War Thunder: Ground Forces Closed Beta Hands-On

Military vehicle games have been getting more and more popular lately, with World of Tanks and World of Warplanes getting huge numbers of active players - but what sets apart War Thunder is attention to detail and quality. Arguably, it’s not just a game featuring war vehicles, it’s bordering on a war vehicle simulator, and it does this very well. War Thunder introduced aerial combat in a stunning selection of flying vehicles, and now Ground Forces adds tanks and armoured ground vehicles into the mix.

 

War Thunder found popularity when everyone realised how exhilarating it could be to gracefully fly over a huge battlefield picking off opponents as they passed, and being Free To Play on PS4 certainly helps. A huge map to face off against opponents in is provided, with a huge range of vehicles to choose from. Ground Forces’ tanks may move slow, but taking a vantage point upon a hill whilst raining death down on those who may cross your path is hugely satisfying. It takes a slower approach to PvP multiplayer whilst on ground at least, but huge amounts of defense mean you’re basically a giant armoured tortoise with ridiculous amounts of artillery - and that is no bad thing, not at all.

If that crawling approach doesn’t sound up your alley, then the planes are probably for you. Flying through the beautiful skies at spectacular speeds feels great, with a decent amount of available maneuvers that let you fly around and above opponents; the planes are why this game has achieved the success that it has, after all. Combat is swift (the polar opposite to tank fights) and satisyfing throughout, and overcoming an opponent that has taken down several of your partners is very rewarding.

Personally, I am a big fan of the ground vehicles. The plodding pace is made up for by huge firepower. Sure, planes could pick you off from above and avoid your shots, but a well aimed blast will likely send them crashing from the sky. As said before, the best defense against other ground vehicles will likely be having a better vantage point. Zooming in on enemies with your guns from a distance (perhaps whilst hiding just over a hill or behind some foliage) makes for great sneak attacks.

 

Whilst talking with some of the team from War Thunder we discussed possibilities of VR, where they mentioned a test for Oculus Rift compatibility worked with planes, but may not ever see an official release, and there was no word on whether or not it could ever potentially work with Sony’s Project Morpheus. Slightly disheartening for VR fans, but not the end of the world. Mods will almost undoubtedly bring the VR experience to PC.

If the gameplay being solid wasn’t good enough, the polish put on the game is also remarkable. Maps look almost lifelike, vehicles are all detailed and the game looks incredible without taxing PCs too much. Graphically, it’s genuinely lovely and really helps to immerse you in the game experience.

War Thunder is a brilliantly enjoyable game in it’s own right, and you can go play it right now on PC or PS4. Ground Forces will be released after the beta period, bringing with it those tactical tanks. If you haven’t tried War Thunder, I recommend it. It’s free to play and very fun indeed; if you want to know more about the game, you can check our previous interview with Gaijin Entertainment.