War Thunder is a very challenging game, but honestly I find it a lot of fun. I play a lot of different vehicles, get used to their weapons, quirks and avionics, and sooner or later I get a new shiny one. I mostly play air realistic, where the economy is a lot better than ground in my opinion. I have researched the entire British air tree multiple times (they keep adding new vehicles and it brings me back to Britain again) and I find it a lot of fun to play all these different vehicles - this is War Thunder's main strength, having so many different vehicles you can play. And while there will always be meta picks, an off-meta plane can still be strong with the right flying.

One of the major talking points for this game is the economy, and it was why I originally left a harsh review. I'm a better player now than I was 2000 hours ago, but Gaijin have honestly made good improvements to the economy since then. Daily research bonuses, skill bonuses and now recycling boosters and wagers all help a lot with grinding. Getting an ace is now a very rewarding thing, and thanks to the severe damage mechanic I'm no longer bothered by having my kill stolen all the time (thanks Hispanos!). I currently don't have a premium account, and at the minute I only play my premium vehicles when I have a booster, and I still make a decent enough profit from my regular playing that allows me to buy a new vehicle every now and again.

I do think there are still many areas for improvement though - especially with high tier jets. Individual modules have horrendous RP cost, which isn't too bad at 14.0 where you get AIM-120 stock allowing you to get a few kills (ignoring the fact you don't get chaff). But if I take for example the F-4E Phantom II, my most recent plane, it has a horrendous stock grind where you only get a couple of AIM-9Es and of course the gun. I got kills with the AIM-9Es once every few matches, but they are not great at all at 11.3. This forces players to treat the Phantom as a bomb truck for a long time, until they finally unlock the AIM-7Es, which is a frustrating experience when lobbies are full of premium jet players rushing to the nearest base.

I'd like to see modification costs go down, and also expert crew costs for top tier jets. I wouldn't dream of flying my Typhoon without an expert crew, it is a must have if you want to be competitive. But I am leaving a positive review, because I think this is a game I can honestly recommend now. Things are improving, the game gets better with almost every update. And with talk of strategic bombers coming at some point, we might actually be seeing a new air realistic gamemode - which is something I am very much looking forward to.

A final point I wanted to add is about premium time and premium vehicles. This game is designed to be played with a premium account, make no mistake. A premium account lets you play "your way", and it's not too expensive to buy, and comes with pack premium vehicles. But as someone who only buys premium anything when it's 50% off, it almost feels like a cop out to buy premium at full price. I also think that having at least one premium vehicle for your preferred gamemode is a must, as it allows you to make the most out of your SL or RP boosters - something you can turn to if you need silver lions for a new vehicle.


All in all, I do recommend this game if you are interested in any of the vehicles. I don't think this is a game that should be played entirely free-to-play, but it's also not a game that has to be a constant expense. No matter what, I keep getting brought back to this game and premium vehicles can be well worth it in a sale. If you are reading this and on the fence, this game really is a difficult sell. If you want to play modern tanks, or maybe you want to fly an A-10 or something, you either have months of grind (best case scenario) or a hefty price tag ahead of you. This isn't great, but playing through the tiers of the game teaches you a lot of mechanics that you will continue to use later. I also really recommend new players to play with a friend or join an active squadron that plays together, as I think that is the best way to learn and to avoid frustration.

War Thunder is a very challenging game, but honestly I find it a lot of fun. I play a lot of different vehicles, get used to their weapons, quirks and avionics, and sooner or later I get a new shiny one. I mostly play air realistic, where the economy is a lot better than ground in my opinion. I have researched the entire British air tree multiple times (they keep adding new vehicles and it brings me back to Britain again) and I find it a lot of fun to play all these different vehicles - this is War Thunder's main strength, having so many different vehicles you can play. And while there will always be meta picks, an off-meta plane can still be strong with the right flying. One of the major talking points for this game is the economy, and it was why I originally left a harsh review. I'm a better player now than I was 2000 hours ago, but Gaijin have honestly made good improvements to the economy since then. Daily research bonuses, skill bonuses and now recycling boosters and wagers all help a lot with grinding. Getting an ace is now a very rewarding thing, and thanks to the severe damage mechanic I'm no longer bothered by having my kill stolen all the time (thanks Hispanos!). I currently don't have a premium account, and at the minute I only play my premium vehicles when I have a booster, and I still make a decent enough profit from my regular playing that allows me to buy a new vehicle every now and again. I do think there are still many areas for improvement though - especially with high tier jets. Individual modules have horrendous RP cost, which isn't too bad at 14.0 where you get AIM-120 stock allowing you to get a few kills (ignoring the fact you don't get chaff). But if I take for example the F-4E Phantom II, my most recent plane, it has a horrendous stock grind where you only get a couple of AIM-9Es and of course the gun. I got kills with the AIM-9Es once every few matches, but they are not great at all at 11.3. This forces players to treat the Phantom as a bomb truck for a long time, until they finally unlock the AIM-7Es, which is a frustrating experience when lobbies are full of premium jet players rushing to the nearest base. I'd like to see modification costs go down, and also expert crew costs for top tier jets. I wouldn't dream of flying my Typhoon without an expert crew, it is a must have if you want to be competitive. But I am leaving a positive review, because I think this is a game I can honestly recommend now. Things are improving, the game gets better with almost every update. And with talk of strategic bombers coming at some point, we might actually be seeing a new air realistic gamemode - which is something I am very much looking forward to. A final point I wanted to add is about premium time and premium vehicles. This game is designed to be played with a premium account, make no mistake. A premium account lets you play "your way", and it's not too expensive to buy, and comes with pack premium vehicles. But as someone who only buys premium anything when it's 50% off, it almost feels like a cop out to buy premium at full price. I also think that having at least one premium vehicle for your preferred gamemode is a must, as it allows you to make the most out of your SL or RP boosters - something you can turn to if you need silver lions for a new vehicle. All in all, I do recommend this game if you are interested in any of the vehicles. I don't think this is a game that should be played entirely free-to-play, but it's also not a game that has to be a constant expense. No matter what, I keep getting brought back to this game and premium vehicles can be well worth it in a sale. If you are reading this and on the fence, this game really is a difficult sell. If you want to play modern tanks, or maybe you want to fly an A-10 or something, you either have months of grind (best case scenario) or a hefty price tag ahead of you. This isn't great, but playing through the tiers of the game teaches you a lot of mechanics that you will continue to use later. I also really recommend new players to play with a friend or join an active squadron that plays together, as I think that is the best way to learn and to avoid frustration.