In the mid-1980s, the US Marine Corps (USMC) considered the M1 Abrams as a replacement to their M60A1 tank fleet. Requesting some modifications to better suit the USMC purposes, the M1A1 Abrams incorporating the changes began production in November 1990. As this new design was used and sent to both US Army and USMC, the tanks became known as the M1A1 HC within the US Army, with "HC" standing for "Heavy Common". The USMC simply referred to the tank as the "Common".

The M1A1 HC, introduced in Update "Direct Hit", is an upgrade of the preceding M1A1 Abrams. It has armour improvements due to incorporating the "Heavy Armor" (HA) upgrade that includes depleted uranium inserts. The firepower is also improved with access to the M830A1 HEATFS round that includes a proximity fuse, meaning it is useful not only on enemy armoured vehicles, but also low-flying aircraft to swat them out of the sky. The mobility of the M1A1 HC is not too different from its predecessors. For users who have enjoyed the M1A1 Abrams gameplay, the M1A1 HC features improved capabilities to make the most of the firepower, armour, and mobility of the Abrams platform.