War Thunder review

This War Thunder review is based on official sources and player reviews, not on our own play time. War Thunder is a free-to-play online military game from Gaijin Entertainment with aircraft, helicopters, tanks and ships from before World War II to modern units. It runs on Windows, macOS, Linux, PS4, PS5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S on shared servers. Money buys Golden Eagles, premium account time, premium vehicles, a Battle Pass and keys for random trophies.

What is War Thunder?

War Thunder is an online combat game built around historical and modern military vehicles. The official site says it has more than 2,500 aircraft, helicopters, ground vehicles and naval vessels, from the years before World War II to current units, and over 140 maps. Air, ground and naval forces can share a battle: combined battles mix tanks with aircraft and helicopters, or ships with aircraft. Most maps are built for 32 players in two teams, and some events reach 64.

PvP comes in three difficulty levels: Arcade, Realistic and Simulator Battles. PvE options include historical and dynamic campaigns, cooperative Assault missions and a World War mode, and players can download user-made missions from War Thunder Live. Squads hold up to four people.

Gaijin Entertainment develops the game, and Steam lists Gaijin Network Ltd as publisher and a Steam release date of August 15, 2013. Recent official news covers the Sky Odyssey major update from September 2026 and custom Battle Ratings for aircraft, announced on October 29, 2026.

Is War Thunder free to play?

Yes. The official FAQ says you can download and play War Thunder right away with no restrictions and no subscription fees, and Steam lists it as Free To Play. A permanent internet connection is required; there is no offline mode.

On PlayStation, the FAQ says PS Plus is not needed for multiplayer; PS Plus members get monthly boosters and a unique P-36 variant. On Xbox, the FAQ says Xbox Live Gold is not required either.

Battles pay out Silver Lions and Research Points, which are used to unlock new vehicles and their upgrades; premium account time increases both, according to the FAQ. Optional spending covers Golden Eagles, premium account time, premium vehicle packs, the Battle Pass and purchases on the Gaijin Market, which uses Gaijin Coins (GJN). Steam players can launch through Steam or through Gaijin's own launcher, which the FAQ recommends for automatic updates.

Is War Thunder pay to win? What money buys

Gaijin's FAQ answers the question directly: it says "you cannot win simply by paying money", but that money speeds up progress and opens more vehicles. Golden Eagles, the premium currency, can speed up crew training and the research of vehicles and modifications. As of October 29, 2026, the Gaijin Store sold 150 Golden Eagles for $0.99, 1,000 for $6.60 and 2,500 for $16.50, with larger packs on sale. Premium account time raises Silver Lion and Research Point earnings per battle; the store listed 20 days for $7.49, 60 days for $19.99 and 180 days for $39.99. Premium vehicles come with all upgrades, and the FAQ says they are no better than regular vehicles. Vehicle packs on the store's first catalog page ranged from $20 to $79.99, several of them discounted.

Battle Pass Season 25, Steel Fury, costs 2,000 Golden Eagles, or 2,500 with 15 levels unlocked, and runs from October 21, 2026 to January 20, 2027. Camouflage trophies drop after battles with a set probability; on PC they open with a key bought on the Gaijin Market, and console players open them with Golden Eagles. PEGI lists paid loot boxes. No official web page lists trophy odds. Based on what the official stores sell, we rate it as mildly pay to win; we will check this again when we play it ourselves.

War Thunder on PC, Mac, consoles and mobile

War Thunder runs on Windows, macOS and Linux, through the official launcher from warthunder.com or through Steam, which shows all three systems and lists VR support through SteamVR. The official site also lists PS4, PS5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S. According to the FAQ, the Series X|S version targets 4K at 60 fps on Series X and 1440p at 60 fps on Series S.

All platforms share the same servers, and squads of up to four can mix PC and console players. Xbox players can switch cross-platform play off; they are then limited to Arcade air and ground battles. Progress does not carry over automatically: console players create a separate account, but the FAQ says a PlayStation or Xbox account can be linked to an email login and then used on PC with the same progress and purchases.

War Thunder Mobile is a separate game with its own section on the official site, so it is not covered on this page.

War Thunder system requirements

The official site lists these PC figures. Minimum: Windows 10 64-bit, a dual-core 2.2 GHz processor, 4 GB of RAM, a DirectX 11 card such as an AMD Radeon 77XX or NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660, a broadband connection and 23.1 GB for the minimal client; 720p is the lowest supported resolution. Recommended: Windows 10 or 11 64-bit, an Intel Core i5 or Ryzen 5 3600 or better, 16 GB of RAM, an NVIDIA GeForce 1060 or Radeon RX 570 or better, and 75.9 GB for the full client. Steam's page asks for more space: 70 GB minimum and 95 GB recommended.

On Mac, the official site lists macOS Big Sur 11.0 or newer, an Intel Core i5 at 2.2 GHz or better (Xeon is not supported), 6 GB of RAM and a GPU with Metal support such as Intel Iris Pro 5200. On Linux, it lists a modern 64-bit distribution, a dual-core 2.4 GHz CPU, 4 GB of RAM and an NVIDIA GTX 660 or similar AMD card with Vulkan support and proprietary drivers no older than six months.

Games like War Thunder

These games in our catalog also center on military vehicles or vehicle combat. World of Tanks is Wargaming's free tactical tank game for Windows, available through the Wargaming Game Center and Steam, with PvP, clan-based modes and PvE events according to its Steam page. World of Warships, also from Wargaming, is a free naval battle game for Windows with more than 800 ships from the first half of the 20th century. Enlisted is a free squad-based MMO shooter from Darkflow Software, published by Gaijin Network Ltd, that recreates key battles of the 20th century's bloodiest war; it is on Windows, Xbox and PlayStation. Crossout, also published by Gaijin, is a post-apocalyptic game in which players build armored vehicles from parts and take them into PvP battles.

• World of Tanks
• World of Warships
• Enlisted
• Crossout

Our ranked list: Games like War Thunder