new vehicles are released. Like the recent addition of the B-29. What are you waiting for? Go download the game; and see you in the skies and on the ground!    … Expand
  16. Memlink_Dermlet
    Mar 9, 2015
    8
    If you really enjoyed playing red orchestra ostfront 41-45 then you will love the tank battles in this game. Red Orchestra 2 while great for its infantry gameplay after the developers patched it does not have the number of tanks as its predecessor. While this game does not have the realistic interiors red orchestra or Darkest Hour had it does have some beautiful models. There is a tonIf you really enjoyed playing red orchestra ostfront 41-45 then you will love the tank battles in this game. Red Orchestra 2 while great for its infantry gameplay after the developers patched it does not have the number of tanks as its predecessor. While this game does not have the realistic interiors red orchestra or Darkest Hour had it does have some beautiful models. There is a ton of information on each tank such as their armor thickness in spots, angle, the penetration of certain ammo at distance and the locations of crew and critical spots like ammunition storage. Something you had to wiki in red orchestra to find out. Its all here.

    Most complaints about the tank battles are that they are slow, which is true. They are like red orchestra and I love it. Knowing a stewart won't penetrate my 50mm pzIII J unless he's 100 meters is the stuff you will be focusing on in realistic and simulation.

    The graphics are beautiful, the tanks grinding up a hill and changing gears sound wonderful. Top notch sound all around. WW2 is a great setting since so many different tanks were fielded compared to today. The maps are also very large but then again engagements are long range.

    I have limited experience with the airplane aspect of the game on account of wanting to do the simulations but not having a working joystick. From what I saw using the mouse and keyboard in the tutorial this game is on the level of arma. There is a button to just turn the engine on, flaps for take off, and a lot going on. Definitely room for some Red Barrens to rule the sky here. But if that scares people the arcade mode is more than accessible with the mouse and keyboard.

    Thats one great thing, it has stuff for quick less demanding games and stuff for people who are more enthusiast like myself. All on a great engine, I have had no crashes and only one of about 50 tank games disconnect.

    The menus are a bit confusing. You have to research and then purchase upgrades. Research uses its own currency and purchasing another. Same goes for tanks. There is premium money used for quicker upgrades and research or for buying bundles or a subscription. I have to say I really like the subscription model. Basically you put money in your steam wallet and then use steam to buy the currency which can be used for anything including a subscription. This means they don't have your info and you do not have to worry about recurring payments like I did in planetside once.

    The crew training is a little confusing. It would appear that you can only train crew for a certain tank and once you move them to another they start from scratch. This seems to make switching tanks in and out of your line up punish you.

    All in all if your looking for a pure simulation sorry, but if your looking for something close enough to the above mentioned game this is it. Like I said I have limited experience with the airplanes. Try it out, its free.    … Expand
  17. homer4president
    Nov 23, 2015
    8
    Progression system is very tedious once you reach higher levels but, I enjoyed the game. Beautiful graphics and plane models. Best flight simulator in a while!
  18. SarudeDankstorm
    Jan 18, 2016
    8
    For a Free to Play game, War Thunder is extremely well polished and very fun to play. I have mainly played the tank portion of the game, and after 20+ hours I am impressed. There are plenty of tanks available and they are relatively balanced, although there definitely is a pro-Russian bias in both tanks and airplanes. Although some factions have a tough time starting off initially, onceFor a Free to Play game, War Thunder is extremely well polished and very fun to play. I have mainly played the tank portion of the game, and after 20+ hours I am impressed. There are plenty of tanks available and they are relatively balanced, although there definitely is a pro-Russian bias in both tanks and airplanes. Although some factions have a tough time starting off initially, once you invest some time into War Thunder you will fine a brilliant game, only slightly tarnished by microtransactions.… Expand
  19. jurapura5
    Jul 25, 2015
    8
    Well after playing for hundreds of hours i want to say the game is very fun its easy to learn but hard to master also the game has some problems.The reason why i like this game is becouse it dosent require you to pay money.Its has air planes ,tanks and ship that are yet to come.It allows you to bring several tanks and aircrafts into a battle but the game has many balancing issues in lowerWell after playing for hundreds of hours i want to say the game is very fun its easy to learn but hard to master also the game has some problems.The reason why i like this game is becouse it dosent require you to pay money.Its has air planes ,tanks and ship that are yet to come.It allows you to bring several tanks and aircrafts into a battle but the game has many balancing issues in lower tier planes.For example Tier I and Tier II are combined so the tier II have beter speed and guns but turn speed is smaller so there is no way to shake a lower tier aircraft.Also the russian are kinda best i know becouse if you take like Tier II aircraft like P-40 or what ever russian YAK will destroy everything but in general the game is fun and enjoable expiriance you should check it out.… Expand
  20. ivan7788
    Nov 30, 2017
    8
    Update: Even after the "fix" lowering RP and SL the game still broken because in the end the player earn a lot less per kill and won battle, pretty evil politics gaijin!
    1. The game has amazing graphics and a lot of potential.
    2. The multiplayer aspect is based on unbalance in order to cause player frustration and push player into getting overpriced (average 40-70 euros for a pay to win    Update: Even after the "fix" lowering RP and SL the game still broken because in the end the player earn a lot less per kill and won battle, pretty evil politics gaijin!
    1. The game has amazing graphics and a lot of potential.
    2. The multiplayer aspect is based on unbalance in order to cause player frustration and push player into getting overpriced (average 40-70 euros for a pay to win tank) pay to win premium vehicles.
    3. The game is handled by a rigid and agressive customer service and forum moderators.
    4. The game makes you believe that bounces, ricochet and stuff like that is handled by physics until you realize that a 88mm shell bounces of a 2mm thick AAA "armor", wich proof that there is no physics but ramdomness.    … Expand
  21. Lone_Wolf_Sones
    Aug 7, 2016
    8
    After having played this game for....1,415 hours; if steam is to be believed...I still haven't grown tired of it. Each match feels different from the last. The game has evolved considerably since I first started playing. I can remember when each nation only had a handful of aircraft. Now the game boasts over 300+ Unique aircraft (Guiness World Record). And the game also now has tanks forAfter having played this game for....1,415 hours; if steam is to be believed...I still haven't grown tired of it. Each match feels different from the last. The game has evolved considerably since I first started playing. I can remember when each nation only had a handful of aircraft. Now the game boasts over 300+ Unique aircraft (Guiness World Record). And the game also now has tanks for Russia, Germany and the US. They just added a few premium British tanks as well.

    WarThunder has a variety of modes to appeal to a variety of different people. Arcade is a good mode for quick matches. Realistic battles are more challenging and remove aim indicators. And full sim battles are particularly intense in that your view is restricted to the commander or cockpit view.

    The vehicles all have distinct characteristics and models and perform differently as a result. You can go a whole match without scoring one kill and still come out on top of the leaderboard if you play the objectives. If you manage to belly land your plane after sustaining critical damage your rewarded for it. If you take a lot of hits your rewarded for it with an adamant reward. Playing in a squad and assist your team mate killing a tank; your rewarded for it. This is in stark contrast to a game like WoT. In WoT you get one spawn, and when your vehicle's HP pool is depleted thats it. In WarThunder you can try to get back to base in your plane. Or you can repair your tank in the field if you have the repair module unlocked. You aren't just given a static 'death' animation once your HP is depleted as you get in WoWP.

    It also needs to be said that the tanks have evolved quite a bit in WarThunder. With changes like ground deformation you see your tank's tracks sinking into the ground. And if you get into 'muddy' terrain. Your tank becomes covered in Mud and ends up bogged down. The new Dagor 4.0 engine allows for fully destructible environments.

    WarThunder also has a great customization system. You can put decals on your vehicles, adjust their camo, and on tanks you can even adjust how worn that camo is. Or you can load up the texture in photoshop or another program and make your own skins.

    WarThunder has a lot to offer especially for being a free game. People have criticized its microtransactions and premium vehicles. I think its important to distinguish that WarThunder is a free to play game. Your not paying $60 and another $50-60 on top of that for a season pass. Any free to play game needs to be monetized in some way. Its how the developer makes money off said game. The premium vehicles aren't pay to win either as some might suggest. In fact a fully upgraded stock tank tends to be better statistically than a premium of its tier. The only real advantage premium vehicles have is that they have greater credit and XP earning potential.

    You may find yourself coming back for more and more. I know I have. Especially when new vehicles are released. Like the recent addition of the B-29. What are you waiting for? Go download the game; and see you in the skies and on the ground!    … Expand
  22. Noxius
    Nov 14, 2017
    8
    This is best flight non-hardcore simulator I played. One of the best graphics and optimization in free-to-play. Only boring awards for new rank or victory upset me.
  23. WCM320
    Feb 6, 2021
    8
    War thunder is very much a matter of "It's not perfect but its the best in class"
    The only other game of it's kind that I really worthy playing right now is World of Warships. And these two games are different enough that they don't overlap.
  24. CDannyZ
    Nov 23, 2019
    8
    8/10 because it takes a lot of time to get every plane. And also Its little bit pay to win, if you buy plane for Real money
  25. Qiwin18
    Dec 30, 2020
    8
    Я играю в эту игру уже 2 года, не сказать что это много, но достаточно чтобы повидать многое. Тысячи реклам от ютуберов, блогеров и вообще из каждого утюга, заставляют сверкать пятки славы, бегущей далеко впереди проекта. Лучшая в своём роде, ибо по-факту единственная. Есть много симуляторов, но они не онлайн. Есть много игр про технику, но они не столь реалистичны и красивы. Эта играЯ играю в эту игру уже 2 года, не сказать что это много, но достаточно чтобы повидать многое. Тысячи реклам от ютуберов, блогеров и вообще из каждого утюга, заставляют сверкать пятки славы, бегущей далеко впереди проекта. Лучшая в своём роде, ибо по-факту единственная. Есть много симуляторов, но они не онлайн. Есть много игр про технику, но они не столь реалистичны и красивы. Эта игра позволяет тебе играть так, как ты захочешь. Твой комп смахивает на печатную машинку прямиком из канцелярии рейхсфюрера СС? Не беда, ведь игра просто великолепно оптимизирована и на минимальных настройках её потянет любое ведро. Не забыли и про игроков с топовыми ПК, кому позавидовали бы передовые инженеры Пентагона. Для них существуют ультра настройки, где у вас глаза повылазят из орбит от красоты происходящего на экране.
    Что касается геймплейной составляющей, тут беспокоится не о чем. Приближенная(!) к реалистичной система повреждений, которой могут составить конкуренцию разве что топовые симуляторы. Есть возможность поиграть как аркадному геймеру-новичку, так и заядлому симуляторщику. Для этого предусмотрены различные режимы игры. Подбор техники происходит по боевому рейтингу, который иногда меняют, дабы получше сбалансировать игру.
    Если говорить о минусах (которые тут есть), можно отметить не идеальную систему повреждений. О ней можно говорить очень много, долго, хорошего и плохого но по-факту она зачастую может быть попросту случайной, а если добавить к этим случайностям нередкие баги дамаг модели, то получается весьма сомнительного качества картина. Но. Но. Гайджин стараются сделать реалистичные повреждения, а это весьма сложно, ведь определить и просчитать урон осколками или самим снарядом по различным типам брони и внутри них, невероятно сложно, а я напомню что вам это даётся на безвозмездной основе!
    В целом и общем, по-моему мнению это лучшее из того, что может вам предложить игропром в этом жанре. Да, она не идеальна, но если вы любитель техники, её истории и всяческих масштабных баталий, то эта игра подарит вам десятки, сотни, а то и тысячи весело проведённых часов.    … Expand
  26. FlameFace582
    Mar 20, 2021
    8
    Actually good game, gameplay is 10/10 but russia is OP and you have to pay money for camos and bushes on your tank. Thats all
  27. Goshan220
    Apr 19, 2022
    8
    Наиграно 2000ч, спасите!
    Обычный wargame с реалистичными режимами, которые очень затягивают! Хотя корабельные бои я так и не распробовал
  28. DOAmaker
    Mar 5, 2022
    8
    I have been playing this game for quite a while now, starting back when it was just planes. They give away a lot of premium stuff, that's why all of these reviews The grind may be a little harder but at least you don't get a huge edge for owning a premium vehicle, it may be difficult but it is still a true free to play game. At the time I started playing War Thunder, I was a WoT playerI have been playing this game for quite a while now, starting back when it was just planes. They give away a lot of premium stuff, that's why all of these reviews The grind may be a little harder but at least you don't get a huge edge for owning a premium vehicle, it may be difficult but it is still a true free to play game. At the time I started playing War Thunder, I was a WoT player and enjoyed that Gaijin had done a much better job at making a game playable on older PCs, where WoT was still struggling to get the servers up to speed and not bothering to give updates on developments they said were coming.

    What is said is the ridiculous amount of fake reviews trying to bash War Thunder and say World of warships World of Tanks and world of plans are better.

    Sad that either players or people working for wargaming resorted to try and bash a game that is far superior.

    If you're going to use somebody else's review to decide whether you play or not then you're going based on somebody else's opinion that could be bad internet bad computer so on. I strongly suggest you give it a try start with the arcade mode, then try out realistic, then try out sim, try the different vehicle lines see which ones you like.


    It truly is a very enjoyable game to play for me at least.


    My only con is the grind is pretty hard to get the end line vehicles, but it is enjoyable.    … Expand
  29. Gun2275
    Mar 5, 2022
    8
    I don't normally bother with Metacritic with how corrupt the site is and how it doesn't bother to deal with targeted corporate sabotage.

    Like how "users" Alex1071, Zungrix, Gagradion, Aragona, rizer21, Leonid48, igor1982, Matarari, aavvtt, Meldenson, ToneWeek, Stass2, Alex192, Mark159, Angryburrito, Jack345, JhonnyD, Dicspi, Max000, JackBosh, Dav_Sar45, Rektangle, MickThomson,    I don't normally bother with Metacritic with how corrupt the site is and how it doesn't bother to deal with targeted corporate sabotage.

    Like how "users" Alex1071, Zungrix, Gagradion, Aragona, rizer21, Leonid48, igor1982, Matarari, aavvtt, Meldenson, ToneWeek, Stass2, Alex192, Mark159, Angryburrito, Jack345, JhonnyD, Dicspi, Max000, JackBosh, Dav_Sar45, Rektangle, MickThomson, Vadim123456789, and TonyNerkassky and more all have 1 review all that came out during the Navy update of War Thunder and at least half of them then also have a 10 out of 10 reviews of the World of War Ships games.

    Isn't that even a little suspicious because the update gave World of War Ships new competition they have never really had before? Now I'm not going to say you should take MY words but I need to point out the issues with a lot of these 0 ratings are not real.    … Expand
  30. Cakeineer
    Mar 5, 2022
    8
    The game is in a bad state. Gaijin is money hungry, makes stupid decisions like the last economy "update" which finally lowered the repair costs of vehicles but the RP nerf that was not announced even worse than the crippling repair cost that were before. I hope gaijin changes.
    Anyway, to the game. Its a very good concept on a fairly good engine, you can run it on a potato and still get    The game is in a bad state. Gaijin is money hungry, makes stupid decisions like the last economy "update" which finally lowered the repair costs of vehicles but the RP nerf that was not announced even worse than the crippling repair cost that were before. I hope gaijin changes.
    Anyway, to the game. Its a very good concept on a fairly good engine, you can run it on a potato and still get 60 fps. Looks very good. The servers are however garbage except the EU servers and there are some very big bugs. That get "fixed" every 2 weeks but you are still able to encounter them. The Its fixed patches were a huge joke until the last month. Progressing without paying at least 20 bucks on the new years sale on a 180 day premium account is not impossible but really hard. After around Tier 3 you will suffer the enormus Silver lion (ingame base currency) and RP (Research Points) that you will need to earn.
    The game is hard, a lot of players are toxic a**holes, if you ask someone how to play a specific vehicle they will say "if you cant play the XY then simply dont play it". But go on r/WarThunder and they will help you out.
    Dont buy top tier premiums with nearly 0 experience because you will suffer. I play the game since 2013 and I still dont know how to play the Mustangs.    … Expand
Page:

Awards & Rankings

45
#45 Best PC Game of 2013
10
#10 Most Discussed PC Game of 2013
18
#18 Most Shared PC Game of 2013

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
81

Generally favorable reviews - based on 8 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 7 out of 8
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 8
  3. Negative: 0 out of 8
  1. Game World Navigator Magazine
    Jan 25, 2017
    87
    One of the cornerstones of War Thunder is that player’s skill is more important than his wallet. Premium vehicles offer no combat advantages, there is no “microtransaction-only” ammo or consumables, so no amount of cash will buy you a spot on the top of the food chain. [Issue#216, p.56]
  2. GRYOnline.pl
    Jan 13, 2017
    75
    The official launch of War Thunder reminded me why I like this game so much. It's adorably chaotic - in contrast to the reliably designed World of Tanks. That's why it can be really fun and frustrating at the same time. There's tons of great vehicles (and the planes are superb!) and a difficult simulation mode, but there are also balance and technical issues.
    Read full review
  3. CalmDownTom
    Aug 14, 2014
    90
    Overall the War Thunder tank battles are great even at this early stage.
    Read full review
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