War Thunder is a multiplayer military online game from Gaijin Entertainment. The game's development began in 2009 and it was initially known as World of Planes. In early 2011, the creators of World of Planes decided to change the name to War Thunder, for good reasons. In its original form, the game was positioned as a full-fledged flight simulator, but later the developers realized that the world of World of Planes could be greatly expanded with ground and naval forces. Thus, World of Planes transformed into War Thunder. The closed beta test of the project began in late March 2012, and the open beta test started on November 1 of the same year.
Like many other games of this type, War Thunder boasts a flexible development and customization system for the aircraft available in the hangar. Players have the right to change and combine various modules of the aircraft, install new types of armaments (bombs, additional guns, missiles, etc.) and decorate their "steel bird" with inscriptions, drawings, and emblems. The variety of aviation technology in War Thunder is recreated based on the blueprints of aircraft that participated in the battles of World War II. In War Thunder, one can find both pre-war models such as the "corn stalk" (for example, U-2) and powerful rotary-wing machines of various combat orientations: ground attack aircraft, fighters, and bombers. Additionally, War Thunder includes unique examples of jet technology.
After creating their dream machine, the gamer has only one thing left to do - head into battle. Dozens of aircraft from both sides of the conflict participate in air battles, each with different performance characteristics (TTH) and capabilities. However, this does not mean that any player will have an overwhelming advantage over other pilots; far from it. The success of a sortie primarily depends on the skill of the gamer, and the type of aircraft they are flying is secondary. Nevertheless, the game mechanics of War Thunder are designed so that new models of aviation technology are gradually unlocked - players are not forced to fly the same level one aircraft indefinitely. After earning enough experience, a gamer can add a new model from an extensive list of combat machines to their hangar - there are many separate development trees with unique instances of military aviation technology in the game. War Thunder features hundreds of aircraft from various countries (Japan, USA, Germany, USSR, etc.), and players are free to choose which country they will fight for.
But tinkering with the planes is one thing, while flying and enjoying active gameplay is quite another. War Thunder delights players with a plethora of both PvE and PvP modes. The game also offers an intriguing dynamic campaign and a whole bunch of special missions, but that's not all - one shouldn't forget about the unique mission editor built into War Thunder.