War Thunder Review: Frustration in a Slick Wrapper
War Thunder presents itself as a visually appealing, ambitious game that combines air, land, and sea combat across different eras. However, beneath its polished exterior lies a host of design flaws, questionable practices, and frustrations that make it a hard pill to swallow for many players.

Graphics: A Double-Edged Sword
The game’s graphics look fantastic—if you’re not serious about gameplay. Ironically, better visuals hinder performance, as spotting enemies becomes nearly impossible with high settings. To stay competitive, most players resort to minimum graphics, which strip away essential environmental details like trees and walls, breaking immersion. This compromise seems aimed at accommodating the player base using low-end hardware. But it’s 2024; it’s time for games to leave the potato-PC era behind.

Gameplay Balance: Heavy Tanks? Forget It
The game’s balance crumbles as you climb the Battle Rating (BR) ladder. Lower-tier vehicles like WW2 heavy tanks face insurmountable odds against post-war technology. At BR 5.7, slow, heavily-armored tanks are matched against fast, lightly-armored vehicles armed with HEAT and fin-stabilized rounds. Armor becomes irrelevant, giving rise to the War Thunder mantra: “No armor is best armor.” This mismatch often makes gameplay frustrating rather than enjoyable.

Progression and Monetization
Progression is painfully slow unless you shell out for premium options, and even then, the in-game currency feels absurdly expensive. The company’s push to bypass Steam and PayPal for transactions, ostensibly for “equality,” reeks of a strategy to sidestep refund policies.

Biased Design: Russian/Chinese Favoritism
The bias toward Russian and Chinese vehicles is glaring. From superior BR matchmaking to more effective ammo types and reactive armor, these factions clearly receive preferential treatment. An egregious example is the KA-50 helicopter, an overpriced vehicle that outclasses its competition—especially when the only SAM capable of countering it is also Russian.

Cheating and Moderation Issues
Cheating is rampant, with suspicious profiles dominating games. Despite clear evidence, the developers dismiss accusations, while a thriving market for cheats worsens the problem. Moderation leans heavily toward silencing critics, especially those pointing out issues like bias or cheating, creating an echo chamber of discontent.

Endgame Chaos
Endgame matches are where all the issues converge: unbalanced setups, blatant favoritism, and overpowered modern Russian hardware. Helicopters like the KA-50 hover safely over bases, spamming missiles while Western vehicles lack countermeasures. Russian reactive armor works flawlessly, adding insult to injury for anyone familiar with real-world performance discrepancies.

Final Thoughts
War Thunder might be a propaganda tool disguised as a game, glamorizing Eastern military hardware while frustrating players into spending more money. Despite all its flaws, it’s undeniably stylish—just don’t expect fairness, balance, or transparency.

If you value your sanity and friendships, think twice before diving in. And if this review suddenly disappears, you’ll know why.

War Thunder Review: Frustration in a Slick Wrapper War Thunder presents itself as a visually appealing, ambitious game that combines air, land, and sea combat across different eras. However, beneath its polished exterior lies a host of design flaws, questionable practices, and frustrations that make it a hard pill to swallow for many players. Graphics: A Double-Edged Sword The game’s graphics look fantastic—if you’re not serious about gameplay. Ironically, better visuals hinder performance, as spotting enemies becomes nearly impossible with high settings. To stay competitive, most players resort to minimum graphics, which strip away essential environmental details like trees and walls, breaking immersion. This compromise seems aimed at accommodating the player base using low-end hardware. But it’s 2024; it’s time for games to leave the potato-PC era behind. Gameplay Balance: Heavy Tanks? Forget It The game’s balance crumbles as you climb the Battle Rating (BR) ladder. Lower-tier vehicles like WW2 heavy tanks face insurmountable odds against post-war technology. At BR 5.7, slow, heavily-armored tanks are matched against fast, lightly-armored vehicles armed with HEAT and fin-stabilized rounds. Armor becomes irrelevant, giving rise to the War Thunder mantra: “No armor is best armor.” This mismatch often makes gameplay frustrating rather than enjoyable. Progression and Monetization Progression is painfully slow unless you shell out for premium options, and even then, the in-game currency feels absurdly expensive. The company’s push to bypass Steam and PayPal for transactions, ostensibly for “equality,” reeks of a strategy to sidestep refund policies. Biased Design: Russian/Chinese Favoritism The bias toward Russian and Chinese vehicles is glaring. From superior BR matchmaking to more effective ammo types and reactive armor, these factions clearly receive preferential treatment. An egregious example is the KA-50 helicopter, an overpriced vehicle that outclasses its competition—especially when the only SAM capable of countering it is also Russian. Cheating and Moderation Issues Cheating is rampant, with suspicious profiles dominating games. Despite clear evidence, the developers dismiss accusations, while a thriving market for cheats worsens the problem. Moderation leans heavily toward silencing critics, especially those pointing out issues like bias or cheating, creating an echo chamber of discontent. Endgame Chaos Endgame matches are where all the issues converge: unbalanced setups, blatant favoritism, and overpowered modern Russian hardware. Helicopters like the KA-50 hover safely over bases, spamming missiles while Western vehicles lack countermeasures. Russian reactive armor works flawlessly, adding insult to injury for anyone familiar with real-world performance discrepancies. Final Thoughts War Thunder might be a propaganda tool disguised as a game, glamorizing Eastern military hardware while frustrating players into spending more money. Despite all its flaws, it’s undeniably stylish—just don’t expect fairness, balance, or transparency. If you value your sanity and friendships, think twice before diving in. And if this review suddenly disappears, you’ll know why.