World of Tanks is a free-to-play online multiplayer shooter from Wargaming. Players command armored vehicles from the mid-20th century in team battles against other players. It runs on Windows and macOS. Matches pit two teams of tanks against each other on large maps. Between battles, players research, buy and upgrade vehicles, train their crews and fit equipment.
Five vehicle classes with different jobs
Every vehicle in World of Tanks belongs to one of five classes: light tanks, medium tanks, heavy tanks, tank destroyers and self-propelled guns (SPGs, the game’s artillery). Light tanks are the fastest and most fragile class, so their main job is scouting and revealing enemy positions for the rest of the team.
The vehicles come from eleven nations: Germany, the U.S.S.R., the U.S.A., Great Britain, France, Japan, China, Sweden, Italy, Poland and Czechoslovakia. German vehicles lean toward accurate, high-penetration guns for long-range fights. Swedish tanks are built around sloped frontal armor for defensive play. American vehicles offer good view range and gun depression. Chinese tanks suit an aggressive style.
How a battle is decided
Random Battles are the core of World of Tanks. A team wins by destroying every enemy vehicle or by capturing the enemy base. Besides the Standard format, the queue includes Encounter and Assault variants and Grand Battles. Grand Battles are larger fights for Tier X vehicles with 30 players per side on three oversized maps. Players can switch off Grand Battles in the settings. They can also exclude one map from Standard Battles, or two with a Premium Account.
The matchmaker builds teams from vehicles across a three-tier spread, divided into top, middle and bottom groups. It keeps vehicle classes balanced between the two sides and limits how many SPGs and wheeled vehicles each team can field. It also matches heavy tanks against heavy tanks of a similar role. It does not look at crew training, equipment or player skill when forming a match.
Coordination happens largely through quick commands rather than typed chat. Players can place markers on the map, on bases or on enemy vehicles, ask for help, announce they are reloading, or confirm an ally’s call.
Experience, research and the tech tree
World of Tanks progression runs on experience. Combat XP earned in a vehicle is tied to that vehicle. That XP pays for the vehicle’s modules, such as better guns, turrets, engines, radios and suspension, or for the next vehicle along its branch of the tech tree. A small share of each battle’s XP becomes Free XP, which can research any module or vehicle. Branches run from Tier I to Tier X, and some vehicles open more than one path to the next tier or to another class. A vehicle becomes Elite once players have researched all its modules and follow-up vehicles. Players can then use its XP for crew training or convert it to Free XP. Players buy researched vehicles and modules with credits earned in battle.
Crew training and perks
No vehicle can enter battle without a full crew, and the crew’s training level directly affects how the vehicle performs. Each tanker is qualified for a specific vehicle. Moving a crew to a different tank brings a performance penalty until players retrain the crew. At full training in their main qualification, tankers start learning perks. Some perks apply to the whole crew, others only to a single role, and some trigger only under certain battle conditions.
Equipment and consumables
Players mount equipment on a vehicle. The number of slots grows from Tier II upward. Items such as a gun rammer, turbocharger or camouflage net fall into four categories: firepower, survivability, mobility and scouting. Placing an item in a slot of the matching category gives an improved effect. Stronger improved and bounty versions also exist, with restrictions on which vehicles can use them.
Consumables are single-battle items. Repair kits fix damaged modules. First aid kits treat injured crew and remove stun from artillery hits. Fire extinguishers put out fires, and fuel and national crew rations give boosts for the whole battle. Some trigger automatically; players activate others by key, and those items then have a cooldown.
Platoons, clans and ranked play
Friends can form a platoon to land on the same team in Random Battles and several other modes. They can also invite an ally during a battle. Clans are organized groups of players that compete in Strongholds, a clan base with upgradable structures, and in Clan Wars on the Global Map. Clan structures produce Reserves that raise credit and XP earnings for members.
Ranked Battles are seasonal Tier X competitions held during set hours. Players earn chevrons to climb ranks and divisions and finish in a league based on their results. The seasonal Battle Pass rewards play in Tier VI–X Random Battles with points based on each player’s result. Its stages unlock crew members, bounty equipment and customization items.
Free play and Premium Account
World of Tanks is free to play. An optional Premium Account adds 50% more experience and credits per battle, an extra excluded map, a different garage look and special camouflage options. An Improved Pass adds a second reward track to the Battle Pass.
