War Thunder System Requirements on PC: Minimum and Recommended
War Thunder is a free-to-play multiplayer combat game from Gaijin Entertainment: aircraft, tanks and ships in one game, over 2,500 vehicles and crossplay between PC, consoles and cloud gaming. The project is more than ten years old, but regular updates keep it from aging technically — the client has grown to 95 GB and the recommended requirements have risen noticeably in recent years. Here's a look at the current official system requirements, how big the game is and what hardware you need for comfortable battles.
Official War Thunder system requirements on PC
Requirements listed on the game's Steam page:
| Component | Minimum | Recommended |
|---|---|---|
| OS | Windows 10 (64-bit) | Windows 10/11 (64-bit) |
| CPU | Dual-core, 2.2 GHz | Intel Core i5 or AMD Ryzen 5 3600 and better |
| RAM | 4 GB | 16 GB |
| GPU | DirectX 11: AMD Radeon 77XX / NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660 | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 and above / AMD Radeon RX 570 and above |
| DirectX | Version 11 | Version 12 |
| Storage | 70 GB | 95 GB |
| Network | Broadband internet connection | |
| Resolution | Minimum supported — 720p | |
Important: these are the Windows version's requirements. The game also supports macOS (Metal and a Core i5 processor required) and Linux (Vulkan and recent proprietary NVIDIA/AMD drivers no older than six months).
What PC do you need for comfortable play
The official minimum means "it will launch at low settings in 720p". Real battles demand more, since FPS drops in online matches with up to 32 players:
- 60 FPS at medium settings (1080p) — a GPU like GTX 1650 / RX 6500 XT, 16 GB RAM, a recent quad-core CPU.
- High settings, 100+ FPS (1080p/1440p) — RTX 3060 / RX 6600 and above, 16 GB RAM, a six-core CPU like Ryzen 5 5600 / Core i5-12400F.
- Ultra settings in 4K — RTX 4070 / RX 7800 XT, 32 GB RAM. War Thunder supports ray tracing and DLSS, so on NVIDIA cards the picture wins in performance too.
A War Thunder trait — huge graphics flexibility: from "cardboard" minimums for weak machines to cinematic graphics with RTX. The game parallelizes well but is sensitive to single-thread performance — a modern processor matters for stable FPS, not just the graphics card.
Will War Thunder run on a weak PC or laptop
Yes, and it's one of the game's main advantages. Minimum requirements are a dual-core CPU and GTX 660, so it launches on a ten-year-old PC. On recent integrated graphics (Intel Iris Xe with dual-channel memory, AMD Radeon 680M) expect 30–60 FPS at low settings in 720p–900p. Tips for weak machines:
- set graphics to "Low" and reduce shadows, smoke and effects quality — they're the heaviest;
- lower grass draw distance and landscape detail;
- make sure dual-channel memory is enabled — for integrated graphics that's a 30–50% FPS boost;
- install the game on an SSD — with 95 GB of content, HDD loading turns battle loading into a long wait.
On Steam Deck the game runs well: it holds 60 FPS at medium-low settings — the developers officially support it.
Frequently asked questions
How big is War Thunder in 2026?
Officially: 70 GB for the minimum installation and 95 GB for the recommended one. With updates, plan for about 100 GB of free SSD space.
Is War Thunder paid?
No, the game is completely free. There's a premium account and premium vehicles for real money, but neither is mandatory for progression.
Do you need a constant internet connection?
Yes, War Thunder is an online game: you can't play without a network connection. You can pick a server in the menu (Russia, Europe, America, Asia).
Is War Thunder on consoles and phones?
Yes: PlayStation 4/5 and Xbox One/Series with crossplay with PC. A separate mobile version — War Thunder Mobile for Android and iOS — is considerably lighter than the main game.
Why does War Thunder stutter on a powerful PC?
Most often the culprits are outdated drivers, power-saving settings or overheating. Also check that the game uses the discrete GPU rather than the integrated one.
Conclusion
War Thunder is a rare example of a long-living online game with reasonable requirements: the minimum is a dual-core CPU and GTX 660, while the recommended GTX 1060 and 16 GB RAM deliver comfortable battles at high settings. For competitive play get a modern four- to six-core processor and an RTX 3060-class GPU, and don't forget the SSD — with nearly 100 GB of content it saves minutes on every loading screen.