When two seemingly similar projects are involved, there is always a problem of choice and the question of which option is better. You do not want to make a mistake with your preference and not waste your time, spending dozens or even hundreds of hours playing a game that will eventually disappoint and be irrevocably deleted.
Since the release of War Thunder, avid players from all over the world have compared it with World of Tanks, trying to find common ground that will allow them to assess which of the two projects is better objectively and deserves more attention from the audience.
Below we will try to compare various parameters of War Thunder and WoT, make an independent assessment and conclude which of the two games is better.
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But if you’re in the mood for something different, we also have World of Warships codes.
What is the Difference Between War Thunder and World of Tanks in 2024
Initially, War Thunder was not supposed to be a competitor of WoT because its fighting was supposed to take place exclusively with aviation use.
In the development process, the insufficiency of such an approach became apparent, and the developers added land combat vehicles, which, combined with aviation, allowed the creation of an extraordinary game story, later supplemented by warships.
Obviously, during the development of War Thunder the experience of World of Tanks was taken into account and what seemed to the developers of the new project as a shortcoming was modified or supplemented.
Graphics and Physics
Immediately after the release of War Thunder, its graphical superiority over WoT was apparent, given the three-year difference between the development of the projects.
Over time, this visual gap in the quality of combat vehicles, textures, and environments has been eliminated, and today, there are no significant differences in the visual perception of images at the exact resolution in the two games.
Let’s take a look at the minimum requirements of the two competitors:
| Hardware | World of Tanks | War Thunder | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Desktop PC | Laptop | Any PC | |
| Operating System | 64-bit Windows 7, 8, 8.1, 10 | Windows 7 SP1/8/10 (64bit) | |
| Processor (CPU) | Intel Pentium E2180 (2.0 GHz)
AMD Athlon 64 X2 4200 (2.2 GHz) |
Intel Core i5-2540M (2.6 GHz)
AMD A4-3305M (1.9 GHz) |
2.2 GHz |
| RAM | 3 GB | 4 GB | 4 GB |
| Video Adapter (GPU) | NVIDIA GeForce 8600
Radeon HD 4550 |
Intel HD Graphics 3000 (Sandy Bridge)
AMD Radeon HD 6480G |
AMD Radeon HD 77XX
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660 |
| Free disk space | 70 GB | 70 GB | 17 GB |
Based on the comparison, WoT is a little less demanding software but needs more free hard disk space.
In terms of physics, War Thunder is the clear winner if you consider the plausibility of physical models to be an advantage. Not every player will be happy with the necessity of constant stops for aiming, bouncing on uneven terrain, and the possibility of tipping over when the wrong route is chosen on an inclined plane.
Realistic environment and believable models of its changes from the actions of players are present in both projects, allowing you to enjoy breaking fences and trees, crumpling grass and crumbling rocks.
Sound
Players’ impressions of sound depend on their preferences:
- If the realistic clanking of tank tracks, roaring of diesel units, and mechanical grinding when turning the turret allow you to enjoy the game and immerse yourself in its atmosphere, then War Thunder should be chosen;
- If sound effects are not essential and calm background sounds allow you to focus better on the battle, then the choice should be made in favor of World of Tanks.
In general, any sound effects are customizable, so the default settings can be adapted to the specific user.
Gameplay
Adapting to the intensity of events around you in WoT is much easier, if only because the arsenal of vehicles is limited to land-based varieties. The possibility of taking damage from a passing attack aircraft or bomber in War Thunder undoubtedly adds realism to the battles. Still, it turns newcomers into live targets who do not have time to react to the dangers.
Realism of Battles
The difference between the two projects becomes apparent when considering the system of conducting battles, aiming, and inflicting damage on opponents.
The combat system of World of Tanks is organized as follows:
- Each unit has a certain amount of durability.
- Strength is evenly distributed between the elements of the armored vehicle.
- When hit, each part can be destroyed with a certain probability:
- tracks and visors – 100%;
- engine – 45% and a 20% chance of fire;
- fuel tanks – 45% and a 10 to 20% chance of fire;
- gun and crew 33%;
- ammunition, 27%.
- The projectile penetrates the hull by 10 of its caliber and becomes inactive when the first module in its movement is evaded, causing no damage.
- When damage is inflicted, the strength reserve decreases until it exhausts, which means the tank is destroyed.
The system is transparent, clear, straightforward, and implausible. The player looks from behind an obstacle and shoots into the frame’s rear armored panel, ultimately destroying the tank.
In World of Tanks, it does not matter where exactly you hit; the value is the number of hits and damage caused by the gun.
The creators of War Thunder, when developing the combat system, gave preference to the realism of what is happening:
- Making it possible to destroy vehicles with a single hit;
- working out in detail the mechanics of the impact of different shells on the equipment when hitting other parts of it;
- excluding the destruction of the tank hull as implausible;
- working out the mechanism of defeat of successive modules when a shell hits and penetrates the hull;
- There is no durability; a set of modules and crew members can be destroyed, and the tank will be eliminated.
The combat mode in the game is as believable as possible. It excludes damage when hitting armored parts but provides complete elimination when accurately hitting vulnerable places.
Talking about aiming:
- In WoT, all opponents and allies are highlighted, red and green, respectively, so it is clear which side they are on; it remains to reach them and shoot;
- In War Thunder, there is no such aim; to track the enemy, you need to see him with your own eyes.
Game Modes
In World of Tanks, the player can choose one of nine modes:
- random battle;
- team battle
- general battle,
- ranked confrontations;
- company battles;
- battle on the front line (30 vs. 30);
- fortified areas (for clans);
- global map (clan event),
- training battles.
War Thunder offers a total of six main modes:
- arcade, with simplified mechanics and the possibility of resurrection;
- realistic, with complicated controls and close-to-real characteristics of equipment and weapons;
- simulation, which involves controlling a tank from the cockpit and an airplane using a joystick;
- world warfare, where regiments fight for supremacy;
- standoffs, where teams meet in mortal combat, and aviation can be revived;
- localized conflict, where all types of vehicles meet on the same map.
In terms of the variety of modes, WoT surpasses its competitor.
Variety of Vehicles
The number of vehicles in War Thunder exceeds 2000 and includes a variety of land combat vehicles, aviation, and warships.
The total number of combat vehicles in WoT is 731 units.
Cybersports Component
The opportunity to participate in cybersports competitions is on both playgrounds, allowing players to compete in ranked matches and win unique prizes.
It is worth noting that World of Tanks’ cybersport history and the number of professional players is greater than that of its competitor.
Donat
The need to invest in development is present in both projects and, in comparison, looks as follows:
| World of Tanks | War Thunder |
|---|---|
| There is expensive equipment that requires a donation | |
| Expensive repair kits, first aid kits, and fire extinguishers | You can’t extinguish and repair equipment yourself; you have to wait for an ally or go to the depot |
| It isn’t easy to earn without donation, even if you have a premium account | Premium equipment brings more income, but you can also have a positive balance on regular equipment |
| After level 8, you can play without donation if you don’t buy anything | The cost of equipment grows slowly, but it is initially higher |
This indicator is better than War Thunder, which allows you not to donate if you know how to play.
Pros and Cons of War Thunder
Let’s summarize the conclusions about War Thunder:
| Pros | Disadvantages |
|---|---|
| High-quality graphics, textures, and environments | Higher performance and more expensive PC components |
| A small amount of hard disk space with minimal installation | It takes longer to load when minimally installing game files on a disk |
| Realistic sound effects recorded on actual equipment | Effects can be tiring and may want to be turned off or muted |
| Maximum believability of the combat system | Without radar and auto-targeting, it is difficult to find and hit the enemy, respectively |
| Game mode with all types of vehicles is present | Fewer game modes |
| There are a vast number of different vehicles you can develop over a long period. | |
| Historical authenticity of battles, the presence of a plot component | |
| Ability to engage in cyber sports and participate in tournaments |
Pros and Cons of World of Tanks
Let’s compare the positive and negative characteristics according to the results of the World of Tanks evaluation:
| Pros | Disadvantages |
|---|---|
| High-quality graphics, textures, and environments | High minimum requirements for free hard disk space |
| Less high-performance and more expensive PC components | Sound effects do not claim to be 100% believable |
| Sound accompaniment is discreet, not tiring during long sets | Combat settings are simplified; you can hit the enemy by shooting at his armor |
| Easy to find and target the enemy | Fewer vehicles |
| A large number of game modes | There is no variety; only ground combat vehicles are present |
| Developed cyber sports direction, a large number of participants | No historical reconstruction battles with no claim to 100% correspondence to real tanks |
Conclusion
After comparing the advantages and disadvantages, War Thunder has the advantage. War Thunder has a variety of combat vehicles and a realistic combat system, which brings piloting and guidance accuracy skills to a new level.
In conclusion, let’s turn to the statistics and look at the number of users of both competitors:
- registered players on the World of Tanks project – over 110 million people;
- more than 70 million people are registered on War Thunder platforms.
If we take into account the opinion of real users, WoT is more attractive, despite the objective superiority of its competitor’s game mechanics.
