Release questions attract more speculation than any other kind, so this separates the confirmed from the rest.

Short answer

Only what the publisher has stated on the record is treated as confirmed here. Everything else is labelled as what it is.

  • Treat a leak as a leak until it is confirmed.
  • Check what an edition includes before paying for it.
  • Prefer the in-game option over an external tool when both exist.

War Thunder models more of the vehicle than it tells you about, and the grind punishes guessing. Roadmaps describe intent, and intent is revised. Regional release times differ by enough to matter if you were planning an evening around it.

What has actually been confirmed

The developers have changed their mind about this at least once, which explains the older advice. Store listings occasionally leak dates before the announcement and are usually accurate when they do. Announced windows slip more often than they hold, particularly the ones given a year in advance. Treat anything stated without a version number as provisional.

Deluxe editions bundle cosmetics and early access, and rarely anything that affects the game. Pre-load timing is announced separately from release timing. If your result differs from what is described here, note what is different first rather than starting over.

Platform differences at launch

Day-one patches are now large enough to plan disk space around. Everything below is framed around the current state of War Thunder rather than a launch-week impression. Where two approaches both work, the one with fewer moving parts is the one to keep.

  • Trust the publisher's own channels over aggregators.
  • Note the time zone on any announced time.
  • Stop and reassess after two failed attempts rather than repeating the third.
  • Expect the first fortnight to be patch-heavy.
  • Leave space for the day-one patch.

What to expect after release

Nothing here assumes a particular playstyle beyond wanting the thing to work. 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. Patch notes move numbers around constantly; the shape of the answer holds even when a specific value shifts.

If a step reads as obvious, do it anyway — the obvious ones are the ones people skip and then wonder about. If you are coming to this after a long break, the terminology has probably moved on. War Thunder is not shy about hiding useful information two menus deep, so some of this is simply knowing where to look.

Editions and what they include

There is no hidden trick here that the game is keeping from you. Most of the disagreement you will find online is two people describing different builds. The awkward part is rarely the step itself, it is knowing which step comes first.

The community wisdom on this is roughly half right, and the half that is wrong costs the most time. None of this needs a paid tool, a third-party launcher or an account on a site you have never heard of. A single check up front replaces a lot of guessing later.

Where the rumours came from

There is usually a fast way and a reliable way, and it is worth knowing which one you are choosing. Half the pages on this topic were written for a build that no longer exists, which is why they stop matching what you see. The short version is near the top on purpose; the reasoning is there if you want to know why.

Where people go wrong

  • Changing five things at once and then not knowing which one helped.
  • Trusting a video thumbnail that promises a result the video never actually shows.
  • Assuming a guide from an older season still describes the current version.

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.

Will there be more content after launch?

The roadmap covers what is intended. Roadmaps are statements of intent rather than commitments.

Why do other guides describe this differently?

Most were written for an earlier version and never revisited. Compare the steps against what your build actually shows.

Do I need any mods or third-party tools for this?

No. Everything described here works with the base game on any supported platform.

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