If the information presented at E3 2015 is any indication, World of Tanks is doing a quite good job of establishing itself on the Xbox 360. That version of the game has had over 6 million downloads, making it one of the leading console-based, free-to-play games. I sat down to check out the Xbox One iteration, which was announced this February. The Xbox One version of the game looks to easily continue the trend and reach a whole new pool of players.

It's important to note that the game isn't a mere port of the Xbox 360 version but has been developed to run natively on the Xbox One and showcase the new console's hardware. In addition to seemingly everything getting some polish, there are new features, such as dust clouds, trees that animate properly in the wind, and houses that partially explode when hit with an errant shell. The underlying gameplay is the same as in the original console version, but it's obvious that a lot of care has been taken in making it look easier on the eyes.

Perhaps most importantly, the two platforms will have crossplay with one another. Xbox One and Xbox 360 players will inhabit the same matches, and progress made in one version of the game will transfer back and forth to the other. Additionally, due to their work with Vivox, the voice chat will cross platforms as well. Wargaming didn't want to leave behind its success with the Xbox 360 version and force players to move to a new platform, and this way, the community stays unfragmented.

The new version of the game will have some new bells and whistles of its own. The Proving Grounds marks the first time that the World of Tanks series will have PvE content on any platform. This mode is single-player and pits the player against a number of enemy tanks while using whatever tank they choose. The modes can vary from ones similar to the PvP gameplay with AI tanks on two sides vying for dominance, but another mode directs you and your allied AI tanks to track down and take out a Tier X E-100 menace.

The game is set to be released on July 28 but can be preloaded starting on July 10. Additionally, there will be a beta weekend on July 11 and 12 that players can use to check out the game. It'll certainly be a graphical upgrade over the Xbox 360 title, and it'll be one less reason to keep your old Xbox 360 hooked up while still allowing for the two platforms to remain as one community. We'll undoubtedly have more information on the game over the next month.