War Thunder has more modes than it explains, and this is one of the ones the tutorial skips.

Short answer

Rewards scale with participation rather than with placement, which makes it more forgiving than it looks.

  • Expect longer queues outside peak hours.
  • Look at the reward track before the leaderboard.
  • Stop and reassess after two failed attempts rather than repeating the third.

War Thunder models more of the vehicle than it tells you about, and the grind punishes guessing. Matchmaking pools shrink in less popular modes, and queue times show it. Some modes disable progression entirely, which is worth knowing before you invest an evening.

When it is available

If you are coming to this after a long break, the terminology has probably moved on. Seasonal modes often return, and their rewards usually do not. Rule changes here are larger than they sound in the patch notes. Patch notes move numbers around constantly; the shape of the answer holds even when a specific value shifts.

A mode designed for groups is playable solo and rarely enjoyable that way. Limited-time modes rotate on a schedule the game does not publish clearly. If a step reads as obvious, do it anyway — the obvious ones are the ones people skip and then wonder about.

How it differs from the main game

Reward structures matter more than the format when deciding what to play. Half the pages on this topic were written for a build that no longer exists, which is why they stop matching what you see. A single check up front replaces a lot of guessing later.

  • Check whether progression counts before playing seriously.
  • Read the rule differences — they are larger than they look.
  • Keep a save or backup from before you start — it costs nothing and occasionally saves an evening.
  • Play a round casually before committing.

How the mode plays

Screenshots age faster than text, which is why this describes rather than shows. There is no hidden trick here that the game is keeping from you. What follows assumes you are on a current install and have not modified it. Where something depends on your platform or region, that is called out rather than glossed over.

Anything that behaves differently on console than on PC is flagged where it matters. The short version is near the top on purpose; the reasoning is there if you want to know why. The community wisdom on this is roughly half right, and the half that is wrong costs the most time.

What it rewards

Do the cheap check before the expensive one — that ordering alone saves most of the frustration. The developers have changed their mind about this at least once, which explains the older advice. It helps to understand why a step exists, because then you can adapt it when your situation is slightly different.

The awkward part is rarely the step itself, it is knowing which step comes first. Treat anything stated without a version number as provisional. There is usually a fast way and a reliable way, and it is worth knowing which one you are choosing.

Playing it solo

If your result differs from what is described here, note what is different first rather than starting over. Nothing here assumes a particular playstyle beyond wanting the thing to work. Everything below is framed around the current state of War Thunder rather than a launch-week impression.

Where people go wrong

  • Grinding a method that was patched months ago because a thread still ranks well.
  • Downloading a helper tool for something the game already does in its own menu.
  • Ignoring the platform-specific note and then wondering why the steps do not line up.
  • Assuming a guide from an older season still describes the current version.

War Thunder FAQ

Is it worth playing?

If the rewards are on your list, comfortably. As a way to improve at the main game, it is a mixed bag.

How long does this take?

Minutes if it goes cleanly, an evening if you hit the edge case in the caveats list. Neither is unusual.

Does progression count in this mode?

In some it does and in others it does not, which is the single most useful thing to check before starting.

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.

Work through it in the order above and new event stops being a question you have to look up again.