War Thunder is Gaijin Entertainment's free-to-play vehicular combat game simulating air, ground, and naval warfare from WWII through modern era. With over 2,500 vehicles across 10 nations, the sheer breadth of content is staggering. The game spans three combat modes (Arcade, Realistic, Simulator) each offering fundamentally different experiences from casual to full simulation. The tech tree grind is notoriously long but each vehicle researched feels like a genuine achievement. War Thunder's damage model is the most detailed in gaming — individual crew members, modules, and ammunition are modeled and can be damaged independently. The combined arms mode where tanks, planes, and helicopters fight simultaneously is unique in the genre.
Starting War Thunder can feel overwhelming. This guide tells you exactly what to focus on during your first hours so you don't waste time on things that don't matter yet.
What Kind of Game Is This?
War Thunder is a simulation game built around battle rating matchmaking and tech tree progression. The core loop involves mastering these systems to progress through increasingly challenging content.
What to expect: Time investment in learning mechanics, experimentation, and gradual mastery. The game rewards patience and knowledge.
Choosing Your First Build
| Build | Beginner Rating | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Fighter Pilot | Good (but demanding) | Climb to altitude at match start, dive on enemies below you with energy advantage, extend and re-climb after attacks. |
| Bomber Pilot | Not recommended first | Climb to safe altitude, drop bombs on bases or ground targets, use defensive turrets against intercepting fighters. |
| Tank Commander | Good (but demanding) | Use terrain for hull-down positions, aim for enemy weak points with proper ammunition, angle armor against incoming fire. |
| Naval Captain | Situational | Engage at medium range, use HE ammunition against crew compartments, manage fire and flooding damage control. |
| Helicopter Pilot | Excellent for beginners | Spawn helicopters after earning spawn points in a tank, use terrain to mask your approach, fire ATGMs from maximum range. |
Our recommendation: Start with Bomber Pilot. Bombers deliver heavy ordnance to destroy bases and ground targets. Strategic bombers (B-17, Lancaster) are slow and vulnerable to fighters. In Ground RB, light bombers with precision bombs are more useful. Bombing requires altitude and accuracy.
Avoid Helicopter Pilot as your first pick. Helicopters in Ground RB provide guided missile attacks against tanks.
First Session Step-by-Step
Step 1: Learn battle rating matchmaking
Each vehicle has a Battle Rating (BR) determining its matchmaking bracket. You face vehicles within 1.0 BR of your highest-BR vehicle in your lineup. A BR 5.7 lineup fights 4.7-6.7. Mixing high-BR and low-BR vehicles means your low-BR vehicles face opponents they can't compete with. Build lineups with consistent BRs.
This is the foundation. Spend your first 15-30 minutes getting comfortable with how battle rating matchmaking works before worrying about anything else.
Step 2: Head to Eastern Europe
A ground battle map featuring open fields and a town with close-quarters fighting. The map rewards both long-range sniping and urban brawling depending on which area you contest. The town center is the most contested area.
Clear the main content here before moving on. Everything teaches fundamentals you'll need later.
Step 3: Get Your First Upgrade
Look for P-51D Mustang — it's the most accessible early upgrade. American fighter at BR 4.7 with excellent high-altitude performance and .50 caliber machine guns. The Mustang excels at energy fighting — diving from altitude with a speed advantage. The M2 Brownings have high ammunition count for sustained engagements.
Step 4: Understand tech tree progression
Each nation has separate air, ground, and naval tech trees with vehicles unlocked sequentially. Researching a vehicle requires earning Research Points (RP) by playing vehicles of the same nation. Premium vehicles and premium account time accelerate research. The grind from WWII to modern vehicles takes hundreds of hours per tree.
This is the system most new players overlook. Invest time here early — it pays off throughout the entire game.
Step 5: Push to Normandy
A WWII-themed ground map with bocage hedgerows, villages, and beaches. The hedgerow terrain creates ambush opportunities and limits long-range sniping. Historically appropriate for mid-war BR vehicles.
Essential Mechanics Explained
battle rating matchmaking
Each vehicle has a Battle Rating (BR) determining its matchmaking bracket. You face vehicles within 1.0 BR of your highest-BR vehicle in your lineup. A BR 5.7 lineup fights 4.7-6.7. Mixing high-BR and low-BR vehicles means your low-BR vehicles face opponents they can't compete with. Build lineups with consistent BRs.
tech tree progression
Each nation has separate air, ground, and naval tech trees with vehicles unlocked sequentially. Researching a vehicle requires earning Research Points (RP) by playing vehicles of the same nation. Premium vehicles and premium account time accelerate research. The grind from WWII to modern vehicles takes hundreds of hours per tree.
crew skills
Each vehicle slot has a crew with skills (reload speed, repair speed, g-tolerance for pilots, vitality). Crew skills improve through crew points earned by playing. Maxing crew skills takes longer than researching vehicles. Key skills: Repair Speed and Reload Speed for tanks, G-Tolerance and Stamina for planes.
vehicle modification
Each vehicle has modification upgrades (engine, ammunition types, armor, weapons) unlocked through playing that specific vehicle. Stock vehicles perform significantly worse than fully modified ones. Prioritize ammunition types (APHE, HEAT, APFSDS) and engine modifications for the biggest performance improvements.
combined arms battles
Ground Realistic Battles feature tanks, planes, and helicopters simultaneously. Earning enough spawn points in a tank lets you spawn a plane for close air support or air superiority. The interaction between ground and air creates emergent gameplay not found in any other game.
Common Beginner Mistakes
1. Bringing a single vehicle in your lineup
When it's destroyed, you leave the match and waste potential impact. Bring 3-5 vehicles of similar BR for a full match.
2. Rushing forward at match start
Aggressive players die within the first minute to enemies who reached good positions first. Advance carefully and use terrain cover.
3. Ignoring sound cues
Engine sounds, track sounds, and gun reports reveal enemy positions. Play with headphones and listen for nearby vehicles before peeking.
4. Shooting the front of a heavy tank with standard ammunition
Learn weak points — shoot the turret cheeks, lower front plate, or flank for side shots where armor is thinnest.
5. Grinding with a vehicle you hate just because it leads to one you want
The grind is long — play vehicles you enjoy at BRs you find fun, and progress will come naturally.
First 5 Hours Checklist
- Understand battle rating matchmaking and tech tree progression
- Choose Bomber Pilot as starting build
- Clear Eastern Europe main content
- Acquire P-51D Mustang or equivalent upgrade
- Reach Normandy
- Stick to one nation's ground or air tree until you reach your desired BR range. Splitting research across multiple nations spreads your progress too thin and leaves you with weak lineups.
- Side climbing (flying to the side of the map while gaining altitude) wins air battles. Fighters that arrive at combat altitude with energy advantage dictate every engagement.
Tips for New Players
- Stick to one nation's ground or air tree until you reach your desired BR range. Splitting research across multiple nations spreads your progress too thin and leaves you with weak lineups.
- Side climbing (flying to the side of the map while gaining altitude) wins air battles. Fighters that arrive at combat altitude with energy advantage dictate every engagement.
- Angling armor at 30-45 degrees to incoming fire increases effective armor thickness by 15-40%. The Tiger I's flat 100mm front armor becomes 115-140mm effective when properly angled.
- Crew skills are invisible power. A maxed reload crew reloads 30% faster than a stock crew. Prioritize Reload Speed and Repair Speed for ground vehicles.
- Premium time during events and sales is the best value for accelerating research. Wait for 50% off sales (usually anniversary events in October/November) to buy premium time.
- APHE ammunition is the most lethal shell type — it penetrates then explodes inside the tank, spraying shrapnel. If your tank has APHE, use it as your default round.
- In Ground RB, bring a plane in your lineup even if you primarily play tanks. Earning enough spawn points to spawn a fighter gives you enormous impact on the match outcome.
- Learn enemy vehicle weak points. Every tank has spots where armor is thin — the T-34's turret ring, the Tiger's flat lower front plate, the Sherman's hull machine gun port.
- Don't rush to top tier. The grind becomes exponentially longer and top-tier gameplay has more frustrations (guided missiles, thermals). Many players find the most fun at BRs 3.7-6.7.
- Use the armor analysis tool in the hangar to study your vehicle's protection and identify weak spots on enemy vehicles you commonly face.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is War Thunder pay to win?
Controversial. Premium vehicles and premium time accelerate grinding but don't provide direct combat advantages. Skill matters more than vehicle tier. However, the grind without premium is extremely long, which feels pay-to-progress.
What nation should I start with in War Thunder?
USSR or Germany for ground forces (forgiving armor, good guns). USA or Germany for air (versatile fighters). USSR has the best beginner ground experience with forgiving APHE ammunition and good armor profiles.
How long does it take to reach top tier in War Thunder?
Without premium: 500-1000+ hours per nation's tree. With premium time and vehicles: 200-400 hours. The grind is notoriously long and is War Thunder's most criticized aspect.
Is War Thunder realistic?
In Realistic and Simulator modes, very much so. Damage models simulate individual crew members, modules, and ammunition. Ballistics account for shell velocity, gravity, and penetration angles. Arcade mode simplifies physics for accessibility.
What to Read Next
- War Thunder Builds — Optimize your build once you've learned the basics
- War Thunder Walkthrough — Full progression path
- War Thunder Tips — Advanced strategies for when you're ready
