War Thunder

War Thunder is a free-to-play combined arms multiplayer combat game developed and published by Gaijin Entertainment. Originally released in open beta in November 2012 and officially launched on December 21, 2016, the game spans over a century of military vehicle history — from early World War I aircraft to modern fourth-generation jets, main battle tanks, and naval vessels. Players can participate in air, ground, and naval battles across three distinct game modes: Arcade Battles (most accessible), Realistic Battles (semi-simulation), and Simulator Battles (full cockpit simulation with no HUD aids). The game features over 2,000 meticulously modeled vehicles from more than 20 nations.

War Thunder uses a proprietary damage model that simulates internal component damage, crew incapacitation, and module destruction on a per-shell, per-fragment basis — making vehicle positioning and armor knowledge critical. The game runs on Gaijin's proprietary Dagor Engine and is notable for cross-platform support across PC (Windows, macOS, Linux), PlayStation 4/5, and Xbox One/Series X|S, with full cross-play enabled across all platforms. It is one of the largest and most detailed vehicle combat simulators in existence, regularly receiving major content updates introducing new vehicle trees, maps, and mechanics.

The game's netcode architecture has been a persistent point of community criticism. A low server tick rate and loose synchronization model leads to well-documented phenomena: 'ghost shells' (rounds that visually appear to hit but register no damage), 'sparks' (partial hits with no penetration), and desynchronized vehicle positions. These issues are most pronounced in air battles and high-speed jet combat where relative velocities are extreme. Despite these limitations, War Thunder maintains a massive global player base, with particularly strong communities in Europe, Russia, the United States, and Southeast Asia.