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.

There are various techniques you can use to avoid the different types of air-to-air missiles. As a general rule though, situational awareness is absolutely key, you should be looking out to see if any aircraft around you could have air-to-air missiles and judging what type they are likely to have. If an enemy is on your tail keep looking to see if a missile is launched. You may not get a visual warning (depending on missile type) and even if you do it may be too late.

The economy in War Thunder largely consists of two different but connected aspects: the currencies with earnable Silver Lions (SL), “premium” Golden Eagles (GE), and bonus Warbonds (WB); and the progression with various types of Research Points (RP).

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.

Assault Mode is a cooperative game mode for aircraft, ground vehicles and helicopters where players fight against the AI. The main objective is to defend the base from several waves of enemies. Team can consist of up to 10 players. This game mode uses the damage and flight models, and other mechanics, from Arcade Battles (including rearming in flight). There is no limit for how many times players can spawn the same vehicle, so it is possible to bring only one.

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.

Schräge Musik (literally “Strange” or “Slanted” music) is a term used to describe vertically mounted, upward-firing machine guns or autocannons that were fitted to German and Japanese night-fighters and bomber interceptors during WWII. This unique configuration proved highly effective in both the European and Pacific Fronts, and some select aircraft have this feature for you to try out in the game!

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.