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.

Thanks to a wider variety of gameplay and game situations, War Thunder won the scepter of the best free-to-play in the skies of World War II.

War Thunder surprised me. I am not very good at it, but I still have a lot of fun playing it. Because it is a free-to-play game, some players will download it on a whim and quit 20 minutes in due to the poor controls. Those that brave the steep learning curve will be rewarded with a realistic combat simulator that could be truly great one day.

While the initial learning curve is daunting, this is one of those games that opens up dramatically the more that you play it, so the time commitment is worthwhile whether you're a laidback dogfighter or a hardcore simmer.

War Thunder is easily among the best of what is offered on the PlayStation Store. It stands head and shoulders above the other free to play offerings and even over many at cost. The core of this lies in the generous free to play model which allows you to play for hour and hours without paying a dime. Though microtransactions were disabled in the pre-release version, I did get to explore the store and actually make some purchases in the EU release. A pillar of War Thunder’s longevity lies in its generous free to play model that allows you to play for hour and hours without paying a dime. That's the way free to play should be done.

War Thunder is a game you must play. After all, it's free. Even if you keep crashing, it can absorb you easily and you'll end up creating your own squad with your friends and find out that a flight simulator can be really amusing. Even the information details about planes can be interesting.

Surprisingly good fun. [Issue#239, p.68]

War Thunder delivers a deep, engaging experience, packed with plenty of missions and planes to unlock.

With its variety of planes and future plans to expand its warfare, War Thunder delivers fast-paced and spectacular dogfights.

War Thunder is a free look at beautiful airplanes and intense dogfights, with controls that can be as arcady or realistic as you want them to be. The lack of certain content and the cluttered menu's stand in the way of a higher grade.

War Thunder has some issues here and there, but it’s a very competent flying and ground war game that doesn’t let its microtransaction component get in the way. There’s plenty of tanks and planes to try out and modify to your liking, and just enough visuals to enjoy along the way. It’s not perfect, but it’s a solid game.

It’s mostly the moments in between battles that bring the whole experience down, as a lack of information and poor menus tarnish this flying ace.

Easy to get into, difficult to master, and free as a bird. Definitely sample-worthy. [February 2014, p79]

With plans for naval and ground vehicle combat, War Thunder has the potential to become one of PS4’s darkest horses. It’s punishing, sure – but guiding a precious bird to victory causes your chest to swell with imaginary medals every time.

There's a neat tactical flight experience here, but the interface still needs work. [Feb 2014, p.73]