War Thunder vs World of Tanks
Pick War Thunder for aircraft and ships next to tanks, or to play on Mac or Linux; pick World of Tanks for tank-only battles with published odds on its random boxes. On our research scores, World of Tanks is slightly ahead, 7.6 to 7.4.
Updated ยท How we rate
Both scores come from our research reviews: official sources and player reviews, not our own play time. Each score follows a fixed formula.
A deep, long-running vehicle combat game where money speeds up research but, per Gaijin, does not buy stronger vehicles.
The classic free tank MMO, with odds published on random offers and many paid ways to shorten the grind.
| Aspect | War Thunder | World of Tanks |
|---|---|---|
| Our score | 7.4 / 10 | 7.6 / 10 |
| Pay to win | Mild | Mild |
| Vehicles | More than 2,500 aircraft, helicopters, ground vehicles and ships | Tanks only, more than 800 vehicles |
| PC platforms | Windows, Mac and Linux | Windows only |
| Consoles | PS4, PS5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S on shared servers | Separate console game |
| PC minimum | 4 GB RAM; 23.1 GB minimal client (Steam lists 70 GB) | 8 GB RAM; 70 GB |
| Steam reviews (English) | 72% positive of 329,901 | 73% positive of 25,628 |
| Premium time | Premium account for 20, 60 or 180 days ($7.49 to $39.99) | WoT Premium Account for gold; WoT Plus from $8.99 a month |
| Paid random items | Keys for random trophies, no published odds | Random boxes in limited offers, odds on official news pages |
| Latest update checked | October 28, 2026: updated Sun City and American Desert maps | October 12, 2026: Update 2.4.1 |
How they differ
World of Tanks is a team tank game: more than 800 vehicles, all of them ground vehicles, on Windows. War Thunder covers aircraft, helicopters, ground vehicles and ships, more than 2,500 in all, and its combined battles put tanks and aircraft on the same map. It has three difficulty modes, from Arcade to Simulator, and runs on Windows, Mac and Linux, with consoles on shared servers.
War Thunder also asks less of a PC: 4 GB of RAM for its minimal client, against 8 GB for World of Tanks.
Money and pay to win
Both games rate as mildly pay to win. In both, a premium account and premium vehicles speed up progress, and Gaijin says you cannot win in War Thunder simply by paying. The difference is random items: Wargaming publishes odds for the random boxes in World of Tanks offers, while War Thunder sells keys for random trophies with no published odds.
FAQ
Is War Thunder better than World of Tanks?
On our research scores, World of Tanks is slightly ahead, 7.6 to 7.4. War Thunder offers more vehicle types and platforms; World of Tanks publishes odds for its random boxes. Both scores can change once we play the games.
Which is more pay to win?
Neither stands out: both rate as mildly pay to win, because premium accounts and premium vehicles speed up progress in each.
Can I play both on a Mac?
War Thunder runs on Mac and Linux as well as Windows. World of Tanks runs on Windows only.