Not that I anticipate this review to be seen very much, but having been with the game since 2012 I feel compelled to make one. I have played the predecessor games (Wings/Birds of Prey and Birds of Steel) as well as put about 3000+ hours of time into WT, not all on the Steam version, but before steam link and including a previous account, and I just want to offer my perspective on the game.

War Thunder has undergone a large amount of changes in 4 years, which is to be expected. There was never a physical, celebratory release of the game from Open Beta into an actual game. That being said, it's not for the worse for it. The game used to have some very unbalanced features (Some may remember the horrors of 2 minute games with Yer Thunder, or the B-17 bomber aces with laser gunners, or farther back the scourge of the D-13 dominating the game). Recently, the ATGM tanks (which just require some changing of tactics) have been put down as 'bias' and 'unfair'. The game is much more balanced than many other vehicle-based combat games.

Also, trying to compare War Thunder to other games (World of Tanks, World of Warplanes, etc.) is not an apt comparison, the games are set up very differently, and WT is really a game all it's own.

As time has passed, most of the larger, more game-breaking imbalances have been corrected and despite what people may tell you, the cries of Russian/US/British/German/Japanese Bias are all unfounded. In the vast majority of places it's simply someone not knowing how to counter any specific group of planes (for example shooting a Lagg-3's wooden wings). There are some widely considered to be undertiered/overtiered tanks and aircraft. This is always in flux as the BRs for some vehicles change nearly patch to patch. Additionally things like damage and flight models for vehicles are being tweaked and adjusted on a constant basis.

Things that may be present in more intense simulators (things like unreliable engines, imperfect manufacturing, crew shellshock, etc.) aren't modeled into War Thunder. The vehicles in the game perform as close to they can while also maintaining easier control schemes for different game modes. For example, if you play simulator, you may be able to get better performance out of your plane than realistic mode due to being able to have a more complex control setup.

In terms of business-wise and staff-wise, Gaijin leaves some things to be desired. Some of the staff can be abrasive at times, but for the most part they are all pretty well-informed community aides. I, personally, have never had a bad experience with game moderators, forum moderators, or support members. Some say they have, but I can't offer insight into those cases. Every issue that I have gone to support with I have received help with and been able to resolve the issue. As a business, Gaijin has really been using the F2P model with microtransactions for in-game currency (called Golden Eagles). GE can be used for premium time, premium vehicles (they earn more research and silver lion currency then non-premium vehicles), and decals and camos to adorn your vehicles with (most of these can be unlocked for free with playtime). Again, you will see a lot of cries of Pay-to-Win here, but that isn't the case. The model that it is is really Pay-to-Advance, as the increased rewards just help with research times and working your way up the grinding ladder.

If you're looking for realism, War Thunder may not be the best game, simply because play is simplified for a wider playerbase, which is something people mark as a bad thing, but it's just a business move. The game has always been that way, and will continue to be more simple-focused, which isn't to bash on people playing in these modes, there are just more people in those modes.

Gameplay is fairly easy to catch on to, but does take some time, patience, and practice to master. Knowing what your plane or tank can do, what strengths/weaknesses it has, and other attributes of your vehicle as well as the same of the enemy vehicles that you face is needed. The game is a time investment, you won't be able to hop right into it and get to top-tier in a week or two, it'll take longer than that.

Edit: On hacking/cheating. Gaijin regularly (every month or so) announces how many accounts were determined to be using 'external modifications. and bans those accounts permanently. Most of the time, you will encounter no cheats, people can make vehicles do some pretty smooth tricks with gameplay mechanics, or are just better-than-average and players will look for an excuse as to why they lost. Not saying it to be elitist, but that's just honesty.

Edit: Playerbase. To be honest the playerbase much anymore is filled with a lot of people who are all too happy to rage and vent anger in any way they can (cries of bias, teamkilling, spamming caps). These players are in the minority, most players are quiet and occasionally will say something or two. I cannot fault the game for actions of the people playing it. And there are a lot of good people out there in the game (the majority of players). I recommend playing alone or with people that you know you communicate well with. A squad of 4 people can clean house in any given game if they know each other and what they're doing.

There are frustrating moments. Mainly for me, game updates are blocked on most of the networks I play on, as they do outside network security and Peer-to-Peer downloading is blocked. (Colleges, a lot of libraries, the like). I have not had much at all in the way of game bugs or glitches, crashes, or anything of that sort. You will come across some limitations, especially on older machines, but don't be deterred. I played on a potatotop for a year on minimum settings at 30fps, the game was still enjoyable.

TL;DR- War Thunder has some realistic attributes, but also some simplified attributes. Don't listen to people crying wolf with bias, use your own patience and know-how to play and it is fun and rewarding. Be prepared to invest your time into the game, not for a quick rush to the 'end'. Play the game, if you find it fun or entertaining, stick around, just go along with the ride.

PS- If anyone is looking to play, or discuss the game, feel free to find me in-game and I would be happy to join!

Even though I am strongly addicted to the game, it's ridiculous the amount of time and efort, maybe even money you have to put in before you actually start having fun. The devs don't care about you, or the game. They want money. Don't buy premium. OVERPRICED BS. Reasearching one tank that might require 6,000 RP (research points) will take you about 7-8 games. Even if you do really well in a game, say like 8 kills, you'll barely get 1,000 RP. The game is way too damn grindy. It's annoying. It's so ♥♥♥♥ing unbalanced. Russians dominate tanks. 3 things that would change this review: 1. A balanced update. Not making eveything equal, but not making everything so damn Op and everything else with paper armour. 2. The RP system and researching tanks needs to buffed like hell. It is way too slow and frustrating especially for German tanks. 3. Primium is way too over priced. Want a year subscription? $120. F THAT. $5 a month. $50-$60 a year. I WILL BUY IT and so will many others. Also don't make it where you need to buy premium currency to buy a premium account. That's ♥♥♥♥ing ridiculous.

This game has so much potential and is probably one of the best WWII game sout right now, but the people behind it are money cows and wasting that potential. The game is slowly dying. All that's gonna be left are the rich people that have everything unlocked and will just demolish you, therefore leaving the game unplayable.

Fix it, or in 2 years there will be no War Thunder.

It is pretty hard to give this game a solid yes or no considering there is a lot to love AND to hate about this game.
Pros:
- Amazing graphics
- Realistic, World of Tanks doesn't even come close to this level of realism
- Lots of different vehicles
- Well-optimised
- Not as pay to win as one might think

Cons:
- Technically speaking however: it is pay to win
- Average toxic free to play community
- Unlocking tanks can be a real grind
- Game developers don't know what creating and maintaining a community is
- The game is meeting its end and the developers know it, they are now trying to squeeze as much money out of their remaining small playerbase

Every single update, Gaijin breaks the game more and more. Ask anyone with many hours in the game, and that's what they'll tell you. Every once in a great while, I come back to the game to see its current state, and oh boy, to no surprise, they ruin it up every single time. It's always something. It's always a broken flight model or damage model that stays broken for years, but conveniently, the developer's country of origin will always have the most cutting edge, despite having garbage heaps in WWII.

Their newest system, their blackout system from excessive geforce, likes to black your pilot out by just flying in a straight line. Hit detection is garbage, you cannot select the game mode, PS4 players are in the mix with their horrid network cards, so you'll have B-25s teleporting behind fighters and killing them, and it's very pay-to-win. You can buy foliage to camouflage yourself with, you can outright buy planes and tanks, and often times, those pay-to-win tanks and planes will have a lower battle rating than their legitimate counterparts.

If you want a game like this, sadly, everything else fails to come close. Even more unfortunate is that this very game fails to compare to what it used to be in 2013. Every single update ends up doing something wrong.

I had to write a review about this game because I have noticed the amount of ♥♥♥♥ this game has been getting lately, and with over 1,000 hours, I feel as if I am more than qualified to do so.

Yes, War Thunder is not a perfect game *gasp*, and I too have had my fair share of frustration at times. But when I sit back after a match and think about what I did wrong after being completely ♥♥♥♥ on, nine times out of ten it was my fault. Not angling my armor properly, being impatient and pushing so far up I get surrounded, etc. Thats what I love about this game. When you screw up, it's on you.

People are quick to cry wolf on the russian bias. Those people are also the ones who don't angle, flank, and mindlessly take on a heavy tank from the front. This game requires a plethora of skill which you will eventually require through practice and perserverance. Learn your tank/plane! Know your weaknesses and your strengths! This will help you tramendously in any situation. If instant gratification is something you are looking for, there's always COD.

Gaijin does a wonderful job updating the game fairly fast, and you can see they really do care about their community. They keep us updated and add new content almost every other month. They also do an excellent job hyping the following updates, giving players something to look forward to in the near future *COUGH COUGH BOATS*

Basically if you want me to cut the ♥♥♥♥ and get straight to the point of this review...

*Do not play this game if you are easily angered or impatient. YOU WILL NOT SURVIVE.

*If you are new to WT, give it a try for yourself instead of looking at the comments. This community really likes to whine. Don't let the comments plague your experience.

Most importantly, have fun, try not to think too much, and I'll see you in the skies!! o7

This game starts out fun but as you get into the high ranks, it starts taking 50 to 75 games to unlock a single tank or plane. Very often two or even three of these tanks or planes are indentical in every way, save the name, meaning you spent 200+/- games trying to advance past them to something new. At the same time you start seeing players who paid real money for tanks that are practically invincible. Suprise, they kill you at will. On top of all this, there is a terrbile bias towards the Russian faction and games are generally one by whichever team has more russian players.

I used to enjoy this game until the developers went insane. They began banning people who ponted out that hackers were ruining the game, refused to listen to the community and players about things they want changed or issues they have. Focus on stupid things and not adding useful content. The developers have ruined a game that I once enjoyed about a time period I absolutely adore.

I have been on Warthunder on and off. And it's constantly the same thing, 1 Nation is OP as ♥♥♥♥ and all the others keep getting nerfed. Please, either fix the balancing matches for skill level (Tired of sh*t teammates screwing up the game), balance nations or just put the ACTUAL HISTORICAL values.

Until then, beatings will continue until morale improves on my end, and I will play once again, once the game is "stable".

Its a relativelly realistic game with LOTS of tanks, planes and soon ships. Also it has great graphics&sounds and LOW requirments. I dont recommend it THOUGH BECAUSE it has almost no balance, 0% historical accuracy in battles (Tigers are playing against Caernavons) and weird bugs ( OftenShots from a King Tiger rickoshet a T-34 with no angle or any explanation) and it is also considered by many Russian Bias (it has Russian Developers and Russian tanks are a bit stronger than they should). IF YOU ARE LOOKING FOR A REALISTIC WW2 GAME THIS IS NOT FOR YOU !!! In any other case you might like it.

*drives out a tiger feeling all cool*
*kills a scrub in a T-34-85, feeling historic*
*goes into mad german panzerfahrer mode*
*Suddenly a T29 pops up*
*I decide to shoot him*
BOUNCE
*he shoots me*
*dead*
*ragequits but plays it again 5 mins later*