War Thunder similar games & best alternatives

War Thunder - Trailer
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War Thunder - war-thunder_2.avif
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War Thunder

Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, Linux, PC (Microsoft Windows), PlayStation 5, Mac, Xbox One • 2013

Should you play it?

War Thunder is the most comprehensive free-to-play, cross-platform, MMO military game dedicated to aviation, armoured vehicles, and naval craft, from the early 20th century to the most advanced modern combat units. Join now and take part in major battles on land, in the air, and at sea.

What works

  • Realistic and immersive vehicle combat
  • Wide variety of planes, tanks, and maps
  • Free-to-play with fair progression
  • Good graphics and sound design
  • Multiple difficulty levels and game modes

Things to keep in mind

  • Grind can be long and tedious
  • Matchmaking sometimes unbalanced
  • Reports of russian bias and pay-to-win elements
  • Limited social communication and teamwork
  • Launcher and technical issues reported

What to play next

Top picks

Games that feels the closest overall

  • Arena Breakout: Infinite

  • Battlefield 3™

  • Deadside

  • POLYGON

  • World of Tanks

  • Enlisted

More fantastical

Games that feels like War Thunder but with more imaginative fiction

  • Halo: The Master Chief Collection

  • Angels Fall First

  • Silica

  • From the Depths

  • Crossout

  • Shatterline

More intimate

Games that feels like War Thunder but with more focus on close relationships

  • Arma 3

  • Arma 2: Operation Arrowhead

  • Squad

  • Operation: Harsh Doorstop

  • Arma Reforger

  • Battlefield™ V

Choose your own criteria ->

Similarity map

How to use the graph

Similarity map

Each dot is a game placed from its motivation profile relative to this page’s game. Direction shows which motivation differs most; distance along that axis shows how large the gap is.

  • Purple star: this page’s game at the centre — everything is relative to it.
  • Direction: each axis is a main motivational difference vs this game (e.g. more / less competitive).
  • Distance on an axis: how large that difference is (ring scales show +/− points).
  • Coloured chips: click to highlight games that mainly differ on that motivation; click again to reset.
  • Dotted line: link between this page’s game and the one selected for comparison.
  • Hover a dot to preview that game in the panel on the right; click to keep that comparison.
  • Scroll or double-click the chart to zoom.

How to read the map This is a polar difference map: direction = which motivation differs, and distance = how much (same units as the sidebar deltas).

War Thunder: A very typical example of its motivational profile. Motivations that often define this kind of title include Competition, Status, Fellowship, Domination. Here, the score leans higher than usual among comparable games on Violence. It leans lower than usual among comparable games on Fantasy, Intimacy.

Last update: 03/08/2026