War Thunder: an independent overview

What War Thunder is

War Thunder is an online multiplayer military game. According to its provider, it is a combat game built around vehicles — aircraft, helicopters, tanks and ships — rather than infantry, letting players take part in battles across air, land and sea. It is developed and published by Gaijin Entertainment.

In the terms we use elsewhere on this site, it sits in the vehicular combat corner of the category: the depth comes from the range of machines and the way they handle, and it leans towards simulation more than a fast arena shooter does. If that description appeals, the game is likely to suit you; if you were expecting on-foot action, it is a different sort of experience.

As with any game in this corner of the category, the learning curve is part of the experience rather than a flaw in it. Vehicle-based games generally reward patience — learning how a particular machine behaves, where it is strong and where it is fragile — more than fast reactions alone. That is a matter of taste, not quality: some players find that depth absorbing, while others prefer something quicker to pick up. Knowing which you are before you install saves the mismatch of expecting one kind of game and finding another, which is the most common reason a newcomer bounces off a title like this.

Platforms and requirements

War Thunder is a desktop game. The provider lists it for desktop computers running Windows, macOS or Linux. It is not a mobile game, so a phone or tablet will not run it; you will need a desktop or laptop computer. Before installing, check the current system requirements on the provider's own page, since these are the kind of detail that changes over time and the provider's page is the authoritative source.

How sign-up and the tutorial work

The provider's flow for a new player is straightforward and typical of the category. In outline, you register an account on the provider's landing page, confirm your email address, install the game, and then launch and play through the in-game tutorial that introduces the controls and the basics of play. Creating and activating the account, and then completing that initial task, is what the provider treats as getting started.

Because sign-up creates an account with a linked email, this is the moment to apply our account security basics: a strong, unique password and multi-factor authentication if it is offered. Doing it at sign-up is far easier than retrofitting it later.

1. Register an account on the provider's landing page.
2. Confirm your email address when prompted.
3. Download and install the game on a Windows, macOS or Linux computer.
4. Launch the game and complete the tutorial to learn the basics.

The exact steps and any current terms are set out by the provider. We describe the shape of the process; the provider's own pages are where you confirm the detail.

How it is sold

War Thunder uses a free-to-play model: it is free to download and start, with optional purchases available once you are playing. We do not list prices here, because pricing and any optional purchases are set by the provider and can change; the provider's store is the place for current figures. What we can say usefully is how to approach that model, which is the same advice we give for any free-to-play game.

Our guide to free-to-play games explains premium accounts, passes and boosters in general terms, and our guide to in-game spending covers the settings and habits — a set budget, purchase confirmation, converting currency back to Australian dollars — that keep any optional spending deliberate. None of that is specific to this title; it applies to the whole model.

Which of our guides apply to it

Rather than repeat advice, here is how our general guides map onto this particular game.

Our position, stated plainly

Zen Network is not the official site of War Thunder and is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by Gaijin Entertainment. The links on this page are paid affiliate links to the provider; if you register through one, we may earn a commission. That commercial relationship is why the game appears on this site, and we say so openly. It does not change the facts on this page, which come from what the provider states, and it does not turn a description into a recommendation.

If you would like the full picture of how we work and how the paid arrangement operates, our About page sets out our editorial method and our affiliate disclosure explains the commercial side in detail.

Questions