War Thunder — Latest Updates & Patch Notes
War Thunder is currently the #17 most-played game on Steam, with a 24-hour peak of 101K concurrent players — ▲ climbing (was #19 last week).
Last official update Sep 5, 2026 (yesterday) · 12 updates in the last 90 days · 12 tracked here.
- Steam rank
- #17 ▲
- Peak (24h)
- 101K
- Genre
- Action, Massively Multiplayer, Simulation
- Developer
- Gaijin Entertainment
- Released
- Aug 15, 2013
- Price
- Free to Play
- Metacritic
- 81
- Steam reviews
- 2K
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.
Latest updates & patch notes
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News
Screenshot Competition – Beyond Standard!
Welcome to the 240th War Thunder Steam Screenshot Competition! It was great to see the variety of screenshots shared in the previous round! This week, we’re highlighting vehicles that stand out from others through customization. Whether it’s a unique camouflage, eye-catching…
Read the full notes on Steam → -
News
Greek Aircraft and Tanks Coming in Sky Odyssey!
Introducing Greece’s Air and Ground Forces Sub-Trees! The upcoming Sky Odyssey major update for War Thunder will introduce Greek aviation and ground vehicle sub-trees to Israel’s tech tree! Both of these countries have a long history of comprehensive military cooperation. Let’s…
Read the full notes on Steam → -
News
Discounts for Pakistan Defense Day!
Defense Day is celebrated in Pakistan on September 6th. The date marks the beginning of the Indian offensive against Lahore during the 1965 war, an attack Pakistan successfully repelled. To commemorate the roles played by the Air Force and Navy during the 1965 war, their…
Read the full notes on Steam → -
Event
Watch WTCS Pro League Major III and Earn Twitch Drops!
The stage is set for Pro League Major III! After battling through the qualification stage, the final 8 teams are ready to face off once again, with everything at stake. In the fast-paced 4v4 Top Tier Tank format, every decision, maneuver, and coordinated play could make the…
Read the full notes on Steam → -
Patch
"Sky Odyssey" Update Trailer!
Introducing the next major update trailer for War Thunder: Sky Odyssey!
Read the full notes on Steam → -
Patch
Update 2.57.1.132
Nuclear Escalation☢Jaguar A — countermeasures have been added. New nuclear weaponry carrying aircraft are now available in battles: ☢Su-17M4 (USSR), ☢Su-17M4 (China). They have replaced the ☢Su-7 in both Battle Rating brackets. In the near future we plan to add the ☢Jaguar A…
Read the full notes on Steam → -
News
Pre-order: Ar 234 B-2 (WB 151) — From Hunted to Hunter!
For over a decade the Ar 234 B-2 has been on the receiving end of allied guns, with almost nothing to defend itself with. In the next major update, it’s back with a bite! Ar 234 B-2 (WB 151): A Premium Bomber for Germany at Rank VAt a glance: Dual 20 mm gunpod! Decent speed and…
Read the full notes on Steam → -
Event
The Type 74 Red Star Returns with a Discount to Mark its Service Anniversary!
The Type 74 main battle tank, manufactured by Mitsubishi, was adopted by the Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force on September 5th 1974. The tank was not delivered to other countries, but remained in service for almost 50 years. It was withdrawn from service only in 2024. The Type…
Read the full notes on Steam → -
News
Space Program: F-16XL
Meet the vehicle reward in the Space Program event, the American experimental delta-wing F-16XL! F-16XL: An Event Vehicle Jet Fighter for the US at Rank VIIIAt a glance: Excellent maneuverability in extreme turnsVersatile armamentARH missilesHigh maximum speedLarge fuel…
Read the full notes on Steam → -
Patch
Update 2.57.1.126
AircraftAn issue where AI SPAAGs without radar (e.g., ZSU-57-2, M42 Duster, Ostwind) would intercept bombs and rockets/missiles has been fixed. Ground VehiclesA potential fix has been implemented for an issue where a significant number of players in a session could…
Read the full notes on Steam → -
Patch
Updated Nuclear Escalation: Vietnam!
We’re returning the Nuclear Escalation mode to the Vietnam era for aircraft with Battle Ratings of 8.7-11.0! MiG-21s vs F-105s, Shrikes vs S-75s, the air war over Vietnam was ruthless, and now you can find yourself at the heart of a hypothetical escalation of that conflict. Here…
Read the full notes on Steam → -
Event
The German Tempest Mk V is Available at a Discount to Mark the Anniversary!
In 1941–42, Hawker worked on five variants of a new fighter intended to succeed the Typhoon. The versions differed in their engines, and the Mk V design, powered by the Napier Sabre II, was the first to be completed. It made its maiden flight on September 2nd, 1942, and soon…
Read the full notes on Steam →
Screenshots
About War Thunder
War Thunder is the most comprehensive free-to-play, cross-platform, MMO military game dedicated to aviation, armoured vehicles, 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, fighting with millions of players from all over the world in an ever-evolving environment. In War Thunder, aircraft, attack helicopters, ground forces and naval ships collaborate in realistic competitive battles. You can choose from over 3,000 vehicles and an extensive variety of combat situations many of which are exclusive. You can find yourself blasting your pursuers from…
Game details
- System requirements (minimum)
- Minimum: OS: Windows 10 (64bit) Processor: Dual-Core 2.2 GHz Memory: 4 GB RAM Graphics: DirectX 11 level video card: AMD Radeon 77XX / NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660. The minimum supported resolution for the game is 720p. DirectX: Version 11 Network: Broadband Internet connection Storage: 70 GB available space VR Support: SteamVR. Keyboard or gamepad required
- Languages
- English * , German * , French * , Italian * , Spanish - Spain * , Simplified Chinese, Russian * , Japanese * , Polish * , Czech * , Turkish * , Portuguese - Portugal, Korean, Portuguese - Brazil, Hungarian, Ukrainian…
- Controller
- Full controller support
- DLC
- 35 available on Steam
- Official site
- warthunder.com/
Frequently asked questions
- Is War Thunder free to play?
- Yes — War Thunder is free to play on Steam.
- What is the latest War Thunder update?
- The most recent official update is "Screenshot Competition – Beyond Standard!" (Sep 5, 2026), categorized as News. Welcome to the 240th War Thunder Steam Screenshot Competition! It was great to see the variety of screenshots shared in the previous round! This week, we’re highlighting vehicles that stand out from others through customization. Whether it’s a unique camouflage, eye-catching…
- How many people play War Thunder?
- War Thunder peaked at 101K concurrent players in the last 24 hours, ranking #17 on Steam's most-played chart (it was #19 the previous week).
- When was War Thunder released?
- War Thunder was released on Aug 15, 2013 by Gaijin Entertainment.
- What kind of game is War Thunder?
- War Thunder is a Action, Massively Multiplayer, Simulation, Free To Play game, featuring single-player, multi-player, mmo.
📊 Tracked here since Jul 16 · best rank #11 (Jul 16) · 35 days on our charts
Live player counts and update notes are pulled from Steam's public data and refreshed daily (last refresh: Sep 6, 2026). Excerpts are from official announcements; follow the source links for full notes. War Thunder and all related assets are trademarks of their respective owners.