War Thunder

Night Witches Racing Events, Store Discounts and Enchanted Tanks for Halloween & Fourth Anniversary Events

For Halloween, Gaijin Entertainment is celebrating the fourth anniversary of War Thunder’s launch with prizes, events, discounts and competitions.

Halloween specials are running from October 28th through November 2nd. Pilots and tankers can take part in special racing events; pilots can take the helm of the infamous soviet night bomber, the Polikarpov Po-2 of the ‘Night Witches’ squadron, as they race for first place, evading opponent turret fire. Similarly, fans of ground forces can race to the Sepulchre in an enchanted M18 Hellcat tank, operating without a commander or crew. Successful racers are rewarded with a Witches’ Cauldron, yielding unique decorative items such as pumpkins and witches hats that you can adorn your vehicle with, as well as boosters that improve earnings.

Festivities will include discounts of up to 50% on vehicles, premium accounts, modifications and other in-game items. Players can look forward to new events, promotions and discounts every day culminating in a great two-day celebration of War Thunder’s fourth anniversary on November 1st and 2nd. No fan of War Thunder should miss this!

For more details on the War Thunder Halloween events and approaching 4th anniversary celebrations be sure to visit the news page here.

1.63 Update Brings the Heat with Exciting New Sinai And Greece Maps and Over 20 New Vehicle Additions

Gaijin Entertainment today announced that its award-winning military online game, War Thunder, will be introducing new maps and more than 20 new vehicles in its forthcoming 1.63 update for War Thunder’s ten million players to enjoy.

The Desert Hunters 1.63 update will introduce the searing expanse of Egypt’s sparsely populated desert region of Sinai. This large and unforgiving terrain will challenge even the best tankers and pilots as they fight it out in combined battles amongst a myriad of sand dunes and in the ruins of an old village as they battle to capture an oil installation.

War Thunder’s second map is designed for aerial combat located in Greece, the labyrinth of rocky valleys with its twisting turns and obstacles will test the skills of any decent pilot. Players will need to navigate a multi tiered landscape and be on the constant lookout for ‘boom and zoom’ fighter attacks looking to make a surprise kill.

War Thunder’s already massive roster of more than 700 vehicles gets another boost with the addition of new ground vehicles and aircraft. The new WW2 and Cold War era options include three new top rank self-propelled anti-aircraft guns as well as plenty of other new ground vehicles and tanks. One of those is the British Swingfire anti-tank wire guided missile system, which is sure to pack a punch with its high explosive warhead against armoured vehicles.

First to raise the bar in the anti-air department is the American M163 Vulcan Air Defense System with its massive, six-barreled 20mm Gatling autocannon capable of firing more than 3000 rounds per minute. Equally impressive is the famous Soviet ZSU-23-4 ‘Shilka’ with its 23mm ‘Amur’ quad anti aircraft cannon and Germany’s last cannon-based anti-aircraft tank, the Flakpanzer Gepard, with a twin 35mm Oerlikon KDA autocannon.

The latest 1.63 update will also add the following planes, the giant Blohm & Voss BV 238, one of the largest and heaviest flying boats ever produced by Axis powers during WW2, the plane will also be the biggest aircraft available in War Thunder complete with it’s 60 meter wingspan. The US Air Force will be getting a carrier based jet, the F9F8 Cougar. For Japan, the latest update will see the introduction of the high altitude interceptor the Ki-87 and for the British the Bristol Brigand twin engined anti-shipping / ground attack plane.

To see all the latest information on the Desert Hunters 1.63 update click here.

To download War Thunder, please visit the official War Thunder website.

Naval Battles Launches in Closed Beta Later This Year with “Knights of the sea”

Gaijin Entertainment has announced the forthcoming start of closed beta for Naval Battles, the highly sought after combat mode in War Thunder, its award-winning MMO WWII online game with first exclusive hands-on at this year’s Gamescom. The inclusion of Naval Battles will provide fans with the ability to battle from the land, sea and air.

The participants of naval battle’s upcoming closed beta will be called the “Knights of the Sea”. Made up of torpedo, artillery and missile boats, coast guard vessels and submarine chasers, they are the so-called “small” naval contingent that served in all oceanic theatres of World War 2.

“The high level of realism is one of the key design features of War Thunder. Vehicles are as close to their real life counterparts as possible. Classic large ship battles during the war were contests of patience and planning, where engagements could last from several hours to several days. In War Thunder, where all kinds of vehicles fight in one battle and players can control aircraft, tanks and ships, it is not possible to change the size of the ships or make time run faster, as everything needs to remain consistent.

Our internal testing showed that battles with large battleships were too long and slow or required design changes that made ships entirely unrealistic. For this reason, we are leading with fast attack-based craft, which are rarely reproduced in games. Ships, that are more suitable for the formula of our game. These fast, agile and dangerous “Knights of the Sea” are worthy contenders for aircraft and tanks on the ground” – says creative director Kirill Yudintsev, Gaijin Entertainment.

All nations in War Thunder will get naval forces. Invited players and those who purchase one of two Starter packs with unique ships, will be able to join the closed testing as soon as the testing phase begins later this year.

The first Starter Pack includes a Soviet Project 1124 Armored River Boat. The T-34 turret and two 12.7mm machine guns allow the gunboat to efficiently eliminate enemy ships and low-flying aircraft; but the main destructive power of the Project 1124 lies in her M-13-M1 unguided rocket launcher, the legendary Katyusha.

The second starter pack includes the famous American PT-109, a motor torpedo boat on which the future US President John F. Kennedy served and performed acts of wartime heroism. During one of the operations the boat was subjected to a surprise ram attack from the Japanese destroyer, Amagiri. Despite a serious back injury, Lieutenant Kennedy acted wisely and decisively, saving all ten surviving crew members. In War Thunder, this boat is a fast and maneuverable ship destroyer. Her four torpedoes, each weighing almost 1,200 kg, come in handy for destroying large naval targets. Both ships will be available at the start of closed beta testing.

The first to take part in the naval battles of War Thunder will be the visitors of Gamescom 2016. In the game booth in Hall 6, Gaijin Entertainment has organized a special closed area, where guests can try their hand as captains of attack boats. For those unable to visit the exhibition, there will be a special video broadcast from the official Twitch booth and new devblog updates each day, where developers of the game will talk about the new regime, present ships of different nations and run giveaways of closed beta access codes for the viewers.

Watch the new War Thunder: Knights of the Sea – Naval Battles teaser trailer here.

Purchase the Naval Starter Packs at the Gaijin Store.

To find out more about Naval Battles, please visit the official War Thunder website.

New Vehicles Including Tanks and Planes Plus Reinforcements and New Squadron Battles

Gaijin Entertainment today announced that its award-winning MMO WWII online game, War Thunder, will be celebrating summer with a spectacular display of firepower by adding to its extensive vehicle selection with new destructive tanks and planes for War Thunder’s ten million players to enjoy.

Two more tanks from the 1960’s era roll in, the American M60A1 will be the top-tank of the US medium tank tree and the formidable Soviet T-62 will be the top-tank of the USSR medium tank tree. The American M60A1 provides good, aggressive gameplay for tankers that like a full on fight due to its frontal armour. This extends a degree of life expectancy to give players time to retreat or send one back down the pipe in kind while the enemy is busy reloading. The Russian T-62, although slower than the previous T-55, makes up for its lack of speed with its 115mm gun which is effective with any kind of shells and packs a huge punch.

The American Thunderbolt gets P-47N-15 modification in this latest update transforming it into one of the fastest piston-engine aircraft in the game. Easily maneuverable, even at high speed, this latest modification makes the plane one to experience.

Additional vehicles added include the German Sturmpanzer IV Brummbär, the Japanese Ki-100 – which provides a dangerous enemy for F6F4 Hellcats and even Mustangs – and the Canadian tank M4A5, along with several updated models of aircraft.

‘The Road to Glory’ update also introduces a new crew feature for ground forces – ‘Reinforcement’. Tankers who have lost one or more crew members in the battle can call a new crew member as a replacement. In Arcade mode players can call a new soldier in any part of the map, providing at least one crew member is still alive. In Realistic and Simulation modes players face the challenge of only being able to call in reinforcements when they are on a capture point. In staying with the true, accurate nature of War Thunder, players must wait for repairs or reinforcements to arrive before they can move again.

Additionally an updated system of squadron clan battles has been added, providing squadron fighters with seasons that last two months. At the end of each season the top 20 squadrons will receive anywhere from 3,000 to 30,000 Golden Eagles based on overall ranking and the top 100 squadrons will be able to receive additional rewards, such as unique decals, 3D decals and other ensigns.

Lastly, the “Operation S.U.M.M.E.R.”, which kicked off Friday, July 22 and concludes August 21,allows players to complete different tasks in the game to earn unique vehicles: the M3 Grant and two absolutely new ones – the Soviet experimental tank KV-220 and an American fighter aircraft, the F7F-3.

To download War Thunder, please visit the official War Thunder website.

War Thunder’s content sharing platform provides incentive for ‘bedroom coders’ and player generated content

Gaijin Entertainment has revealed that the recent War Thunder Update 1.59 ‘Flaming Arrows’ which saw a variety of new features, locations and vehicles added to the game has been a financial hit with one lucky player. Arguably, one of the most extraordinary additions has been the very first official introduction of an aircraft that was created by a member of the Community. Yes, that’s right: The original 3D model of the German night interceptor He 219 was created by Daniil “_Joy_Division_” Zaitsev, a War Thunder player who’s just banked a cheque from Gaijin Entertainment fir a cool $5000 as part of its player revenue share program.

Revenue Share: Where Players become Developers

Adding this vehicle was possible thanks to War Thunders Revenue Share Partner System, which was introduced a while ago as an incentive for creative players to add to and help with the development of War Thunder. The principle is simple: Exceptional work posted to War Thunder Live, the game’s own content sharing platform, may catch the developers attention and thus has a chance of being added to the game. Similarly, players that have already made progress in creating something truly impressive, like the 3D model of a vehicle, are invited to contact us directly – as was the case with Daniil Zaitsev, who got in touch with one of our modelers. If you are interested in reading more about how the He 219 came to life, read more in the respective developer’s blog!

The He 219, a Success Story for Revenue Share!

Included as a Premium vehicle to the German tree that is available for purchase by Golden Eagles, the He 219 quickly became a favorite for many players. And while the machine itself with its six cannons is truly interesting, we are sure that many players decided to support and thank a fellow War Thunder player for his hard work and dedication. Which is great thing, indeed! Check out the He 219 in all its glory here.

To download War Thunder, please visit the official War Thunder website.

Latest 1.59 update will provide four new missile firing tanks, two new maps and twenty five new vehicles

Gaijin Entertainment today announced that War Thunder’s 1.59 update, titled, ‘Flaming Arrows’, introduces four new tanks armed with player guided anti-tank missile weaponry. One missile firing tank will be introduced for four of the War Thunder nations. This type of player guided missile ordnance will bring a totally new short and long range destructive capability to ground battles in War Thunder, thus expanding the number of tactics and strategies players can employ.

The four anti-tank missile vehicles consist of the Soviet IT-1, a formidable armoured platform which makes up for its lack of a main gun with a consignment of ATGM’s.The low-profile German Raketenjagdpanzer-2 which provides a sleek and fast anti-tank armoured asset which can fire two missiles in succession and the fast Vietnam-era US M551 “Sheridan’’ with its ability to launch both artillery and ATGMs. Last but not least, the Swedish Strv 81 lends its support to the British tank tech tree and packs a particularly powerful punch with its three ATGMs which can penetrate any armour in War Thunder. Check out the destructive capabilities of the anti-tank guided missile here.

War Thunder’s latest Flaming Arrows update also adds two new maps to the mix: Port Novorossiysk situated on the coast of the Black Sea with combined battles, and a new 128×128 km map for aircraft dogfights over the English Channel, situated over the English and French coasts. For the Novorossiysk map Gaijin Entertainment’s painstaking attention to detail saw its artists create some incredible map design work based on archive data, photographs, historic air recon intelligence photos and newsreel footage. The map provides a good all round scope of gameplay with its wide avenues for quick decisive armoured breakthroughs or cat and mouse pursuit among the ruins.

Additionally, Flaming Arrows adds 25 new vehicles across five of the nations in the game, increasing the total number of vehicles in the game to more than 700. USA will get a floating tank LVT(A)1 and powerful T29, the Brits will get the Halifax Mk B.III bomber and Wyvern S.4 naval strike aircraft. Germany adds the dreaded Sturer Emil SPG, and the Soviets add a jet in the form of the Yak-30, as well as two paratrooping SPGs. Japan gets three new aircraft in total, including the N1K1Ja and the N1K2.

One additional addition to this latest War Thunder update is the He 219. Nicknamed the ‘Eagle-Owl’ this German night fighter is the first aircraft to be added to War Thunder through the the games revenue share program and was created by a member of the War Thunder community. The He 219 – was designed and built as a combined effort between the community (model, textures) and the War Thunder developers (flight model, damage model, armament) and takes its place as a rank 4 vehicle in the German research tree.

A new visual makeover to the hangars for both planes and tanks also updates the look.

Be sure to check out all the latest additions to this update on the games devblog here.

To download War Thunder, please visit the official War Thunder website.

Coming soon, new update will provide new destructive capability for new ground vehicles, letting players carry out precision guided missile strikes

Gaijin Entertainment today announced that War Thunder’s next major update will introduce new tanks armed with guided missile weaponry. This type of missile will bring a totally new destructive capability ground battles in War Thunder, thus expanding the number of tactics and strategies players can employ. Players can fire missiles and guide them the whole way to the target until impact.

One of the first guided missile tanks planned to appear in the next update is the Soviet IT-1. Based on the hull of the T-62, it was the first and the last Soviet tank that had no guns at all – its only armament was 15 missiles ready to destroy an enemy vehicle, even if it was hidden on the other side of a hill. Most of the other nations in War Thunder will also get new guided missile tanks in the next update. Check out the developers’ blog for more information about upcoming additions: http://warthunder.com/en/devblog/

War Thunder also now supports Oculus Rift CV1, available since the last update, so players are able to play the game in exciting combat scenarios in VR. Available for both air and ground battles, Virtual Reality provides pilots and tankers with as much immersion as possible so that a player flying an aircraft in the game can experience similar feelings to what a real WW2 pilot would have experienced. With Oculus Rift CV1, fighters have detailed cockpits and instrumentation panels, providing important tools for controlling the aircraft whilst flying in a cockpit view. The detailed 2K resolution of the Oculus Rift CV1 lets players see enormous landscapes from the cockpit of their aircraft, leaving the enemy no place to hide.

To try War Thunder with the Oculus Rift CV1, download War Thunder, tick “Full client” and “Oculus Rift” in the game launcher, wait until the download is complete and run the game. Pick your favourite vehicle and join the battle. Virtual Reality is available for any aircraft or tank mode in War Thunder. Join multiplayer battles, try out the single or co-op missions or test the most breathtaking maneuvers in test flight. For a deeper level of immersion, a flightstick and throttle are highly recommended.

For more information on Oculus Rift CV1 support for War Thunder see the devblog page here.

Check out the destructive capabilites of the anti-tank guided missile here.

For a look at the first two vehicle additions and updates to the next major War Thunder update, check out the devblog page here.

To download War Thunder, please visit the official War Thunder website.

Return of War Thunder Event Series of Famous Battles Until May

Gaijin Entertainment today announced that its award-winning MMO WWII online game, War Thunder, is currently running its WW2 event series. Players can take part in the recreation of more than 70 World War 2 battles which will be updated on a daily basis (at 13:00 GMT every day). The WW2 Chronicles will feature all the main theatres of operations, this year pilots and tankers will be able to receive a very special prize for completing a specific amount of daily tasks.

Players wishing to take part take part in the “WW2 Chronicles” event series can do so until May 9th. This week players can take part in battle events based on real WW2 campaigns such as the North Africa campaign,the battle for Stalingrad and the Siege of Malta. Players have the opportunity to win the following rare vehicles A34 Comet “Iron Duke” IV, a KV-2 mod. 1940, an MBR-2, Richard Bong’s P-38J and other prizes for completed challenges. Daily tasks for tankers and pilots will reward players with unique tanks and planes until the event finishes.

For more information on the WW2 Chronicles event series and for a full list of challenge requirements and prizes please visit the information page here.

For a full list of all the planned events visit click here.

To download War Thunder, please visit the official War Thunder website.

Legendary Naval Fleet Ships And Galleons Deliver The Broadside

Gaijin Entertainment today announced that its award-winning MMO WWII online game, War Thunder, will be introducing legendary sailing ships in its latest update for War Thunder’s ten million players to enjoy.

Available for all players, these historic battleships will take the fight to distant lands and contested waters. The first test-session starts today and will last until the end of the weekend.

Long before the history books documented the modern toil of land and air warfare in tanks and planes, the oceans were ruled by huge battleships decked with cannon and shot.

War Thunder ‘s latest update will introduce British fighting ships from the beginning of the Eighteenth Century with other nations to be added later.

“It’s been a very interesting and challenging task to recreate historic battles of the most powerful sailing nations. We started working on it last year, adding interactive water, and then a few days ago we added interactive weather conditions, which are very important for realistic sailing conditions,” said Gaijin Entertainment CEO Anton Yudintsev. “The weather can change from complete calm to raging storm.”

Like their tank and plane counterparts, War Thunder’s sailing ships will also have their own interactive damage model (no health points). Gaijin Entertainment has taken care in crafting these sailing behemoths to be armored the way they were during their dominance of the oceans of long ago.

Naval battles will be available in the War Thunder Events menu in the game and will be available in Arcade mode. Players will be able to take the rank 1 British ship, the legendary “Golden Hind” galleon and join a battle on the shores of the lost islands. More ships of the Royal Navy and other nations will become available soon.

Information videos:

• Planned Royal Navy line-up
• Interactive weather conditions in War Thunder
• Interactive water effects in War Thunder

To download War Thunder, please visit the official War Thunder website.

Massive Sunderland Flying Boat, Deadly P61 Black Widow, Plus Formidable Ground Armour and New Snow Environment Maps are Incoming!

Gaijin Entertainment today announced that its award-winning MMO WWII online game, War Thunder, will be introducing some impressively sized fire power, new maps and unique vehicles in its forthcoming ‘Battle March’ 1.57 update for War Thunder’s ten million players to enjoy.

War Thunders ‘Battle March’ 1.57 update will introduce more than 20 new aircraft and ground vehicles. Among them – a giant of the skies, the S.25 Sunderland flying boat, one of the largest sea planes to see active duty during WW2. Also joining the War Thunder ranks is the deadly American P61 night fighter, ‘Black Widow’ (otherwise known as the “flying tank”). Further demonstrating its ability to bring a diverse range of vehicles to its combat sim Gaijin Entertainment are also introducing the FW 189 A-1 ‘Uhu’. This unique looking aircraft was known as the ‘flying eye’ due to its reconnaissance role and unique all glass cockpit design. Another exotic plane, the Do 335 heavy fighter, Germany’s fastest piston powered aircraft with two propellers in alignment also makes it into the latest update.

Other additions on offer include the Falcon AA gun which has been created in co-operation with the British tank museum in Bovington due to the rare nature of the vehicle. In total, the British contingent will get three top-tier vehicles of which the Conway tank destroyer and Chieftain Mk.3 main battle tank add armoured muscle to. Germany will have new tracked firepower in the form of the deadly Nashorn and other open-top SPGs. USSR will get armour in the form of the T-44-100 and KV-1S and the USA rolls in with the Super Pershing tank.

Update 1.57 introduces two new map locations, Frozen Pass, a new Alpine snow map available for both aerial and ground battles, and the second map Volokolamsk, based on the real location of the same name in Russia which saw heavy fighting against German forces in the defence of Moscow during winter of 1941.

Finally, lighting effects such as muzzle flashes, launch effects of rockets and explosions of bombs has been vastly updated, which means even more spectacular and realistic battles, especially during nighttime.

To see the full list of new improvements vehicles and features, visit the War Thunder developer’s blog section.

Watch the new ‘Battle March’ 1.57  update video and check out some new screenshots on the official War Thunder website.