Game mechanics
Crew is the lifeblood of any war machine. Boats and ships can require as few as a handful of men or as many as thousands to operate efficiently. In War Thunder's naval battles, the Crew Loss mechanic is used to simulate victory by attrition, whether it's through sailor casualties or structural damage that would otherwise render the ship unsalvageable. Damage to critical components and special compartments reduces the percentage of crew able to perform their duties. Once the number of usable crew falls below the minimum required to operate the ship, the ship will be scuttled immediately.
Airborne radars are found on aircraft at both low and high ranks, if an aircraft is equipped with radar then a radar display will be present in the right portion of a player's screen, as well as a compass displaying the player's current heading and the directions to detected targets at the top of the screen.
The gun stabilizer is a system that improves the tank gun’s aim at the target and preserves (stabilizes) its aim even when the hull vibrates during movement, which allows it to perform effective aimed fire during vehicle movement or when temporarily stopped. This reaction time and accuracy between target detection and effective hit draw the line between life and death in tank warfare. Read more about the gun stabilizers in the article.
War Thunder’s matchmaking system is generally simple, but comes with some key caveats depending on the game mode; these are vital to understand to make the most of your vehicles and lineups. Learn more about rules around which vehicles you will be able to field and face in battle in this article.
The Head-Up Display or HUD is a transparent display (typically located in front of the aircraft's windscreen) used to present information to the pilot without them having to look at their instruments. The design, layout, and functionality of different HUDs varies significantly. Most HUDs have multiple modes, these can be switched between by pressing the "Switch sight mode in cockpit" keybind. This article will provide an overview of each HUD design in the game. Some HUD designs are used by multiple aircraft.
Nuclear weapons in War Thunder allowed skilled players who accumulate enough airstrike points in arcade or spawn points in realistic ground battles to pilot a nuclear weapon-armed aircraft into the battlefield and drop a nuclear bomb. Successful deployment of the bomb will end the game instantly in favour of the team that first dropped their nuclear armament.
Update 1.91 "Night Vision" added Night Vision Devices (NVDs) to a number of high tier tanks and helicopters. These devices provide a significant advantage in the now more common night battles. Two types of night vision devices were added, image intensifiers and thermal imaging systems. In addition infrared (IR) searchlights were added to tanks which historically had them.
A mortar is a type of smoothbore cannon that exclusively uses high-angle plunging fire. It is designed for indirect fire, with projectiles, technically known as bombs, that drop onto targets from above. Mortars are typically smaller, lighter weapon systems with a shorter range compared to other cannons.
Arcade is the most simplified game mode, but also typically the easiest to learn and the most fast-paced. Vehicle control is easier than in other modes, vehicles often have boosted mobility and weapons targeting characteristics, and each vehicle type has a special mechanisms to assist with aiming. Team composition is not restricted by vehicle nation, meaning that each team can have any combination of vehicles with suitable battle ratings, including the same vehicles as the opposing team.