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. 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
  2. lindowWicker
    Aug 23, 2013
    7
    Pretty good game been playing for 40+ hours and is quite fun, advancing in levels gives you new planes to play with and they can be upgraded.
    The tier system matches you with players with roughly the same level plane as you so you won't be in a match with a biplane vs a jet.
    After a while the game does get a bit samey and you the tactics do seem to be rinse and repeat but overall a solid    Pretty good game been playing for 40+ hours and is quite fun, advancing in levels gives you new planes to play with and they can be upgraded.
    The tier system matches you with players with roughly the same level plane as you so you won't be in a match with a biplane vs a jet.
    After a while the game does get a bit samey and you the tactics do seem to be rinse and repeat but overall a solid game and worth playing for a bit as its f2p.    … Expand
  3. neemz
    Jan 12, 2015
    0
    An extremely frustrating game with a large number of pay to win features. Fun to play for free for a few hours, but definitely not worth wasting any money on.
  4. Metalsand
    Mar 17, 2014
    6
    Extremely cool game, but suffers from F2P money grabbing.

    I've played War Thunder for almost a year now. Mostly it has been great, solid gameplay nice variety, etc....up until they changed the research tree to slow down progress of players. Now, instead of choosing how research points are allocated, you choose a plane to begin researching, and even researching a tier 3 plane (out of 5    Extremely cool game, but suffers from F2P money grabbing.

    I've played War Thunder for almost a year now. Mostly it has been great, solid gameplay nice variety, etc....up until they changed the research tree to slow down progress of players. Now, instead of choosing how research points are allocated, you choose a plane to begin researching, and even researching a tier 3 plane (out of 5 total tiers) takes nearly 100 battles to obtain, and because of game mechanics you'll want at least 3 of those planes researched. As battles can take 10-20 minutes each, the game expects you to play 50-100 hours just to go up ONE TIER IN ONE COUNTRY. Yet, it only costs $5 USD to research that same plane with "free" research points. They turned an excellent simulator into an obvious money grab, and it is unacceptable. Playing to unlock new planes is nearly pointless now.

    Gameplay would make this an 8 or a 9, but the money-grab tactics bring that down to a 6. Only get the game if you love pumping at least $100 into a game to make it playable.    … Expand
  5. Goofy_Canuck
    Jul 2, 2014
    6
    I initially heard about War Thunder from my adult son who plays it on PS4. I have found the PC version very enthralling. The graphics are amazing, and as I am not a very skilled gamer ( I mean, I can't even successfully complete the take off tutorial. I can only imagine how much I would suck at the landing one), I found the arcade realm to my liking.

    Parts of the game play are    I initially heard about War Thunder from my adult son who plays it on PS4. I have found the PC version very enthralling. The graphics are amazing, and as I am not a very skilled gamer ( I mean, I can't even successfully complete the take off tutorial. I can only imagine how much I would suck at the landing one), I found the arcade realm to my liking.

    Parts of the game play are entertaining for me as a mature game player. I enjoy bombing, but unfortunately, chose the Germans, and find that I continually get shot down. It's to the point that I basically just want to crash my plane if someone attacks me as there is no way I can shake off any plane that starts shooting at me. So much for my "ace" gunners. Sometimes it's fun to see how long I can last being chased and shot at, but at other times it's very frustrating.

    Each game starts with me having to wait to get into an arcade game. The waits are generally less than a minute. No complaints in that respect. Once the scenario is presented, I choose the plane I want to use. Then I take a break. I go get a refreshment or go to the bathroom, check my email, etc. The plane flies on its own, basically on auto pilot. After a while, I check back in, aim my plane for a target, and hope I get a chance to unload my bombs before the advanced players on my side have already eliminated the target or that someone on the opposing team decides to attack me.

    One thing I find frustrating in the arcade play is that there is no teamwork. Everyone does their own thing. There is a chat feature that is useless as I have no idea who the other players are. There's always some bossy player telling the team to "Shoot down so and so" which is totally meaningless as I have no idea where that player is in the environment, nor do I have the ability to shoot them down. It would be nice as a bomber in the game to have an fighter escort, but that will never happen. I just do my own thing and assume that everyone else does the same. If you're looking for team player interaction, then this game isn't for you. There is something about squads, but that must been in the other game types. As for me, I'm OK with that. I just want to bomb targets. I don't want to have to answer to the clan.

    I think I will enjoy the game as something I can do once in a while. I made the mistake of investing about $250 into the game...I know...I'm stupid. I put the money into upgrading my planes and crews...and It turns out it was all pointless. It was totally compulsive purchasing. Please don't tell my wife. I just justify it as part of my "entertainment budget". I think though, that I will have to lock my credit card away whenever I play because it is just so tempting to want to spend some gold to unlock the next wonder plane rather than wait for it.

    In reading the reviews, I didn't realize the bias towards Russian planes. I was getting suspicious about this as I could not believe how many times I've had one of my wings blown off by a single shot. Or as I mentioned, how crappy my German planes seem to perform compared to lower level Russian and American aircraft. It's all starting to sink in now, though.

    I have nothing to comment on about the customer service or forums as I haven't had any involvement in those aspects of the game. I don't get why people would complain about an F2P game in the first place. If you don't like it, find a different game to play. Gaijin isn't obligated to make your free gaming dreams come true. There is no F2P player rights manifesto or good practice guide. Play any game at your own risk.

    Overall, I think I will continue to play from time to time, but I definitely won't be spending any more money. on it. I can see how duped I was to lay that kind of cash down on a game that will be perpetually Beta. I don't think it is fair to call the game P2W, as investing money doesn't seem to guarantee that you will be any more skilled at playing or any more likely to win. I am living proof of that.

    I think people have to realize that there is no truly F2P online games. Gaming companies have to make money, and in-app purchases are part of the business. Obviously, the better companies are skilled at getting players motivated to buy features or gold or whatever. Take Candy Crush for example. So, I think Gaijin offers enough F2P gameplay in War Thunder. I don't think that my investment did any more for my in game advantage other than giving me the feeling that I had suped up my planes and my crews. I've played other games where P2W is a definite factor.

    Regarding game performance, I have not encountered any bugs that others have mentioned. The game runs smoothly. It hasn't crashed yet. I still enjoy the challenges of playing and when I get frustrated by constantly being shot down, I exit, remembering that it's just a game.

    So, my advice is play for free. Enjoy it for what it is Don't expect to have an elite gaming experience. Don't spend money on it ever. It's a total waste    … Expand
  6. Vunguard
    Jan 26, 2014
    2
    This is a game that makes me want to cry with frustration, because every fiber of my being WANTS to like this game. To get some perspective, I am a long term flight sim fan who has played everything from Air Warrior to Aces High to IL-2 Sturmovik to the old Jane's sims and more. I LOVE flight sims and at first glance this one looks to be everything I could ever want. Healthy stable ofThis is a game that makes me want to cry with frustration, because every fiber of my being WANTS to like this game. To get some perspective, I am a long term flight sim fan who has played everything from Air Warrior to Aces High to IL-2 Sturmovik to the old Jane's sims and more. I LOVE flight sims and at first glance this one looks to be everything I could ever want. Healthy stable of planes? Check. Wonderful physics and plane handling? With one or two low-tier examples, checkaroo. Well-detailed? Holy mother of heaven this makes IL-2 Sturmovik look like a mod of the original source engine and runs amazingly well. Mission structure? While I'm not a big fan of furballs, it does them well and I can respect how it has it set up, so call that a check. The levelling system, while in need of tweaking, is still a decent enough system that takes the general World of Tanks/Warplanes formula and makes it a little less unpleasant when an un-liked vehicle stands in the way. They had literally everything going for this game, but it slips up on one little detail but one so vital that they basically slipped and fell into a pit of poison tipped spikes: the camera.

    I am utterly convinced that deck chairs have gained some semblance of sentience, because sweet mother of Heaven, there is no other explanation for how atrocious the camera was designed here. See, the issue here is that the camera was designed for a mouse and keyboard interface, which is nice and all but you need to also have a system that functions for the joystick and game pad crowds--the former of which will be HUGE groups attracted to this. So why it is that they've been given the cold shoulder BAFFLES me. Your common flight sim uses a hat-switch-based system to turn your pilot's head in each of the forward directions with the forward hat button being for up and forward and another button to act as an upward modifier and--if you really want it--another for down. This is a simple system that covers all of the appropriate directions and gives you a perfect spherical view within your cockpit, barring any obstructions that the actual plane would have had. So instead what joystick users have is a bizarre thing that tries to make a hat switch mimic a mouse, removing the entire rear-right quarter of your view, a fair chunk of the left rear, severely limiting the up-left/right views, and most criminally of all, doesn't even have a forward-up view. I sat down and compared it to IL-2 Sturmovik's camera (which eschews the direct rear just to show that it's your character looking over the shoulder) and it is missing seven head directions! Seven!

    For those who are not privy to flight sims, this basically leaves you wildly open to enemy attack--you don't know where the enemy is coming from and as such can not react quickly enough when, say, an enemy is diving on you from an angle behind you. And these are COMMON situations. Hell, I have a hard time keeping track of planes that I'm chasing at times. As such, I am utterly incapable of effectively fighting because I'm always getting mulched by assorted pilots hitting me in one of my far too numerous blind spots.

    There are a few other little problems, such as the sort of 'advisor' in the radio chatter being a touch grating and some of the early biplanes being a bit heavier-feeling than they should be, but all that pales in comparison to the simple fact that this game should have been glorious, and instead found itself murdered by such an easy and proven portion. All they had to do is throw in a hat-based system alongside the mouse-based one, that's it! I have nothing against mouse pilots, there are some good ones and I respect anyone that can do it, but as a game designer you need to think of all the factors! I'm not about to relearn how to fly for one game and when the people playing tell me that that's the only way to properly experience the game, then my response is that I'll find somewhere else to fly.

    I hope to God that someone gets their brain in gear over at Gaijin Entertainment gets their brain in gear and fix this, but as of right now my only emotion around this game is pure exasperation and rage. This game should have been one of my favorites, instead one tiny aspect has shattered the whole thing. It is a very good thing that this game isn't a physical copy, otherwise I'd have to explain to my plumber why there's disk parts in my garbage disposal.    … Expand
  7. BravoZulu
    Jul 14, 2014
    2
    Only OK as a casual game. It is BETA (yet people still spend money). They tank portion is not too bad. The flight portion leaves much to be desired. It should only be marketed as an arcade level game. There is absolutely nothing "realistic" or "simulator" about the game. The physics are completely made up. They use a plug and play model to set aircraft capabilities. There is nothing in theOnly OK as a casual game. It is BETA (yet people still spend money). They tank portion is not too bad. The flight portion leaves much to be desired. It should only be marketed as an arcade level game. There is absolutely nothing "realistic" or "simulator" about the game. The physics are completely made up. They use a plug and play model to set aircraft capabilities. There is nothing in the game that even remotely resembles a flight model, or physics engine. Could be worse, but definitely not anything like they try to claim.… Expand
  8. william63
    Dec 25, 2013
    6
    The game could be great, but the grind is so bad it's being called Grindthunder(tm). Playing for free isn't an option if you want to ever fly a jet, so it's not really beta.This another Russian-made MMO money grab. Also the forum is heavily CENSORED.
  9. Anitrex
    May 9, 2015
    10
    Switched from World of Tanks to War Thunder when they added tanks to the game. Best decision i ever made in my gaming life. Just give this one a try if you like World of Tanks. I assure you tank combat in War Thunder is 10x better. The progression system is a bit confusing at the start but once you figure it out you'll be hooked to your computer screen hours on end.
  10. StevetheBandit
    Aug 30, 2014
    7
    War Thunder: A "free-to-play" combat flight sim. Only it's not free-to-play.

    Don't get me wrong, it's a good game. The graphics are amazing and the planes look great. The audio is also very clear and realistic. Now the problem came in patch 1.37. The new godawful technology tree ruined the game for many used to the previous 20-tier tree. I also didn't enjoy the Tanks update. The thing    War Thunder: A "free-to-play" combat flight sim. Only it's not free-to-play.

    Don't get me wrong, it's a good game. The graphics are amazing and the planes look great. The audio is also very clear and realistic. Now the problem came in patch 1.37. The new godawful technology tree ruined the game for many used to the previous 20-tier tree. I also didn't enjoy the Tanks update. The thing is that the maps for tank battles simply aren't fun, along with the high system requirements (even if playing on low or minimum graphics).

    Overall, it's a good game. Really fun if you progress through one nation and then start another and get really good because you're experienced.    … Expand
  11. Schweehog
    Aug 26, 2015
    7
    I have over 1,450 hours in this game so when you read my review it is in no way from a 'novice' or new player. (While the game mechanics are the same this review will be mostly focused on the planes side of War Thunder.) To put it simply; War Thunder is a free to play WWII flight game. Game is a key word, if you are someone coming from flight simulators you will not enjoy this game. TheI have over 1,450 hours in this game so when you read my review it is in no way from a 'novice' or new player. (While the game mechanics are the same this review will be mostly focused on the planes side of War Thunder.) To put it simply; War Thunder is a free to play WWII flight game. Game is a key word, if you are someone coming from flight simulators you will not enjoy this game. The game runs on a progression mechanic; you unlock new planes and modifications for them as you play. Better planes fight the other better planes so long time players can't use their fighter jets to destroy your biplanes. I won't list all the positives, but a small sample include the easy to pick up control scheme and stunning graphics at a low load on your computer. (While this game isn't minesweeper, it can run on almost any pc and if you play any other 3d games I guarantee this will run on it.) However, the negatives may outweigh the positives for some people.

    The main negative to this game is the pay to progress style of grind. It is technically possible to get every plane for every nation without paying a penny, but in the same way that it is possible to swim across the Atlantic. I must emphasize that this game is not pay to win, it is pay to progress. If you are the type of person who would want to get every plane for every nation or even every plane for one nation, you would probably end up spending more than if this game cost $40 up front and did away with the "F2P" pay to progress style grind. As I stated in the start of this review I have over 1450 hours in this game and I would say that I only have 90% of the planes. (And I even went the pay to progress route!)

    With that said it is free to play, so give it a try and see if you like it. If you don't care what plane you are flying and just like the game itself, you might like it. If you are the type who would play just to fly some of the cool planes like the B-17 or P-51, don't waste your time and money.    … Expand
  12. Adalad
    Apr 4, 2021
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Too many scripts, I can't win when I play the game with friends, the game scripts you like an idiot, you can't pen tanks that was ez to pen and the bullets aren't going where you are shooting, and I don't want to speak about airplanes lol.… Expand
  13. Xqutr
    Dec 20, 2013
    10
    Good physics and graphics. It all works with fine optimisation.
    Not like world of tanks, which give zero graphics and zero physics and demands ultra-high-end computer for that crap
  14. 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
  15. 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.
  16. Forvale
    Sep 28, 2013
    9
    People going into this expecting a true simulation may be underwhelmed,
    but it's not the true intention of War Thunder.
    This is about WW2 dogfights and providing air support for the ground units, it's both casual, deeply engaging and well detailed. WarThunder captures the feeling of flying each plane beautifully, with looks, sounds, handling and tactics that showcase that each plane    People going into this expecting a true simulation may be underwhelmed,
    but it's not the true intention of War Thunder.

    This is about WW2 dogfights and providing air support for the ground units, it's both casual, deeply engaging and well detailed.
    WarThunder captures the feeling of flying each plane beautifully, with looks, sounds, handling and tactics that showcase that each plane was unique and special in WW2
    .
    This is a very fun game, and far from pay to win like some "critics" are complaining about. Of course there are benefits for paying for things, as some planes cannot be obtained through gameplay alone but the majority can, and quite easily depending on your skill level. The plane unlock progresses seemingly along the path mirroring how technology advanced as WW2 raged. With more planes, weapons and parts, coming available as you rank up. All planes are fairly historically accurate with their equipment, so naturally some will be better than others, but every plane has a purpose and can hold it's own.

    The controls are whatever you choose, k/b and mouse, pad, or joystick, and all work quite well. Mouse and keyboard use for a flying sim, has been strangely butchered in flying games in the past, but in WarThunder it makes sense and is still a satisfying flying experience. People voicing negativity at the mouse being 'superior' to use in arcade mode, are missing the point completely.

    The maps are varied and many are based off real WW2 air battle-spaces, like Guatamala or the skies of The Battle For Britain, Iwo Jima and many others.

    This is a great game, easy to get into, with optional tutorials for when you need them (such as your first bomber being bought) the menu system is not perfect but it's still fairly intuitive and friendly.

    My only criticisms are; the music can be a bit repetive after a while, but it is still not "annoying" and maintains the WW2 'flavour', the sounds of the planes and explosions are quite satisfying.

    Perhaps this will be patched soon, but a small oversight in some of the "suicide" mechanics, especially in arcade mode. I would like to see is bigger penalties for those "kimakaze" attacks some people have no shame in doing, although some do make sense (if your heavily damaged and outnumbered, better to take an enemy to the grave with you)

    There is also a small oversight, in that if you shoot down a bomber and the bomb the ground before they hit it (the explosion kills/damages them) you are completely denied a kill due to simple bad sportsmanship. There needs to be penalties to discourage this kind of behaviour. Even in the real WW2 air battles, they had a certain level of respect for each other, and they [i] were [i/] trying to kill each other, or a least destroy their plane.
    People complaining excessively about bugs need to remember that this is a BETA! I am yet to encounter any serious bugs either, and I have put in 30 hours. Possible the smoothest beta I have ever seen.
    The fantastic code optimisation means some great and silky smooth visuals are the norm for this gem.

    The best free to play I have experienced, ever, WarThunder is up there as a solid game in it's own right even if it was a full price title. I wouldnt indeed buy this game for $50

    Graphics 9.5 Sound 9.0. Gameplay 9.0 Longevity 9.0 Total 9/10

    If you like air combat, WW2 or PC multiplayer games in general, I can recommend giving this a go.    … Expand
  17. NoMoreChillies
    Dec 26, 2013
    7
    War Thunder is a great free to play WW2 flight game
    It is friendly to new comers learning flight for the 1st time
    there are more sim like game modes for those hardcore, but Arcade Battles hold the largest playerbase no Joystick needed, can fly with M+KB Graphics are awesome Gamplay is tight and fun, still with some balance issues. Gaijin are a USSR dev company and show some    War Thunder is a great free to play WW2 flight game
    It is friendly to new comers learning flight for the 1st time
    there are more sim like game modes for those hardcore, but Arcade Battles hold the largest playerbase

    no Joystick needed, can fly with M+KB

    Graphics are awesome
    Gamplay is tight and fun, still with some balance issues.
    Gaijin are a USSR dev company and show some obvious bias to their national machines, hopefully they can overcome this if they want the game to be an international success.

    Tanks are in CBT atm with ships planned for future release. Yes all 3 will be in the same battles.

    gave 7/10 just because of the russian bias, once this dissolves the game becomes 9/10.    … Expand
  18. Mortiferum
    Sep 1, 2015
    1
    Well its okay but... the historical in this game is ****
    e.g. a Panther from 1941 - 1942 fight against tanks from 1944 - 1945 and that is really silly.
    Or the other sing is that planes from 1945 fight against post war planes from 1945 - 1950's

    Well i giving 1 point because the grafics and the engine is awesome i dont really have an high end pc but i can play this game with high grafics.
  19. Asal1996
    Nov 20, 2019
    10
    I cant understand bad marks for this game. Graphics is on the top level, gameplay one of the easiest. Just play and enjoy
  20. dralian
    Oct 28, 2013
    10
    Excellent game. Great visuals, sound, and gameplay.

    Extremely small learning curve mouse control is simple and straight-forward. You do not need a joystick. I played for hours before even trying the tutorials, which are really not necessary but they give you points for completion. It is helpful to modify your DPI settings depending on what type of plane you are flying (higher for    Excellent game. Great visuals, sound, and gameplay.

    Extremely small learning curve mouse control is simple and straight-forward. You do not need a joystick. I played for hours before even trying the tutorials, which are really not necessary but they give you points for completion. It is helpful to modify your DPI settings depending on what type of plane you are flying (higher for fighters, lower for bombers).

    I have not spent single penny and I am able to compete easily with other players at my level.

    The game is pretty historically accurate, which is why the "factions" (a.k.a. countries) are not perfectly balanced. That is part of the fun.

    I love other comments about dogfighting with bombers... they are bombers and are not designed for dogfighting. They are designed for bombing, hence the name. Bombers are great fun and extremely easy to aim/drop and destroy targets.

    All plan types are easy and fun fighters, heavy fighters, dive bombers, bombers, etc. If you spend a little time messing around with maneuvering your plane you will quickly learn how to handle yourself in a dogfight. I find it quite enjoyable inventing new maneuvers on the fly, and pulling of a ridiculous move to evade an enemy fighter.    … Expand
  21. ptrac2
    Oct 23, 2013
    10
    War Thunder is a very realistic and fun multiplayer game. I am constantly excited during the gameplay and the flying is amazing. The range of vehicles improves on the game so much. The game will never leave you bored with a large variety of goals to strive for. Overall I LOVE IT!
  22. mdog73
    Aug 30, 2013
    1
    It is visually nice, but there are some flat out game breaking bugs that they refuse to fix. They have good ideas, But poor implementation. This game needs alot of work and has great potential if they do not get greedy. It's clearly in beta phase, perhaps only 20-30% done. I still hold out hope that this can be a great game, right now it is subpar and would not recommend it to my friends.
  23. CorbanDallas2
    Apr 28, 2015
    0
    awful game..... seriously....
    promotes itself as a 'simulator' yet pits light tanks from the early 1930's with late WW2 tanks. played this game for a few hours, maneuvered carefully around the battlefield, flanked the enemy.. aaaaaand sat there firing away at an invincible tank only to have it turn around and fire 2 shots at me to kill me.. in 6 games my shots 'hit' approximately    awful game..... seriously....
    promotes itself as a 'simulator' yet pits light tanks from the early 1930's with late WW2 tanks. played this game for a few hours, maneuvered carefully around the battlefield, flanked the enemy.. aaaaaand sat there firing away at an invincible tank only to have it turn around and fire 2 shots at me to kill me.. in 6 games my shots 'hit' approximately 50times.... and didnt score a single point.... because you start the game with a tank that belongs in WW1 era against tiger 1's and 2's...
    disgusted....    … Expand
  24. 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
  25. BlackVoid
    Apr 14, 2015
    0
    There is no invert mouse when looking around only for controls.
    Unplayable.

    There is no invert mouse when looking around only for controls.
    Unplayable.
  26. ViCEMAN
    Sep 2, 2013
    10
    This is exactly what I've been looking for a long time. After all I am a simulation gamer, but the arcade battles are great fun when you don't want to go actual simulation gaming (IL1946). There are enough variation in missions and environments. Flying and dogfighting between mountains is very intense and fun. Just don't play this dick in your forehead, have fun!
  27. CactusReviews
    Jun 24, 2014
    9
    One of the best Airplane FPS shooters I have ever seen. Offers different view modes and a variety of different planes. Ground Forces (Tanks) is now in OBT (Open Beta Testing) and has a few bugs but is not bad. Naval Forces are coming soon.
  28. Fritz69
    Aug 30, 2013
    10
    For me... The most fun I have hade playing multiplayer since BF2!! Takes a little time to become familiar with the menu and how it all works, but this should not stop someone who like this type of games...
  29. Madcat207
    Sep 18, 2013
    9
    This is what a great F2P game should be. Plenty to do, all of it free, with the people who pay only saving time and not getting an unfair advantage.

    Graphically, the game is beautiful, and the engine feels very well optimized. Playing with a steady 50-60FPS, even on the high settings is no problem, and overall the experience is smooth. Terrain in the distance looks particularly good,    This is what a great F2P game should be. Plenty to do, all of it free, with the people who pay only saving time and not getting an unfair advantage.

    Graphically, the game is beautiful, and the engine feels very well optimized. Playing with a steady 50-60FPS, even on the high settings is no problem, and overall the experience is smooth. Terrain in the distance looks particularly good, and gives a good sense of immersion.

    In terms of gameplay, it plays exactly how you would want an a flight sim to play. Obviously, every match has you trying to shoot down the other players, but there are always other objectives as well (arcade), or full on battle reproductions (historical). No matter what your favorite plane type is, there will be something for you to do.

    The game features good progression AS you play you level up both your player, and your respective Air Force rank. As you rank up, new and more challenging planes become available to purchase. Each plane has its own progression, improving its performance overall, and allowing you to vary your loadout (to a degree.. you cannot change the guns, but you can change what they shoot, and if you carry bombs, what bombs you have).

    Admittedly, it can be hard to see in match, but they also offer a wealth of customization, in both skins and decals. While some will complain, most of these are not free; but lets be honest here, they have to make money somehow, right? For me, i would rather that they charge for vanity items, than make the game pay to win.

    The game as of this date is still in beta, and there are hickups here and there. But as it stands, compared to other "launched" games like MechWarrior Onliine, this game could officially launch and be successful. Hopefully, it retains a strong user base, and keeps going well.    … Expand
  30. nidza
    Sep 17, 2013
    9
    I've been playing warthunder for several months and I am level 20 all nations I have spent so far on the game around 300$ over 8 months having said that the game became more expensive and all the stuff I bought for 300$ now costs at least double.P2W is not an issue except when a premium airplane is overpowered (most recently premium FW190-D13) and you have no other way of obtaining it thenI've been playing warthunder for several months and I am level 20 all nations I have spent so far on the game around 300$ over 8 months having said that the game became more expensive and all the stuff I bought for 300$ now costs at least double.P2W is not an issue except when a premium airplane is overpowered (most recently premium FW190-D13) and you have no other way of obtaining it then through your credit card. Pay 2 progress is there as well,but no "gold" ammunition etc. Premium airplanes cost from 2 to 25$

    Graphics: Very nice 10/10
    Controls:
    Mouse & keyboard 10/10
    Joysticks 6/10 (mouse aim is far superior to joystick the only advantage a joystick has is turning but he is also at risk of stalling out which can't happen to you if you are on mouse aim)
    Gameplay:
    Arcade (75% of community plays this) very easy mode to play
    Historical Battles (20% plays this) very fun game mode with no respawn takes some skill to master and if you dive too fast you can loose your wings and has physics and bullet drop.

    Full Real Battles: semi sim experience best played with a joystick and facetracking though the xbox 360 gamepad dominates over joysticks in this game mode.

    It's a fun game but a beta non the less... I recommend play it a couple of days if you like get the premium and don't give them a dime for anything else.    … Expand
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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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