The SU-85 was a Soviet self-propelled gun used during World War II. The Soviet was forced to develop more powerful weapons to counter the German tanks, which had become more sophisticated as the war progressed. The 85 mm D-5T tank gun was developed in May 1943 by Petrov's bureau. Given that the new armament is too big to fit into any tank designs that are currently in use, the SU-122 was selected for testing and modification, and its 122 mm M-30S howitzer was swapped out for a modified 85 mm D-5T tank gun. With an 85 mm D-5S tank gun, the new SU-85 is manufactured using the T-34 medium tank chassis.

Introduced in the Closed Beta Test for Ground Forces before Update 1.41, the SU-85 should be played as a long-range sniper due to its powerful gun but subpar armour. Most tanks at its rank can be destroyed by the 85 mm D-5S tank gun. However, the armour is so fragile that it cannot withstand most enemy shots. It is therefore not a good idea to be close to the front lines. To increase the effectiveness of armour, players should stay behind the main fighting zone and eliminate enemy targets from far away, taking advantage of both distance and low silhouettes for concealment.