Military MMOs such as World of Tanks, War Thunder, or Foxhole impress with detailed replicas of historical war machines and tactical gameplay. But which MMO featuring aircraft, ships, tanks, and soldiers is best suited for you?
Fans of tanks, aircraft, warships, and soldiers have it tough. Several high-quality military MMOs are competing for the favor of virtual commanders:
- Should I, as a tank fan, prefer War Thunder or World of Tanks?
- Are the arcade air battles in World of Warplanes worth my time?
- And is it worth starting Foxhole?
We have compiled a list of 7 military MMOs and explain whether they fit you or not.
War Thunder – How realistic should it be?
War Thunder (PC, PS4) by Gaijin Entertainment is a military MMO that should appeal to many players. Because here you get wild aerial battles with historical aircraft, fierce ground battles with tanks, and soon also naval battles with fast patrol boats and destroyers. There are even combined battles where aircraft are involved in ground and sea engagements.
War Thunder also offers three levels of realism:
- In arcade mode you can shoot to your heart’s content.
- In realistic mode, enemies are not marked, and g-forces affect your aircraft.
- In simulation mode, you might struggle to take off without much practice or to keep your tank on the road for long.
A highlight of War Thunder is the dynamic damage system. You and your opponents do not have fixed hit points. Rather, you must specifically target components such as wings, engines, ammunition storage, crew, or fuel tanks for destruction. So it may happen that you can endure for a while, but with just one lucky hit, you might go down immediately.
War Thunder is perfect for you if you:
- Love detailed vehicles from World War eras and the Cold War
- Want to try realistic game modes
War Thunder is less suitable for you if you:
- Prefer fights that are strictly divided by weapon types. In War Thunder, aircraft can always appear.
- Prefer a fixed, predictable hit point system
World of Tanks – Tactical battles with tanks
World of Tanks (PC, Xbox, PS4) by Wargaming is the leader among tank MMOs and has millions of players worldwide. The game principle is simple: Two teams of various types of tanks face off against each other, shooting each other to bits in a mix of tactical lurking and swift advances or capturing mission objectives.
Each tank is accurately modeled and corresponds to historical prototypes or is based on twisted ideas and prototypes. Each tank has specific characteristics and hit points. The damage model is thus static.
There are no combined battles with other weapon types, such as aircraft or infantry. However, you get plenty of tank action!
World of Tanks is perfect for you if you:
- Are totally into tanks from the world wars and shortly thereafter. WoT has hundreds of them!
- Prefer a mix of tactics and action that is easy to learn but hard to master
World of Tanks is less suitable for you if you:
- Want combined battles with aircraft, ships, or soldiers
- Don’t like the static damage system and would prefer more realism.
Armored Warfare – Tank battles with modern warfare and PvE
Armored Warfare (PC, PS4) by My.com is a tank MMO that heavily borrows from the gameplay of World of Tanks. However, you will only drive modern vehicles here. If you want to drive current battle tanks like the M1A2, Leopard II, Challenger II, or even the brand-new Russian T-14 Armata, Armored Warfare is the right choice.
You also get modern weapon systems like smoothbore cannons and guided missiles. If you prefer to compete only against other players, you can play Armored Warfare in coop missions with teammates against the AI and grind through the game.
Armored Warfare is perfect for you if you:
- Want to utilize modern tanks and their weapon systems
- Enjoy playing PvE rounds with your friends
Armored Warfare is less suitable for you if you:
- Want combined battles with aircraft, ships, or soldiers
- Don’t want the static damage system and would prefer more realism.
World of Warships – Epic naval battles!
World of Warships (PC) is like World of Tanks by Wargaming and brings the successful gameplay of World of Tanks to the high seas. Instead of tanks, it’s about large warships from the world war eras. You will navigate destroyers, cruisers, heavy battleships, and even aircraft carriers across the oceans and shoot at each other with guns and torpedoes.
Since ships rarely stand still, the battles are more dynamic. However, the ships can endure much more damage and thus can afford prolonged exchanges of fire. World of Warships therefore offers fun for fans of tactics as well as action.
World of Warships is perfect for you if you:
- Appreciate dynamic battles with large ships
- Enjoy the easy-to-learn World of Tanks gameplay with ships
World of Warships is less suitable for you if you:
- Want combined battles with aircraft, ships, or soldiers
- Don’t like the static damage system and would prefer more realism.
Here we have listed additional MMOs with ships.
Foxhole – A small cog in the war machine
Foxhole (PC) places you as a simple soldier in a fictional, persistent game world. A war is raging that is inspired by World War II. You decide which side you want to be on and participate in massive battles with hundreds of players. However, you are just a small soldier in a huge army.
You control your fighter from an overhead perspective and can move freely in the game world. To win, you must act as a team, provide weapons and vehicles via the supply system, and participate in large joint operations.
Foxhole is perfect for you if you:
- Are all about teamwork
- Have always wanted to be part of a large military operation
Foxhole is less suitable for you if you:
- Want to be something special and not just an interchangeable soldier in a mass army
- Are not interested in logistics and supply
World of Warplanes – Arcade air battles
Wargaming’s third “World-of” game World of Warplanes (PC) lets you pilot aircraft in wild air battles. Unlike War Thunder, it focuses on arcade action without much realism. You fly around with aircraft from the world war eras and shoot down enemies. If you get shot down, you can respawn after a while.
To win, you must bomb enemy positions and then capture them by flying over. In this way, you can unlock bonuses in battle.
World of Warplanes is perfect for you if you:
- Enjoy straightforward arcade action with aircraft
- Like playing the easy-to-learn World of Tanks gameplay with aircraft
World of Warplanes is less suitable for you if you:
- Don’t want to play just with aircraft but prefer combined battles.
- Would rather have realistic aerial combat without respawns and a static damage model
Naval Action – Sail ship ahoy!
Military confrontations on the high seas occurred long before the world wars. The 18th century was full of wild battles between sailing ships that bombarded each other with broadside from their gun decks and engaged in fierce boarding maneuvers.
In Naval Action, you control such majestic sailing ships. The developers place great emphasis on realism. Since sailing ships have no engines, you must pay attention to the wind. Additionally, the weight of your cargo matters, and different types of cannonballs are differently effective.
Additionally, there is a complex economic aspect. You build a trading guild and trade across the oceans, conquering areas for optimal markets. Similar to historical trading organizations like the East India Company from Britain. Naval Action is currently available for PC as an Early Access game on Steam.
Naval Action is perfect for you if you:
- Want to engage in realistic battles with sailing ships
- Also enjoy some kind of economic simulation in the 18th century
Naval Action is less suitable for you if you:
- Prefer modern ships and weapons
- Want only arcade action with ships and have no desire for realism and trade.
Here you can find 10 MMOs that we would love to hear more about in 2018.
