War Thunder is a freemium military matched PvP arena vehicle combat game where you control a wide array of planes, tanks, boats and helicopters from pre-WW2 right up to post-Vietnam War era. Made by Gaijin, who are sticklers for detail (as we know from the famous IL-2 Sturmovik flight sim games), the stars of the game are the literally hundreds of playable vehicles. Gameplay consists of large team based battles in various game modes (Planes, Tanks, Helicopters, Small Boats, Large Boats), and the game features three modes of realism; Arcade, Realistic and Simulator. Even the simplest Arcade mode is more complex and realistic than competitors like the very simplistic World of Tanks.

There's a lot of grind (which you can skip by throwing money at the game), but it's not insurmountable if you set realistic goals for yourself. While the focus is on PvP, there's a number of single player campaigns and co-op missions that are reasonably enjoyable. The PvP itself is reasonably well done for this kind of game, although I find the matchmaking a little unfair at times, that's probably bias on my part. It's best to have thick skin, as this is one of those games where practice and skill are definitely deciding factors, and when you start winning as a result of the effort spent on practice and theory, it is very rewarding.

The realism and attention to detail in this game is striking, to the point I'd say it's unrivalled by anything else on Steam. Some examples are learning that you need to reduce your carried ammunition in tanks, because it reduces the chances of your ammo dump being hit, and increases your survivability. The game factors in the way different kinds of ammunition rounds react when they hit armour surfaces at different angles and speeds, so skilled players learn to choose which ammunition types, and which locations to aim for on various vehicles.

I don't recommend spending any money on the game, as you can get most of the content just by playing. If you don't enjoy the matches at low levels, they won't be any more fun at high levels, but I think for military buffs, there's little to no better alternative than what War Thunder offers.

War Thunder is a freemium military matched PvP arena vehicle combat game where you control a wide array of planes, tanks, boats and helicopters from pre-WW2 right up to post-Vietnam War era. Made by Gaijin, who are sticklers for detail (as we know from the famous IL-2 Sturmovik flight sim games), the stars of the game are the literally hundreds of playable vehicles. Gameplay consists of large team based battles in various game modes (Planes, Tanks, Helicopters, Small Boats, Large Boats), and the game features three modes of realism; Arcade, Realistic and Simulator. Even the simplest Arcade mode is more complex and realistic than competitors like the very simplistic World of Tanks. There's a lot of grind (which you can skip by throwing money at the game), but it's not insurmountable if you set realistic goals for yourself. While the focus is on PvP, there's a number of single player campaigns and co-op missions that are reasonably enjoyable. The PvP itself is reasonably well done for this kind of game, although I find the matchmaking a little unfair at times, that's probably bias on my part. It's best to have thick skin, as this is one of those games where practice and skill are definitely deciding factors, and when you start winning as a result of the effort spent on practice and theory, it is very rewarding. The realism and attention to detail in this game is striking, to the point I'd say it's unrivalled by anything else on Steam. Some examples are learning that you need to reduce your carried ammunition in tanks, because it reduces the chances of your ammo dump being hit, and increases your survivability. The game factors in the way different kinds of ammunition rounds react when they hit armour surfaces at different angles and speeds, so skilled players learn to choose which ammunition types, and which locations to aim for on various vehicles. I don't recommend spending any money on the game, as you can get most of the content just by playing. If you don't enjoy the matches at low levels, they won't be any more fun at high levels, but I think for military buffs, there's little to no better alternative than what War Thunder offers.