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| War Thunder | |
|---|---|
 Cover art for the PlayStation 4 | |
| Developer(s) | Gaijin Entertainment |
| Publisher(s) | Gaijin Entertainment |
| Composer(s) |
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| Platform(s) | |
| Release | |
| Genre(s) | Action,vehicular combat,combat flight simulator |
| Mode(s) | Single-player,multiplayer |
War Thunder is a 2013free-to-playvehicular combat multiplayer video game produced byGaijin Entertainment forMicrosoft Windows,macOS,Linux,PlayStation 4,Xbox One,PlayStation 5,Xbox Series X/S,Oculus, andVive. It was first released in November 2012 as anopen beta with a worldwide release in January 2013; it had its official release on December 21, 2016.[12][7] A spinoff game calledWar Thunder Mobile (also known asWar Thunder Edge[13]) was released in 2023 forAndroid andiOS.
Developed as a "flying simulation game", it was previously namedWar Thunder: World of Planes,[14] but due to its similarity withWargaming'sWorld of Warplanes, it was changed to its present name in 2012.[15][16] Initially, Gaijin claimed after the game was announced that it was anApril Fools joke before confirming its existence in June that same year.[17]
War Thunder won several awards following its release, winning Best Simulation Game at theGamescom 2013 Awards as well as winning Best Game, Best Developer, Best Technology and Best Sound at theKRI 2013 Awards.[18][19] In 2019,War Thunder was among the most played games onSteam with over 25,000 concurrent players.[20][a] As of November 1, 2022,War Thunder had over 70 million registered players on all platforms combined, out of which 160,000 playconcurrently.[21] In February 2024,War Thunder set a new record of over 250,000 concurrent players.[22]
War Thunder is based aroundcombined arms battles on air, land, and sea.[23] Vehicles range from pre-World War I (ships only)[24] to modern day,[25] with an emphasis onWorld War II,[26][27] theVietnam War, and theCold War.[28] Players can control aircraft, ground vehicles, and warships from ten nations with a set oftechnology trees attached to them:United States,Germany,Russia,Britain,France,Japan,Italy,China,Sweden andIsrael. The game also incorporates other nations, includingArgentina,Australia,Austria,Bangladesh,Belarus,[29]Belgium,Brazil,Canada,Cuba,Czechoslovakia,Denmark,Egypt,Finland,Greece,Hungary,India,Iran,Ireland,Jordan,Kazakhstan,[29]Kuwait,Lithuania, theNetherlands,North Korea,Norway,Oman,Philippines,Poland,Portugal,Romania,Syria,South Africa,Spain,Switzerland,Turkey,Vietnam (both North and South) andSaudi Arabia. These nations are included either as "sub-trees" (parts of the research trees of bigger nations being dedicated to a smaller nation) or premium vehicles, purchasable with real money or in-game currency.
Vehicles are divided into three main categories: aviation, ground, and fleet, while game modes are divided between arcade, realistic, and simulator.[30] Aviation is divided betweenfixed-wing aircraft andhelicopters, fleet is divided between "Bluewater", ships from the size ofdestroyers tobattlecruisers andbattleships and "Coastal", smaller ships and boats such asmotor torpedo boats,motor gunboats,submarine chasers, andfrigates.[31] A single-player mode that focuses on historical battles, and aco-op wave survival mode for battlingAI ground vehicles and aircraft, are also available.[30]
Events inWar Thunder provide custom missions, usually based on one of the three main game modes, but with alternative settings regarding allowed vehicles, mission specifics, etc. Examples are the recreation of historical battles by restricting available vehicles (e.g.,Battle of Britain).
Traditionally, the developers prepare unconventional events forApril Fools' Day. These events are used to test planned game mechanics before their broader release to the player base.[citation needed]
Other notable examples include "March to Victory", introducing playablemecha composed of tank parts;[43] "The Pony Nation", introducing the world ofMy Little Pony,Equestria, as a sixth playable faction (2013);[44] and "Gaijilla", featuring a battle against a giantGodzilla-like snail (2014).[45]
In August 2020, the game had atank biathlon-style event featuring select Russian and Chinese tanks performing tasks on a tank range map, with the objective to finish in 1st place after navigating obstacles and destroying targets. The event was partnered with the Information Systems Department of theRussian Ministry of Defense.[46] Logos advertising the game also appeared during the event, notably painted on the side of the tanks during the real biathlon. The event was teased on August 17 with a YouTube video posted to the game's official YouTube Channel, as well as on the official website.[47]
The development of the game, then under the nameWorld of Planes, began in 2009.Gaijin Entertainment used its experience with its previous combat flight simulator games, such asIL-2 Sturmovik: Birds of Prey,Apache: Air Assault, andBirds of Steel, in the development. The title was changed toWar Thunder during the closed beta due to confusion with competitorWorld of Warplanes.[48]
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Open beta testing started on November 1, 2012 (for users from the Russian Federation; the global beta launched January 28, 2013) for Windows PC with about 200 aircraft and 600,000 players. On May 15, 2014, at 6 million registered players, the first ground forces for Germany and the Soviet Union were introduced.[49] Later added were the American,[50] British,[51] and Japanese ground forces.[52]
In 2017, Italy was added as a playable faction.[53][54] AtGamescom 2018, the planned addition of helicopters into the game was announced, and by late 2018, helicopters were fully implemented.[55][56]
In 2022,Tencent announced that the Chinese version of the game published by Tencent would be discontinued on October 17.[57]
In January 2021, after the logos ofWar Thunder were seen in a video byDonbas YouTube channel "High Caliber Mayhem", Gaijin was accused of indirectly financingpro-Russian separatists in thewar in Donbas.[58][59] High Caliber Mayhem has denied any links to the separatist armed forces and published an explanation claiming that all the money from all advertisements on that channel were spent on humanitarian aid for civilians. The video showing theWar Thunder advertisement was removed from High Caliber Mayhem's YouTube channel.
In response to the controversy, Gaijin stated "We do not provide political support to anyone anywhere. We know nothing about politics and prefer to stay out of it. Our agency that ordered an ad in the video in question took it down when they realized they might drag us into a political discussion."[60]
Following an in-game economic change in May 2023 which drastically reduced rewards given for battle actions and an increase in post-battle costs, a large amount ofWar Thunder players began revolting against the developers by review bombing the game on multiple platforms, such as Steam and Google.[61] In response, Gaijin has since reverted the planned economic change, posted statements regarding the issue and player progression,[62][63] announced a revision of the economy for mid-summer 2023[64] and issued an apology for the initial controversial changes.[65]
In 2020,Task & Purpose reported[66] that the US 1st Cavalry Division tankers were usingWar Thunder for training during COVID-19 quarantine. After looking at several games includingWorld of Tanks, the soldiers found that War Thunder best met their needs. In 2022 and 2024, the National Military College of Argentina have published photos and videos showing their cadets using a "military simulator" that turned out to beWar Thunder.[67][68][69] In 2021, a video of Republic of Korea's 3rd Armored Brigade usingWar Thunder for the Command & Control training session was made public.[70]
In January 2024, a UkrainianM2 Bradley IFV gunner of the 47th Brigade, referred to only asSerhiy, took down a RussianT-90M main battle tank by shooting specific weak points in the tank's armor, claiming that videogames taught him exactly where to shoot.[71] According to media,[72][73]War Thunder is the only game that matches this description.Task & Purpose said:[74] "People knowWar Thunder for leaking classified documents, but now it might actually be known as the game that has the first confirmed kill."
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On several occasions, users of theWar Thunder forum have shared restricted and/orclassified documents during discussions about the accuracy of the vehicles depicted. In all cases, offending posts are removed by the moderators, and users are warned against sharing such documents. Anton Yudintsev, founder of Gaijin Entertainment, has stated that the development team is never exposed to the contents, reminding users that "it's both illegal and pointless, so they should never do that".[75] Gaijin's policy regarding technical information is
IN BRIEF: you are not allowed to publish any Classified information and Export restricted military-technical data other than Declassified Information, as well as some other defense information...[76]
Although users disclose non-public information to win an argument or persuade Gaijin to make changes toWar Thunder vehicles, doing so prevents the company from implementing such changes.[77] In January 2023,Raytheon denied media reports thatsecurity clearancebackground checks for jobs at the defense contractor investigate whether applicants playWar Thunder.[78][79]
| Date | Vehicle | Restriction level | Topic of interest | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| July 14, 2021 | Challenger 2 tank | Classified | In-game modelling | A forum member claiming to be aChallenger 2 tank commander posted images ofclassified documents pertaining to the tank on the officialWar Thunder forums. The documents, which contained information about the armor structure of the vehicle, were edited to make them appeardeclassified under theUK Freedom of Information Act. The post was taken down because theUK Ministry of Defence had previously told Gaijin Entertainment that the documents were classified, so moderators knew about their status by the time of the leak. The user was given an official warning by forum officials, and the post was removed.[80] |
| October 2021 | Leclerc tank | Uncertain | Turret rotation speed | A user leaked classified documents of theLeclerc to win an argument about turret rotation speed. Gaijin forum moderators removed the material within hours, repeating their strict policy against posting restricted documents.[81] |
| June 2022 | ZTZ-99 tank | Classified | Tungsten penetrator | A user posted an image of a Chinese DTC10-125tungsten penetrator on theWar Thunder forums, sitting atop a document outlining the projectile's specifications. Similar to previous instances, the post was quickly removed by forum moderators, with them citing the fact that the materials in question are classified in China.[82] |
| Late 2022 | UHT-665 Eurocopter Tiger helicopter | Export restricted | Armour layout | A forum member posted parts of the armour layout of theUHT-665 Eurocopter Tiger, which is still in service. The user was banned and the content was swiftly removed.[83] |
| January 16, 2023 | F-16 fighter jet | Export restricted[b] | AIM-120air-to-air missile | A flight manual for theF-16 fighter jet was posted by a user discussing the use of theAIM-120 AMRAAM. Although the classified status of the document had expired, it contained export-restricted data and thus was illegal to publish under US law. The document was quickly deleted by moderators.[75][84] |
| January 18, 2023 | F-15E fighter jet | Export restricted | Multiple core functions | Two days after the previous leak, thirteen documents about theMcDonnell Douglas F-15E Strike Eagle fighter jet were posted and swiftly removed. The documents were of similar classification as the documents about the F-16.[85] |
| Late January 2023 | Sukhoi Su-57 fighter jet | Declassified | Radar cross-section | Between January 19 and January 22, a document was published on the forums detailing the Su-57's radar cross-section, as well as details on its airframe. The leak also included information about other Russian aircraft.[86][87] |
| Late January 2023 | Mikoyan MiG-29 fighter jet | Declassifed | Radar cross-section, armament | The leak revealing details on the Sukhoi Su-57 also revealed information regarding the MiG-29 and its armament capabilities. The leak shared information regarding the MiG-29's radar properties, claiming as its source a MiG-29 manual. Both posts were subsequently deleted by theWar Thunder forum moderation team.[87][86] |
| August 31, 2023 | Eurofighter Typhoon DA7 fighter jet | Export restricted | Flight manual | A user on theWar Thunder forum posted a flight manual which contained information about theEurofighter Typhoon's systems, weaponry, flight data, etc. The user leaked the documents in an effort to have the Eurofighter DA7 added to the game. The post was later deleted.[88][89] |
| September 12, 2023 | Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk stealth attack aircraft | Export restricted | Flight manual | A user posted restricted pages of a flight manual which contained information about theLockheed F-117 Nighthawk's engine specifications, firing angles, sensor locations, etc, on theWar Thunder forum. The post was deleted shortly after by the site's moderators.[90] |
| September 15, 2023 | Boeing AH-64D Apache helicopter | Export restricted | Technical manual | A user posted a flight manual which contained technical information about theBoeing AH-64D Apache. While the document was fully unclassified, the nature of the export-restricted data meant it was quickly removed.[91] |
| December 11, 2023 | NorincoVT-4 tank | Unclassified | Technical documentation | A user posted training material for an export variant of the VT-4 tank, focused on the tank's autoloader system. Although the data was available elsewhere, it was removed in the same way as earlier incidents.[92] |
| December 12, 2023 | M2A2 Bradley IFV | Export restricted | Technical manual | A user posted two pages out of a technical manual involving the turret assembly of theM2A2 Bradley. While the document is unclassified, the fact that this document is export-controlled resulted in it being quickly removed.[93] |
| July 15, 2024 | T-90M,T-90S,T-80BVM tanks | Classified | Technical documentation | A user posted classified technical manuals for theT-90M,T-80BVM, andT-90S Russian main battle tanks, all of which are still currently in service in Russia's military. The post was quickly removed by the site's moderators.[94] |
| December 11, 2024 | Eurofighter Typhoon | Classified and export-restricted | Flight specifications | A user posted classifiedItalian Ministry of Defense technical documentation for thesupercruise capability of the Italian variant of the Eurofighter Typhoon, part ofWar Thunder's forthcomingStorm Warning update. The post was quickly removed by the site's moderators, who stated that Gaijin had confirmed with the ministry that disclosing the information was illegal.[76] |
| December 2024 | Eurofighter Typhoon | Classified | Radar specifications | Despite being warned against doing so, a user posted classified Italian Ministry of Defense technical documentation for theEuroradar CAPTOR during an argument on the differences between the CAPTOR-M and CAPTOR-E variants. The post was quickly removed by the site's moderators, who suspended the user.[77] |
| Aggregator | Score |
|---|---|
| Metacritic | PC: 81/100[95] PS4: 76/100[96] XONE: 80/100[97] |
| Publication | Score |
|---|---|
| Eurogamer | 9/10[98] |
| GameSpot | 8/10[99] |
| IGN | 7.2[100] |
| PC Gamer (US) | 78/100[101] |
| Publication | Award |
|---|---|
| Gamescom | Best Simulation Game (2013) |
| Russian Game Developers Conference | Best Developer, Best Game, Best Technology, Best Sound Design (2013) |
| Guinness World Records |
At release,War Thunder was well-received with generally positive reviews.GameSpot praised it for its variety of airplanes and visuals,[99] whereasIGN criticized theuser interface for being "overly abundant and cumbersome" in contrast to the "sparse in-battleHUD".[100]
We are proud to announce the official release of our game. As we have completed all the goals we set ourselves in the early stages of development, the open beta-testing of War Thunder ends with update 1.65 'Way of the Samurai', an update which also brings Japanese ground forces, cockpits for all aircraft, and heaps of improvements and bugfixes.
There was a lot of confusion between Gaijin's World of Planes and Wargaming.net's World of Warplanes. Thankfully, Gaijin decided to rename their title and it's now called War Thunder: World of Planes.
Gaijin's press release calls World of Planes a 'flying simulation game', and the company will be drawing on its previous genre experience thanks to titles like Wings of Prey and Wings of Luftwaffe.
They all laughed back on April 4, when PC Gamer posted a story on World of Planes, an exciting massively multiplayer WWII flight sim from Wings of Prey developer Gaijin Entertainment ... which Gaijin revealed on their forums to be a joke. Yeah yeah, we fell for it. Very funny. Well, who's laughing now? That's right: Gaijin checked in today to say that World of Planes [update: not to be confused with Wargaming.net's just-announced World of Warplanes] is not, in fact, an April Fools joke, but a real game about planes and the wonderful world they fly in.
The Winner – War Thunder: The demo of the PlayStation 4 launch title War Thunder was lauded at Gamescom 2013 for its explosive World War II aerial battles.
War Thunder gets four prizes of the Russia's biggest gaming conference KRI 2013 (Russian Game Developer's Conference)! War Thunder and Gaijin Entertainment have been awarded in four nominations of KRI 2013: Best Game, Best Game Developer, Best Technology, Best Sound.
Most Played Steam Games - Over 25K Concurrent Players: War Thunder
Yes, there are other standalone games about World War 2 era tanks or about modern jets or about one specific helicopter. We have made these types of games before. But War Thunder is the only game that encompasses all of these gameplay experiences. It allows you to jump from a tank to a fighter jet in one gameplay session.
Players can take part in different styles of battles depending on their preferences, including Arcade, Realistic, and Simulation matches.
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