The honest answer to mobile promo code has changed at least once, which is why old threads disagree.

Short answer

Crossplay and cross-progression are separate switches, and War Thunder does not necessarily have both.

  • Check whether the version on sale is the current-gen one.
  • Verify controller support separately from platform support.
  • Give a method one honest attempt before deciding it does not work.

War Thunder models more of the vehicle than it tells you about, and the grind punishes guessing. Some features are disabled per-platform for reasons that have nothing to do with performance. Console certification adds weeks to every patch, which is why fixes land unevenly.

Crossplay versus cross-progression

The developers have changed their mind about this at least once, which explains the older advice. Cross-progression carries your account; crossplay only puts you in the same lobby. Store pages list supported platforms accurately; trailers do not. Anything that behaves differently on console than on PC is flagged where it matters.

A cut-down port is still a port, and the difference usually shows up in player counts rather than frame rates. Cloud streaming sidesteps the hardware question and introduces a latency one instead. Everything below is framed around the current state of War Thunder rather than a launch-week impression.

Streaming as a fallback

Handheld versions often trail the main build by a full season. If a step reads as obvious, do it anyway — the obvious ones are the ones people skip and then wonder about. There is usually a fast way and a reliable way, and it is worth knowing which one you are choosing.

  • Confirm whether your friends are on the same build, not just the same game.
  • Look for a cross-progression toggle in account settings before starting fresh.
  • Write down what you changed, so you can undo exactly one thing if it goes sideways.
  • Check the store page's supported-platforms box, not the trailer.
  • Assume mobile versions are a different game with the same name.
  • If a menu path does not exist for you, your build is older or newer than the one described.

What you lose on the smaller platforms

A single check up front replaces a lot of guessing later. Treat anything stated without a version number as provisional. If your result differs from what is described here, note what is different first rather than starting over. Where something depends on your platform or region, that is called out rather than glossed over.

Where two approaches both work, the one with fewer moving parts is the one to keep. Most of the disagreement you will find online is two people describing different builds. There is no hidden trick here that the game is keeping from you.

How to check before you buy

The awkward part is rarely the step itself, it is knowing which step comes first. Patch notes move numbers around constantly; the shape of the answer holds even when a specific value shifts. If you are coming to this after a long break, the terminology has probably moved on.

It helps to understand why a step exists, because then you can adapt it when your situation is slightly different. War Thunder is not shy about hiding useful information two menus deep, so some of this is simply knowing where to look. The community wisdom on this is roughly half right, and the half that is wrong costs the most time.

Which versions exist right now

Screenshots age faster than text, which is why this describes rather than shows. Nothing here assumes a particular playstyle beyond wanting the thing to work. The short version is near the top on purpose; the reasoning is there if you want to know why.

Where people go wrong

  • Downloading a helper tool for something the game already does in its own menu.
  • Skipping the prerequisite because it looked optional in someone else's summary.
  • Trusting a video thumbnail that promises a result the video never actually shows.
  • Treating a rare edge case as the normal behaviour and planning around it.

War Thunder FAQ

Is this still accurate after the latest War Thunder update?

The method is; individual numbers may not be. If a value on your screen differs, trust the screen and keep the sequence.

What if none of this works for me?

Then something in your setup differs from the assumption — version, region or platform. Check those three before anything else.

Does this work the same on console and PC?

The logic is identical. Menu paths and button prompts differ, and any real difference is flagged above.

Can I play with friends on a different platform?

Only if crossplay is enabled for that mode. Some modes in War Thunder allow it and some deliberately do not.

If you only take one thing from this: the answer near the top is the part that matters, the rest is context.