War Thunder
News, coverage and analysis tracking War Thunder across the outlets.
Latest coverage
War Thunder Infantry: The Second Testing Phase
The latest War Thunder update, War Tusk, introduces new ground and air vehicles across multiple tech trees, including the Ukrainian-made Oplot-T tank, the USS Maryland battleship, and the CF-188A fighter jet. The update is available on PC and consoles including PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X, as well as mobile platforms.
War Thunder’s 14th Community Spotlight Shows How Live Service Games Keep Players Creating
War Thunder's ongoing Community Spotlight series, now in its 14th edition, exemplifies how developers can sustain player engagement in live service games through consistent recognition of fan creations. Gaijin Entertainment's approach, which includes rewarding featured creators with exclusive in-game decals and encouraging the integration of physical scale models with digital counterparts, fosters a strong community bond. This strategy offers valuable lessons for other developers on building long-term player retention through genuine community interaction rather than solely relying on monetization or gameplay loops.
War Thunder Infantry Closed Beta
War Thunder is preparing to launch a closed beta for its new Infantry mode, which will introduce ground forces to the existing vehicular combat gameplay. The announcement was accompanied by a new trailer, and player feedback in the comments primarily focuses on two recurring themes.
War Thunder Infantry gets a new trailer and test event
War Thunder Infantry is nearing release with a new trailer and a closed testing period featuring Domination modes for 64 vs 64 and 20 vs 20 battles. This update introduces solo players to forming squads and adds native Linux support, with a public release date yet to be announced. The expansion is expected to be a major addition to the base game, incorporating elements similar to the Battlefield series.
War Thunder Infantry Enters Second Beta Phase With Massive 128-Player Battles
War Thunder Infantry has entered its second closed beta phase, introducing massive 128-player battles with two Domination modes. This significant increase in player count aims to create large-scale infantry combat, with developers Gaijin Entertainment emphasizing structured gameplay and squad-based mechanics. The beta will test technical stability for these large matches, with potential for further development if successful.
War Thunder heralds ‘a new level of realism’ for naval battles with its recent Ninth Wave update
War Thunder's Ninth Wave update introduces significant visual and physics enhancements to naval battles, aiming for a new level of realism with improved water rendering, reflections, and sea foam. The update also adds new vehicles, including Rank IX aircraft and the USS Helm destroyer, alongside map updates and vehicle balance adjustments.
War Thunder’s German La-5FN Returns for Limited Time This Weekend
War Thunder is making the German-captured La-5FN aircraft available for a limited time this weekend, from March 20th to March 23rd, to commemorate the 84th anniversary of the La-5 fighter's first flight. This special event allows players to experience a historically significant aircraft that was captured and used by German forces during World War II, highlighting a unique aspect of aviation history.
War Thunder Starter Packs Half Price: Steam Spring Sale Delivers Solid Value Through March 26
War Thunder is offering a 50% discount on all its starter packs during the Steam Spring Sale, which runs until March 26. These packs are designed to accelerate progression through the game's research trees by including a low-tier premium vehicle, premium account time, and Golden Eagles. The sale is exclusive to Steam and aims to attract new players by reducing the grind associated with early-game content.
War Thunder Update 2.55.0.13 Fixes PS5 Pro Crashes and Major Bugs
War Thunder Update 2.55.0.13 addresses critical bugs, including crashes on PlayStation 5 Pro when Ray Tracing is enabled in Air Simulator Battles. The patch also corrects missile placement and targeting issues for specific aircraft, improves Silver Lions rewards for Rank IX bombing runs, and fixes graphical glitches related to motion blur and tracer rounds. Gaijin Entertainment released the update following player feedback, aiming to enhance the simulation accuracy and overall gameplay experience.
Naval battles in War Thunder have reached a new level of realism
Gaijin Entertainment has released the Ninth Wave Major Update for War Thunder, significantly enhancing naval battle realism with redesigned water physics and visual effects. The update introduces new vehicles including the Chinese J-15T fighter jet, Italian Centauro II tank destroyer, Russian Pantsir-SM-SV air defense system, and French aircraft carrier Foch.
War Thunder Update 2.55.0.9 Reshapes the Battlefield with Critical Fixes
Gaijin Entertainment has released War Thunder Update 2.55.0.9, addressing numerous bugs and making balance adjustments. The update includes fixes for missile placement on Su-30SM aircraft, removes the BMPT artillery support modification with full refunds, and adds target tracking radar to the Falcon ground vehicle. Additionally, the Golden Quarry and Red Desert maps have been temporarily removed due to underlying issues.
War Thunder Fights Back Against Digital Siege with Player Compensation
War Thunder is compensating players with Premium Account time and boosters due to recent widespread DDoS attacks that disrupted server access. Gaijin Entertainment acknowledged the attacks and is implementing strengthened monitoring and protection measures. The studio also extended a task deadline for the Pacific Pearl event, recognizing the impact of connection issues on limited-time rewards.
War Thunder’s Ninth Wave Update Goes Live Today with Server Downtime
Gaijin Entertainment has released the major 'Ninth Wave' update for War Thunder today, March 17th, requiring server downtime starting at 08:00 GMT. This update is described as one of the largest content drops for the game, with details available on dev blogs. The update is rolling out simultaneously across PC, PlayStation, and Xbox platforms.
War Thunder’s Aerial Photo Contest Has Players Looking Down on the Competition
War Thunder has launched its 215th screenshot competition, themed 'From Above,' challenging players to capture aerial or elevated perspectives of the game's battlefields. The competition, running until March 20th, has strict rules regarding raw, unedited submissions and specific tagging requirements, sparking some community debate. Winners will receive Golden Eagles, with the event highlighting the game's scale and fostering player creativity in virtual photography.
The MOP Up: Stars Reach teaches you how to roleplay alien species
Stars Reach is providing lore and roleplay guides for its alien species, the Elioni and Gertans, ahead of its sandbox MMO's launch. This week's MMO news roundup also includes updates for War Thunder, Dungeons and Dragons Online, Sea of Thieves, and Farm Together 2, a crossover between Palworld and Legend of Mushroom, and NCsoft's acquisition of JustPlay.
War Thunder Drops Hungarian Aircraft in Ninth Wave Update – WM-21 and WM-23 Join the Fight
The Ninth Wave update for War Thunder will introduce two Hungarian aircraft, the WM-21 Sólyom and the WM-23 Ezüst Nyil, to the Italian tech tree. The WM-21 is a light-reconnaissance bomber that saw combat during World War II, while the WM-23 is a prototype fighter that crashed during testing. This update highlights Gaijin Entertainment's commitment to representing the aviation histories of smaller nations.
World of Tanks Heat talks up its hero characters, War Thunder gameplay is mistaken as real-world war footage
World of Tanks HEAT, an arcade-style spin-off, has revealed details about its hero characters and their abilities, functioning similarly to a hero shooter with tanks. Meanwhile, a viral video falsely claiming to show real-world combat footage was confirmed to be gameplay from War Thunder, with Gaijin Entertainment's head of PR Konstantin Govorun confirming the footage's origin.
War Thunder Celebrates Finnish Air Force Day with Historic Aircraft & Free Commemorative Decal
War Thunder is celebrating Finnish Air Force Day with a special in-game event running from March 6th to 9th. The event honors Finnish aviation history with discounts on specific aircraft and a free commemorative decal for players who complete a challenging mission requirement. While the event highlights historical aircraft and Nordic aviation heritage, some players have raised concerns about the game's economy and the grind associated with earning the decal.
War Thunder’s First 2026 Pro League Major Kicks Off with 8 Elite Teams
The 2026 War Thunder competitive season kicks off with the WTCS Pro League Major I, featuring eight elite teams. The tournament highlights defending champions Team DODEC, reformed squads like Team MRCLS, and new veteran teams such as Team JinX. The 4v4 Mixed mode format emphasizes versatility and coordination, setting the tone for the entire esports season.
US governor boosts US-Iran 'combat footage' that is actually from War Thunder, featuring WW2-era weapons
A video circulating on social media, claimed to show a US battleship shooting down an Iranian fighter jet, has been identified as likely gameplay footage from War Thunder, featuring World War 2-era weaponry. Texas governor Greg Abbott shared the clip, which has since been deleted. Investigations suggest the warship resembles the USS Tennessee and the aircraft a German Messerschmitt Me 163B-1a Komet, with no real-world reports of such an event. This incident highlights the growing issue of video game footage being mistaken for or used as real war footage for misinformation and propaganda purposes.
