In War Thunder, you can take part in major battles on land, in the air, and at sea, fighting with real players from all over the world in a continuously developing environment.

You can feel the unmatched intensity of aerial dogfights in a fighter, the decisive power of commanding a heavy strategic bomber or the heat of battle in a ground attacker, delivering precision strikes against your enemies. Alternatively, you can join the spearhead of armored vehicles, fighting for dominance over the battlefield on the ground: Man a heavy tank with impressive armor and firepower, use the maneuverability of a medium or light tank to your advantage, or support your team by screening the skies with your anti aircraft vehicle - the choice is yours!

In the future, the game will also allow players to ‘set sail’ by commanding a variety of warships in the fight over the control of the world’s oceans, giving the game a truly epic scale.

Master your vehicles through both upgrades and personal experience in an environment that is constantly expanding and rewarding the personal skill of the player. Organize your efforts in one of the countless player squadrons and become an ace pilot or tanker - or both! Our thriving and welcoming community of millions of players is also actively participating in the game’s ongoing development, offering custom content through War Thunder Live, such as skins, missions and even vehicles.

War Thunder has something for everyone. Play cooperative games with your friends on Windows PC, Linux, Mac or PS4 against AI, or squad up for a PvP battle in a difficulty setting matching your play style, ranging from Arcade to Simulator using Mouse and Keyboard, Gamepad or Joystick.

Gaijin Entertainment announced that combat helicopters will join the vehicular combat MMO War Thunder with update 1.81 (The Valkyries).

Players will be able to fly an increasing number of helicopters from the Korean War and Cold War periods. The first batch to be introduced are choppers from the United States and Soviet Union, with other nations coming online later.

In War Thunder, combat helicopters will be available in separate research trees. Players can access them  as soon as they’ve reached their first rank V aircraft or tank of a corresponding nation. The Valkyries will include several helicopters of Rank V and VI for the United States and Soviet Union, with players able to choose from a wide array of authentic designs and weapon presets, including fixed and rotating cannons and machine guns, grenade launchers, cannon and launcher pods, different calibers of unguided rockets, bombs, as well as Anti-Tank Guided Missiles.

Initially, players will be able to use their helicopters in combined-arms battles in all difficulty modes. With their ability to hover and fly at low altitude at reasonable speeds between 200 and 300 km/h, helicopters particularly excel in ground attack duty, compared to assault aircraft or tactical bombers. At the same time, those characteristics make them potentially vulnerable to attacks both from the ground and air, especially when hovering still above ground. Therefore, helicopter pilots must learn to use their maneuverability and surrounding environment to their advantage by stealthily hunting for their targets and evading incoming fire using their surroundings. With future Updates, a dedicated “helicopter vs. helicopter” game mode may be introduced, with them also potentially becoming a part of the game’s air battles.

Several helicopter control schemes are available to players, depending on the difficulty mode chosen. Using “Mouse Aim”, default in Arcade mode, many controls and inputs are automated, making it easy to control the complex flight model of a helicopter with mouse and keyboard only. Enthusiasts can decide to play in “Full Control” mode, where all the complexity of helicopter flight is left to the player.

Access to the closed testing of helicopters will begin with Update 1.81 “The Valkyries”. Players can join testing the new machines by fulfilling special in-game tasks or by pre-ordering helicopter packs in the game’s store.

Key Features :

• An entire arsenal at your command - Over 500 highly detailed aircraft, tanks, and other combat vehicles crafted carefully from historical documents and surviving sources.
• Right into the heat of battle - Intense PvP experiences in full-scale combat missions on various difficulty settings for all play styles and degrees of experience.
• A single bullet can make a difference - A realistic damage system for aircraft and ground vehicles involving individual component durability instead of an overall health bar.
• The true free to play experience - Download and play the game for free as much and as long as you like it. Support the ongoing development entirely at your own leisure.
• Crossing the platform border - Seamless cross-platform gameplay between Windows PC, Linux, Mac and PS4 (more to come) with tens of thousands of players from all over the globe online at the same time.
• Play together with your friends - Rich PvE content including historical and dynamic campaigns, solo missions, a mission editor and much more for single-player and cooperative gameplay.
• Challenge the best of the best - Ever expanding tournament and clan battle systems, including ELO-based ranked matches as well as professionally organized events involving hundreds of players.
• Theatrical beauty - Astonishing graphics, authentic sound effects and beautiful music creating an atmosphere to fully immerse yourself in.
• Take matters in your own hands - Create custom content for War Thunder and share it on War Thunder Live, with the prospect of earning real money through the Revenue Share Partner System!
• But wait, there is more! - Ever expanding and evolving environment, offering new and exciting content and features with every regular major update.