Steam Community :: zirconzz

2,028.3 hrs on record (1,457.5 hrs at review time)

Gaijin does not care about its player base. I've been playing since 2014. Gaijin continues to get worse with each passing year. They will continue to get worse. There's no competitor to War Thunder, not really anyways, so they think they can do whatever they want. World of Tanks is sort of a competitor, but it's a completely different play style, so not really. Don't waste your time with this game unless Gaijin begins to listen to the community.

They are a predatory company that hooks you in with relatively easy early-game grinding, but then you hit a wall. Then, you eventually get frustrated by the wall because getting by as a free-to-play player is ridiculously tedious, so you give in and buy their premium ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥. They continue to make changes that make it harder and harder to get by as a free-to-play player. Reduced rewards, increased repair costs, increased grind length because they un-foldered vehicles, etc.

I'm still going to play War Thunder because again, it's really the only game like this on the market, and I've put a lot of time into this game over the years, but I just can't recommend anyone else plays it in its current state. War Thunder is designed to frustrate you and steal your money. Don't fall for it. Don't get lured in by the fancy new top tier vehicles they introduce each update. If you're like me and you're still going to play the game, I highly encourage you to boycott them. Don't buy premium, don't buy new vehicles, don't buy Golden Eagles, don't buy the stupid battle pass, don't buy anything. They'll only listen if they start to lose money.

I've stricken out my original review for the time being. Gaijin, either because they've started caring or because they were going to lose too much money, has started improving the game and has put out a rather comprehensive roadmap. I genuinely appreciate these changes. They've made the game enjoyable for me again. I do wish there was an "eh" option for reviews, since I still think there's some issues that need fixing, and I still don't like some of the systems in place (like the battle pass or Operation Winter/Summer or other similar events), but War Thunder is now a game I would at least recommend people try. Still- I generally don't think the battle pass is worth it, and I would advise caution towards their marketing of new vehicles.

There's still balance issues, there's still monetization issues, and there's still issues with grinding-- but it's gotten much better, and I hope that this trend continues in the future.

Posted 18 May, 2023. Last edited 3 August, 2023.

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