About
War Thunder came out on January 28, 2013 for PC, then for PlayStation 4 on November 29, 2013 and for Mac on April 7, 2014. On Steam, 64% of 920,500 player reviews are positive (Mixed). 36,656 people are playing it on Steam right now, with a peak of 108,042 in the last 30 days. It is Verified on Steam Deck.
War Thunder is a free-to-play vehicular combat MMO featuring aircraft, ground vehicles, and naval craft spanning from the early 20th century to the modern era. Players progress through technology trees across multiple nations, unlocking increasingly advanced military vehicles. The game offers three realism tiers for each vehicle type: arcade, realistic, and simulator modes. Originally developed as a flight simulator under the name "World of Planes," the game expanded to include tanks in 2014 and naval forces later, becoming a combined-arms experience. A mobile version was released in 2023.
What is happening now
War Thunder is a free-to-play military vehicle combat game featuring aircraft, ground forces, and naval vessels across multiple nations and eras. Players engage in team-based aerial and ground battles with vehicles ranging from early biplanes to modern jets and tanks. The game continues to expand its roster with the upcoming Sky Odyssey update, which introduces Greek military forces as a playable nation and adds a new map based on the Falkland Islands. The addition marks another step in the developer's ongoing efforts to broaden War Thunder's vehicle variety and battlefield locations.
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same kind of game, other series
Media
Releases
Platform
Date
January 28, 2013
November 29, 2013 (Europe first)
April 7, 2014
November 6, 2014
June 19, 2018
Earliest full release on each platform; regional dates can differ.
PC and Steam Deck
Steam store pageSteam Deck: Verified works great out of the box
Minimum
Recommended
OS
Windows 10 (64bit)
Windows 10/11 (64bit)
Processor
Dual-Core 2.2 GHz
Intel Core i5 or Ryzen 5 3600 or better
Memory
4 GB RAM
16 GB RAM
Graphics
DirectX 11 level video card: AMD Radeon 77XX / NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660. The minimum supported resolution for the game is 720p.
DirectX 11 level video card or higher and drivers: Nvidia GeForce 1060 and higher, Radeon RX 570 and higher
DirectX
Version 11
Version 12
Network
Broadband Internet connection
Broadband Internet connection
Storage
70 GB available space
95 GB available space
VR Support
SteamVR. Keyboard or gamepad required
-
Requirements and Deck status as listed on Steam, checked Oct 28, 2026.
War Thunder player count
concurrent players on Steam36,656playing now59m ago
37,862peak today
108,04230-day peak
108,042highest we have seenOct 31, 2026
Oct 23daily peak, last 12 daystoday
Players counted on Steam every one to six hours; the daily peak is the highest count of the day.
War Thunder achievements
91 achievements on SteamRarest
Collector Get 2000 vehicles
0.1%
Rank 9 Win 100 battles using vehicles of rank 9
0.1%
High-precision strike Destroy 1 player vehicle with a guided bomb at a distance of 20 km or more
0.2%
Belgian Ace Destroy 100 player vehicles while using Belgian vehicles
0.2%
Thai Ace Destroy 100 player vehicles while using Thai vehicles
0.2%
Swiss Ace Destroy 100 player vehicles while using Swiss vehicles
0.2%
All 91 achievements by how many players unlocked them
Israeli Collection Order 50 Israeli vehicles
0.3%
Piranha Win 50 battles using сoastal fleet
0.3%
Dutch Ace Destroy 100 player vehicles while using Dutch vehicles
0.3%
Family Album Get 100 player icons
0.3%
Shark Win 50 battles using bluewater fleet
0.5%
Australian Ace Destroy 100 player vehicles while using Australian vehicles
0.6%
Hungarian Ace Destroy 100 player vehicles while using Hungarian vehicles
0.7%
South African Ace Destroy 100 player vehicles while using South African vehicles
0.7%
True and Fable Win 50 single missions
0.9%
Fire Arrows Destroy 1000 player vehicles with guided missiles
0.9%
Kraken Sink 5 aircraft carriers
1%
Legend Spend 1000 hours in battle
1.1%
Hornet Win 50 battles using helicopters
1.1%
Israeli Ace Destroy 100 player vehicles while using Israeli vehicles
1.1%
Chinese Collection Order 50 Chinese vehicles
1.3%
Swedish Collection Order 50 Swedish vehicles
1.3%
Finnish Ace Destroy 100 player vehicles while using Finnish vehicles
1.3%
Size Doesn’t Matter Destroy 3 destroyers in a boat without losing your vehicle
1.4%
Peaceful atom Shoot down a nuclear weapon carrier
1.4%
Italian Collection Order 50 Italian vehicles
1.5%
True 100 Destroy 100 players' vehicles in simulator battles
1.6%
Weapon of Heroes Destroy 10 enemy ships by ramming them
1.6%
Italian Ace Destroy 100 player vehicles while using Italian vehicles
1.6%
French Collection Order 50 French vehicles
1.7%
Rank 8 Win 100 battles using vehicles of rank 8
1.8%
French Ace Destroy 100 player vehicles while using French vehicles
1.9%
Doomsday! Make a nuclear strike and end the mission with a victory
2%
Air-to-Air Get 'Hero of the sky' 10 times
2.1%
Japanese Collection Order 50 Japanese vehicles
2.1%
Japanese Ace Destroy 100 player vehicles while using Japanese vehicles
2.1%
Chinese Ace Destroy 100 player vehicles while using Chinese vehicles
2.1%
But... how?! Shoot down a plane with tank cannon in simulator mode
2.3%
Hooked Land on an aircraft carrier
2.4%
Ground-to-Air Get 'Wing Breaker' 10 times
2.4%
Veteran Spend 500 hours in battle
2.4%
British Ace Destroy 100 player vehicles while using British vehicles
2.5%
Invincible Get the 'Professional' reward 100 times
2.5%
Swedish Ace Destroy 100 player vehicles while using Swedish vehicles
2.6%
British Collection Order 50 British vehicles
2.7%
Air-to-Ground Get 'Thunderer' 10 times
3%
Ultimate Get 'Mission Maker' 10 times
3%
Rank 7 Win 100 battles using vehicles of rank 7
3.2%
Warrior Spend 250 hours in battle
4%
Street Brawler Destroy 2 players' vehicles within 30 seconds from a distance of 10 meters or less
4.2%
Rank 6 Win 100 battles using vehicles of rank 6
4.3%
Rank 5 Win 100 battles using vehicles of rank 5
5.1%
Ground-to-Ground Get 'Heavy Metal Hero' 10 times
5.2%
US Collection Order 50 US vehicles
5.2%
Soviet Collection Order 50 Soviet vehicles
5.7%
Sniper Destroy 5 players' vehicles at the distance of 1.5 kms or more
5.9%
German Collection Order 50 German vehicles
6.2%
Graduate Spend 100 hours in battle
6.3%
American Ace Destroy 100 player vehicles while using US vehicles
6.4%
Falcon Win 50 battles using aircraft
6.7%
Rank 4 Win 100 battles using vehicles of rank 4
6.8%
Raining Lead Destroy 10 players’ vehicles with artillery strikes
6.8%
Soviet Ace Destroy 100 player vehicles while using Soviet vehicles
6.8%
Arcade 1000 Destroy 1000 players' vehicles in arcade battles
7%
German Ace Destroy 100 player vehicles while using German vehicles
7.1%
Realistic 500 Destroy 500 players' vehicles in realistic battles
7.7%
Guide Get 'Intelligence' 10 times
8.2%
Ninja Get 'Shadow Strike' 100 times
8.7%
Tiger Win 50 battles using ground vehicles
8.8%
Rank 3 Win 100 battles using vehicles of rank 3
8.9%
Rank 1 Win 100 battles using vehicles of rank 1
9.1%
Dead Weight Destroy a player's vehicle which is tied to other player's vehicle by a cable
9.3%
Knowledge is Power Get 'According to Intelligence' 10 times
9.7%
Rank 2 Win 100 battles using vehicles of rank 2
10.1%
Destroyer Deal 10000 damage while controlling an aircraft or a naval vessel
10.1%
At one blow Destroy 5 targets within 1 second
13.7%
Cadet Spend 10 hours in battle
14.3%
King of the Hill Destroy in one battle 5 players' vehicles while standing on the strategic point captured by your team
15.9%
Speed up! Activate 10 boosters
18.1%
Cold-Blooded Destroy 2 players' vehicles while your vehicle's on fire
20.9%
First-class Play 3 battles, taking first place in any team
23%
Just a Scratch Get the 'Adamant' award 5 times
23.3%
Firestarter Destroy 30 players' vehicles by setting them afire
23.6%
First dozen Destroy 12 players’ vehicles while controlling an aircraft
24.3%
Revenge-Seeker Get 'Eye for an Eye' 5 times
24.8%
Accurate Fire Get 'Triple Strike'
24.9%
Nemesis Get 'Avenger' 5 times
26%
Fully Modified Purchase 50 modifications
26.1%
Treasure Hunter Open 10 chests
30.8%
Vengeful Spirit Destroy a player's vehicle while being dead
34.2%
Element of Surprise Capture an enemy strategic point with hostile team players in direct vision
38.5%
Share of Steam players who unlocked each achievement.
In the news
All 9 storiesWar Thunder Takes Plight With Eagle’s Shadow Update Mid-November
1 outlet · Nov 2, 2026
War Thunder’s two-part documentary series Frog Fathers is heading to streaming platforms November 10
1 outlet · Oct 24, 2026
War Thunder's Sky Odyssey update brings overhauled Bombers, a new map, and a whistle-stop tour of new military machines.
1 outlet · Sep 25, 2026
War Thunder’s “Sky Odyssey” Update Brings Greek Aircraft, the Arjun Mk 1, and an Overhaul of Bomber Survivability
1 outlet · Sep 25, 2026
War Thunder’s Sky Odyssey update adds Greek forces and a Falklands map this September
1 outlet · Sep 8, 2026
War Thunder to put 128-player boots-on-the-ground battles in action in Infantry's "largest map" yet
1 outlet · Jul 13, 2026
War Thunder readies its next infantry closed beta test and nukes thousands of cheaters from orbit
1 outlet · Jul 11, 2026
War Thunder’s modern infantry battles are expanding to 128 players with new Africa map
1 outlet · Jul 10, 2026