War Thunder

Eagle’s Shadow went live on November 11, 2026, with the Leopard 2A8, F-15EX and other vehicles. Earlier in the window, events and new modes expanded War Thunder's playable activities.

• Eagle’s Shadow: The major update added the Leopard 2A8 with Trophy active protection, the F-15EX, Su-15TM, and H-39. Sun City and American Desert received visual updates, while the renderer gained revised firing effects, water reflections, and weather.
• Vehicle events: Space Program offered the F-16XL through mission stages, Desert Predator featured the Patria AMV (BMP-3), and Dreams Come True offered the Mistel 2.
• Modes: Nuclear Escalation, Naval Confrontation and Bullet Hell became permanent modes, alongside the Steel Fury Battle Pass season.
• Vehicle management: Some aircraft Battle Ratings now vary by loadout. New module interactions covered power, fire control and manual autoloader reloading, and login streak freezes were added.
• Battlefields and balance: Bomber damage modeling, overpressure and infrared missile logic changed; Southeastern City, American Desert and Sun City received environmental reworks.

Line of Contact arrived in December 2025, with a separate announcement of an infantry closed beta. Heavy Cavalry followed on June 24, 2026, adding vehicles and further combat changes.

• Line of Contact: The December major update expanded the game, while its separate infantry closed beta announcement described a new test rather than the earlier limited World War I event.
• Heavy Cavalry: The June update introduced vehicles including USS North Carolina and the F-101C Voodoo, alongside the F/A-18E Super Hornet and other additions.
• Guided weapons: Man-in-the-loop guidance allowed supported munitions to be retargeted in flight, adding another option for precision attacks.
• Combat adjustments: The AIM-54 Phoenix flight model was reworked, naval air defenses received targeting improvements, and various vehicles received armor or reload adjustments.
• Events: Tank Football returned with a league system and rewards, while Nuclear Escalation offered a separate limited mode.

Leviathans expanded naval combat with major battleships, while several named updates broadened War Thunder's aircraft and ground rosters. A limited World War I infantry event offered a special way to play during this window.

• Leviathans: Yamato, Bismarck, USS Iowa and HMS Vanguard expanded top-rank fleets, alongside new aircraft including the F-2A and a Swiss subtree.
• Aircraft updates: Dance of Dragons added the J-10A; Firebirds introduced the Su-34 and F-15E; Storm Warning brought the Eurofighter and Rafale; Hornet’s Sting added the F/A-18 and Su-30SM.
• Air defense and sensors: Multi-vehicle SAM systems joined the game, while fuel dumping, aerodynamic heating and UAV picture-in-picture changed vehicle operation.
• Rendering and combat: Ray-traced effects, path-traced global illumination and DLSS 4 support accompanied radar and missile adjustments.
• Infantry event: The 2025 World War I battles were a limited special event. They were distinct from the standalone infantry closed beta announced in December 2025, after this window.

Seek & Destroy brought active radar homing missiles to live battles in June 2024, following their earlier development preview. Other major updates expanded aircraft and ground ranks, while events offered vehicles across the year.

• Seek & Destroy: The June 19 major update introduced FOX-3 active radar homing missiles; the May 24 post was a preview, not their live launch.
• Aircraft and ground forces: The December update added the Su-27 and F-15, and ground Rank VIII included vehicles such as the M1A2 SEP2 and T-90M. Kings of Battle had arrived in October.
• Crew and matchmaking: Crew healing was introduced with the second major update of 2024 after an earlier vote. Battle ratings were separated by mode in May.
• Events: Operation Overlord offered the Churchill AVRE, while Persian Tomcat offered the F-14A IRIAF and Battle Pass Season 16 featured the Sholef.
• Roadmap proposals: July's vehicle construction post and August's APHE shell test vote described planned work or proposals, rather than completed launches.

French naval research opened to all players on August 8, 2023, after the French Navy's earlier La Royale rollout and closed beta. The separate Summer Extreme event offered aircraft and ground vehicles as rewards.

• French fleet: The end of closed beta opened research access to the fleet, including Émile Bertin. Dupleix was offered as a premium purchase rather than a research vehicle.
• Summer Extreme: The August event offered the Su-25BM 558 ARZ strike aircraft and Patria CT-CV 105HP tank destroyer through event progression.
• Aircraft weapons: The Su-25BM carried advanced options including Kh-29T missiles and KAB-500Kr guided bombs.
• Economy: Repair costs and Silver Lion earnings were adjusted across vehicle ranks, with additional battle-rating changes for fleet and aviation.
• Battle systems: Aircraft map rotations changed, Simulator Battles gained Battle Pass task access, and beam-riding missiles received a timer.

Israeli forces arrived in stages, from two premium aircraft to dedicated aircraft, ground and helicopter lineups. Battles also gained deformable terrain and more ways to use guided weapons, while Dagor 6.5 updated the game’s visuals.

• Direct Hit: September added the Viggen and MiG-27M, with guided bombs for the MiG-27M. Ships gained updated fire-control tools.
• Ground Breaking: Dozer blades could move earth, while bombs and large shells could leave craters. Israel debuted with a Spitfire and A-4E ahead of the full aviation tree.
• Winged Lions: The Israeli aviation tree entered closed testing in December. Eligible ships could launch scout aircraft for reconnaissance and capture duties.
• Wind of Change and Danger Zone: Israel’s ground forces entered closed testing in March, alongside the Dagor 6.5 upgrade. June brought the F-14A Tomcat, Israeli helicopters, China’s first helicopter, incendiary bombs and optional rewindable client replays.

New Power brought the Dagor 6.0 engine, battleships and new ways to progress through naval forces. The year also introduced the Battle Pass, South African armor and a new top rank for aviation.

• Raining Fire: September brought Jaguar strike jets, Razorback P-47 variants and new T-72B variants. Naval missions moved into the Aleutian Islands and aviation gained a winter Mozdok map.
• New Power: Dagor 6.0 reworked skies and combat effects. Naval progression split into coastal and bluewater trees, and aviation gained vertical-takeoff aircraft such as the Harrier and Yak-38.
• Battle Pass and Hot Tracks: The first reward season started in December. Hot Tracks updated gunfire effects and scenery, and added Italian helicopters and Britain’s Buccaneer S.2.
• Ixwa Strike and Red Skies: The British ground tree gained a South African branch, and the Su-17M2 brought variable-sweep wings. Red Skies introduced Rank VII aviation, commander’s sights for selected tanks and a naval shell camera.

China and Sweden expanded War Thunder’s national lineups, while thermal optics, attack helicopters and bigger ships changed what players encountered in battle. Italian naval forces and Japanese helicopters further widened the roster by mid-2020.

• Night Vision: September added Chinese aircraft and ground vehicles, plus night vision and thermal sights on equipped tanks and helicopters. Players also gained a map rotation filter.
• Shark Attack: The Ka-50 and Mi-28N joined Soviet aviation, Italy received its first helicopter, and USS Pensacola became the first Rank V naval vessel.
• Northern Wind and Viking Fury: Swedish aircraft entered staged testing in December, followed by the ground tree in March. Viking Fury also brought in the AH-64 Apache and Ka-52.
• Starfighters and Regia Marina: May brought the F-104 family and Japanese helicopters, and opened Swedish ground research to all players. The Italian fleet entered closed testing in May and opened to all players in July.

Playable fleets and combat helicopters moved through beta testing into much wider availability, adding two new ways to fight. Aviation also entered the supersonic era, while ground forces advanced to Rank VII and gained more sophisticated radar mechanics.

• The Valkyries and Masters of the Sea: U.S. and Soviet helicopters entered closed testing in September. October opened helicopter research for the U.S., Soviet Union and Germany, and launched open beta for those countries’ fleets. The Royal Navy initially remained in closed testing.
• Supersonic aviation: December introduced Rank VI supersonic fighters such as the F-100D and MiG-19PT and added guided air-to-air missiles. Italy gained a dedicated ground lineup.
• Locked On: Rank VII armor arrived with vehicles including the M1A1 Abrams. Radar-equipped aircraft and anti-aircraft vehicles gained modeled search and tracking.
• World War and the Japanese fleet: May’s first public World War season recreated historical operations. Imperial Navy began testing Japan’s naval lineup later that month.

War Thunder extended its Cold War tank lineup with Rank VI ground vehicles and gave France dedicated air and ground research trees. Dagor 5.0 and new scouting mechanics also changed the way players used terrain and shared enemy positions.

• New E.R.A.: September brought the MBT-70, KPz-70 and Chieftain Mk.10 into the top-rank lineup. Selected laser and stereoscopic rangefinders could reach 5,000 meters.
• French air and ground forces: Vive la France introduced French aircraft in November. La Résistance began staged testing of the ground tree in December, with the full lineup opening in February.
• Scouting and field repairs: Eligible light vehicles gained the ability to mark enemies for teammates and repair friendly vehicles outside their squad.
• Advancing Storm and Project X: Dagor 5.0 improved terrain, lighting and rain. Successive updates added vehicles such as the M1 Abrams, Leopard 2A4 and Type 90, plus the Italy and Ladoga battlefields.

Gaijin marked War Thunder’s official release in December 2016 with Way of the Samurai, which began staged testing of Japanese ground forces. Over the same year, aviation gained cockpit coverage, cooperative missions and a dedicated Italian research tree.

• Desert Hunters: September added Greece for aviation and Sinai for mixed battles, plus ground vehicles such as Britain’s FV438 Swingfire and the Soviet ZSU-23-4.
• Way of the Samurai: The update added 3D cockpits across aviation, including bombers and attackers. Vehicles such as Japan’s Type 74 could use hydropneumatic suspension to adjust their hull height and angle.
• Assault: Cooperative Assault missions started with aircraft in March. The update expanded gun stabilization across multiple ground vehicles.
• Regia Aeronautica: Italy arrived with its own aviation tree, including the C.202 and S.M.79. After a period of testing, the Italian aircraft lineup opened to all players in July.

Dagor 4.0 changed how War Thunder’s battlefields looked and how cover behaved, while new armor branches and guided weapons broadened ground combat. The year also added winter and desert maps and gave tank crews a way to replace a crew member during battle.

• Firestorm: November’s engine update introduced physically based rendering and revised water. Berlin, Stalingrad and Advance to the Rhine gained destructible scenery.
• Royal Armour: British ground forces moved into staged testing with vehicles such as the Churchill and Centurion. Tunisia and El Alamein joined the combined-battle rotation.
• Battle March: The Chieftain Mk.3 and Super Pershing joined the tank roster, and Volokolamsk and Frozen Pass expanded the winter maps.
• Flaming Arrows and Road to Glory: The IT-1, Raketenjagdpanzer 2 and Sheridan brought guided anti-tank missiles into ground battles. August added crew reinforcement during matches and vehicles including the M60A1 and T-62.

War Thunder built out its new tank game as American ground forces progressed from their December debut to general availability in February. The year also changed how Arcade and Realistic tank matches handled aircraft and respawns, then added longer aviation battles.

• Tank match rules: October’s 1.43 let tankers in Arcade earn temporary aircraft sorties. Realistic tank battles used points earned in combat to pay for respawns from a player’s lineup.
• Steel Generals and Big Guns: The first U.S. tanks included the Sherman, Lee and Stuart families. Big Guns ended the lineup’s closed testing in February and added binocular and driver viewpoints.
• Weapons of Victory: The April update added American tank destroyers and British naval aircraft, plus ground battlefields at Berlin, Normandy and Hürtgen Forest.
• Cold Steel: Finland added a winter mixed-battle map and the Leopard I, M60 and T-10M expanded Cold War armor. Enduring Confrontation began with a limited set of join-in-progress missions.

War Thunder expanded beyond its original air battles when Ground Forces entered open beta in May 2014, making tanks available to every player. Earlier updates had already changed how pilots progressed, organized matches and created their own content.

• Special-rule battles: September’s 1.35 update introduced Events mode, with set aircraft lineups and rules for historical battles and experiments with respawns and ammunition.
• Aircraft progression: Update 1.37 replaced the old 20-tier system with five ranks and made aircraft research follow the branches of each nation’s tree.
• Custom games and content: Custom Battles moved to dedicated servers in December. April’s 1.39 added support for custom maps, missions, camouflages and aircraft, plus ranked squadron competition.
• Playable tanks and more aircraft: The 1.41 open beta brought German and Soviet ground vehicles to all players. The same update expanded aviation with variants of the PBJ-1, Me 262 and Griffon-powered Spitfire.