All game modes in War Thunder, explained

War Thunder, the premier vehicle combat MMO, offers you many game modes to choose from. There are game modes for air, ground, naval, and helicopter battles, and they vary between PvE and PvP, with most being PvP-oriented. War Thunder also allows mixed battles, which means that you can bring various types of vehicles in a match.

This article will talk about the main game modes that you can find in War Thunder.

What are the different game modes in War Thunder?

You can choose between various game modes in War Thunder (Image via Gaijin Entertainment)

The game modes in War Thunder fall under three categories: Arcade, Realistic, and Simulator. Game modes like World War are only available when the World War event is ongoing. The other game modes that players can play include:

Air Arcade Battles
Air Realistic Battles
Ground Arcade Battles
Ground Realistic Battles
Naval Arcade Battles
Naval Realistic Battles
Air Simulator Battles
Ground Simulator Battles
Helicopter Battles
Assault. Air Arcade
Assault. Ground Arcade

Also read: Best squadron vehicles in War Thunder

Different game modes in War Thunder, explained

Air Arcade Battles

Air Arcade is one of the two PvP arcade game modes in War Thunder. You can bring a lineup of planes to this mode, and you have multiple respawns. The planes are much faster and nimble in arcade mode when compared with the other modes in the game.

You get lead markers, making it easier for you to aim correctly when engaging with another plane. Also, if you run out of ammo, it automatically reloads after some time.

Ground Arcade Battles

Enemies are marked on the map in Ground Arcade (Image via Gaijin Entertainment)

Ground Arcade is the second PvP game mode in War Thunder. Just like Air Arcade, the tanks here move faster and are more mobile. Enemies get marked on the map so they are easier to spot. You also get a cross in your gunner sight, which turns green when you point your crosshair at a part that the shell can penetrate.

You can also bring aircraft to this game mode. You need a specific number of kills to bring out different kinds of aircraft; the types being fighter, striker, and bomber. In Ground Arcade, you get three respawns as well.

Air Realistic Battles

The first difference that you will see in Air Realistic battles is that the planes feel different. That is because the aircraft models are based on their real-life counterparts, and the planes act similar to how they would in real life.

You do not get any lead markers on enemies, so you have to be a bit experienced in dogfights to understand how much lead you need. If you keep firing your guns for a long time, they can jam. If your guns jam or you run out of ammo, you need to fly back to the airfield and land to re-arm and repair.

This mode is completely PvP, and you can only bring one plane to a match. You have no respawns, so if you die, you are out of the match. You can also engage in friendly fire in this mode, but this will incur a penalty.

Ground Realistic Battles

Of all the game modes in War Thunder, Ground Realistic Battles is arguably the most popular. Just like Ground Arcade, Ground Realistic offers mixed battles, meaning that you can bring both tanks and aircraft to a match. But unlike arcade, you only get to bring a plane that you own to a match.

You can make a lineup with tanks, aircraft, helicopters, and anti-aircraft vehicles. You start out with a fixed amount of Spawn Points, and every time you get a kill, assist, or capture a zone, the Spawn Points increase. As long as you have enough spawn points and vehicles left, you can respawn into the match with either a ground vehicle or an aircraft.

However, only your teammates are marked on the map, and you have to spot enemies yourself. This is also a PvP game mode, and having good map knowledge will help out a lot in this mode.

Naval Arcade Battles

In Naval Arcade, much like Ground Arcade, you get enemies marked on the map. The ships are faster, and the guns turn quicker. You get an aim assistant, which also makes ranging easier since naval engagements take place over long distances.

Naval Realistic Battles

Naval Realistic Battles, like other realistic modes, have slower gameplay than arcade. You have to manually range targets and have to take your heading into account, as well as your opponent's. Like Ground Realistic, you can spawn planes after getting enough spawn points, to either do anti-air duty or anti-ship duty.

In general, both the Naval game modes are not very popular due to the long match duration and comparatively uneventful gameplay.

Air Simulator Battles

You can only use the cockpit view in Air Simulator (Image via Gaijin Entertainment, YouTube/@General Lee)

Air Simulator is one of the most difficult game modes in War Thunder. You can only use the cockpit view in this mode, and it is extremely difficult to control your plane with a mouse and keyboard. Neither teammates nor enemies are marked, and you have to spot and identify targets yourself, making friendly fire incidents very probable.

Ground Simulator Battles

Ground Simulator Battles is also one of the harder game modes in War Thunder. There is no third-person camera in this mode as well. You can only see from the commander's hatch, commander's sight, and gunner's sight.

Enemies and teammates are not marked here as well, and friendly fire is available. Friendly fire is a very common scenario in this game mode. You can also spawn in an aircraft, but it is just as hard as Air Simulator. On top of this, enemy SPAAs can easily shoot you down.

All the game modes mentioned above were PvP. The next three are PvE game modes that you can play in War Thunder.

Helicopter Battles

As the name suggests, Helicopter Battles is a helicopter-exclusive PvE game mode. It is objective-based and has no BR cap. Anyone with a helicopter can get into a Helicopter Battle. But more often than not, the best helicopters in the game end up being the most successful.

Assault. Air Arcade

Assult. Air Arcade is one of the two PvE arcade game modes in War Thunder. Much like Air Arcade Battles, the planes are faster and more agile. But the difference in this mode is that the main objective is base defense, and you and your team have to defeat wave after wave of AI enemies from bombing your base.

Assault. Ground Arcade

Just like Assault. Air Arcade, Assault. Ground Arcade is a PvE base defense game mode where you have to defeat waves of enemies and stop them from capturing your base. Like Ground Arcade Battles, you can spawn a plane or a helicopter after you have a specific number of kills.

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Edited by Abhishek Manikandan