War Thunder News

[p][/p][p]❄️ 🎯 Snow is falling, all around us! It’s Christmas, cold outside and snowing, so it’s time to take a break from regular battles and have a little fun with your enemies by throwing (firing!) snowballs at them![/p][p][/p][p][/p][h2]How to play[/h2][p][/p][p][/p][p]In Tank Snowball, you play with the unique Snowballer tank, which comes kitted out with a snowball launcher that shoots the Snowball Mk 1. Every Snowballer has a dedicated Elf crew and a target plate sticking up top. Your mission? Hit those enemy target plates with your Snowball Mk 1! The first team to get 60 target hits (destructions) or the first team to capture the enemy’s point wins the snowball fight.[/p][p][/p][p]Hitting an enemy’s target plate will knock it over and your Elves will launch fireworks to celebrate the nice shot! However, it won’t totally destroy the enemy’s vehicle. It will disable their launcher and they won’t be able to shoot, meaning they’ll need to repair their vehicle for 7 seconds before they can use it again.[/p][p][/p][p]If your target plate gets hit, we recommend you retreat, wipe the snow off, get some fresh warm clothes (repair in a hidden spot!), and then get back out there to shoot more snowballs at the enemy![/p][h2]Get a reward![/h2][p]Are you good at firing snowballs? You’ll be rewarded with this unique Firework Mortar decoration, specially made for this event![/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]The Firework Mortar can be placed on any ground vehicle and will fire off fireworks when you get a destruction in any random battle![/p]

• [p]You can see the progress of the task for the Firework Mortar by clicking on your nickname and going to Achievements → Tank Snowball[/p]

[p][/p][p][/p][h3]Event Details & Features[/h3]

• [p]You can find the event under Events & Tournaments > “Tank Snowball”[/p]
• [p]You don’t need any vehicles or lineups made; the Snowballer tank is automatically used when you take part[/p]
• [p]The event is set in the \[Battle] mode and the first team to 60 destructions or whoever captures the enemy’s point wins[/p]
• [p]Only Silver Lions can be earned in this event.[/p]
• [p]Mission points do not count towards the Winter Concert ground task.[/p]
• [p]If you want the Firework Mortar decoration but don’t want or can’t play Tank Snowball, you can purchase it in the Achievements → Tank Snowball window for 499 GE[/p]
• [p]There is only one spawn in this event as you cannot be fully destroyed[/p]
• [p]When your target plate is hit, you won’t be able to shoot: you need to repair for 7 seconds and reload to be able to shoot again[/p]
• [p]When you hit enemy target plates, festive fireworks are launched[/p]
• [p]Your Snowballer tank is crewed by green Elves — make sure to take care of them![/p]

[p][/p][p]Have a great snowball fight! ❄️ 🎯[/p]

[p][/p][p]The holiday season is upon us! It’s that time of year where the snow is falling, the Christmas tree is decorated, good food will be had, presents will be unwrapped, and fireworks will light up the night’s sky at the New Year. Exciting things also await you in War Thunder, and today we’re going over all of the activities that are going on this holiday season! Get high-rank vehicles, trophies with rewards, decorations, a collection of decals, and treat yourself to discounts during sales. There’s also a Tank Snowball event, coming this week![/p][p] [/p][h2]Holiday Rewards For Everyone![/h2][p][/p]

[p]When: From December 22nd (12:00 GMT) until January 2nd (12:00 GMT).[/p]

[p] [/p][p]Play and meet the criteria to receive each![/p][p] [/p][p] [/p][p]Use code “NEWYEAR26” in our store here to get yourself the free “Elf helper” decal! [/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]The key is available until February 1st 2026. This decal can be found under “Special > Other” in the decal customization menu.[/p][p] [/p][h2]Open the Festive Cupcake![/h2][p][/p][p][/p]

[p]When: From December 17th (11:00 GMT) until January 13th (11:00 GMT).[/p]

[p] [/p][p]Purchase Festive Cupcakes for Silver Lions! It features decals, decorations, vehicles and camouflages from past War Thunder winter events (including those in the form of coupons), as well as Silver Lions, boosters, universal backups and wagers and orders.[/p][p] [/p][p]Festive Cupcakes can also be obtained in the Winter Concert event!
[dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][/p][p] [/p][h2]Winter Concert: Get Yourself Some Cool Rewards![/h2][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p]

[p] When: From December 19th (11:00 GMT) until January 8th (11:00 GMT).[/p]

[p][/p][p]Take part in battles, earn points, and receive rewards! In the Winter Concert event, you can earn three high-rank vehicles, one low-rank premium, trophies, decorations, decals, a profile icon, and camouflages.[/p][p] [/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][/p][h2]The Tank Snowball Event: Coming Soon![/h2][p][/p][p][/p][p]Get ready for shooting snowballs at enemies! The Tank Snowball event is set to start on December 23rd, and you can get yourself a special decoration as a reward for completing a task during this event. More details will be revealed on the day![/p][p] [/p][h2]In-game Discounts![/h2][p] [/p]

[p]When: From December 18th (11:00 GMT) until December 24th (11:00 GMT).[/p]

[p] [/p][p]Enjoy 50% off on a range of in-game items, plus Starter Packs.[/p][p] [/p]

• [p]50% discount on all vehicles for Silver Lions and Golden Eagles*[/p]
• [p]50% discount on all modifications, talismans and backups[/p]
• [p]50% discount on a Premium Account in-game for 90 and 365 days and in the Gaijin store for 180 days.[/p]
• [p]50% discount all starter packs in the Gaijin Store[/p]

[p] [/p]

[p]*Please note: Discounts do not apply to:[/p]

• [p]Vehicles released in the Line of Contact, Spearhead and Tusk Force major updates and their modifications, talismans and backups[/p]
• [p]All Squadron Vehicles and their modifications, talismans and backups[/p]

[p] [/p][h2]Sale in the Gaijin.Net Store![/h2][p]We’ll tell you about discounts in the Gaijin.Net store in a separate news post on December 24th. Don’t miss it![/p][p][/p][p]Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year![/p]

[p][/p][h2]Aircraft[/h2]

• [p]JAS39E — the height of the extended landing gear struts have been corrected. (Report).[/p]
• [p]Rafale M F3-R — this aircraft is now correctly recognized by radars with target recognition by radar signature (Non-Cooperative Target Recognition (NCTR)).[/p]

[h2]Ground Vehicles[/h2]

• [p]A bug that caused some HESH rounds in the hangar to lack the armor plate demonstrating the penetration has been fixed.[/p]

[h2]Customization and Achievements[/h2]

• [p]F/A-18E, F/A-18D Late (Japan), Hawk 209 (Japan), Su-30MKK (China), J-10C — additional camouflages have been added.[/p]

[hr][/hr][p]Patch notes reflect only key changes, meaning they may not include a complete list of all improvements made. Additionally, War Thunder is constantly being updated and some changes may not require an update. Changes reflected in patch notes are formed by taking reactions and requests of the community from the bug reporting service, forums and other official platforms into account. Bug fixes and changes are implemented in order of importance, for example a game-breaking bug will be worked on and implemented sooner.[/p]

We loved seeing all of the submissions you shared with us last week! This week we released the major update Line of Contact, which introduced many new vehicles, updated some existing ones, as well as updated Winter Poland. Go out and take a picture with your favorite new content! The three most popular and three selected by us will get 300 GE. See the winners down below!

[h2]Let’s begin the 203rd edition of our competition![/h2]

Create a stunning screenshot and submit it on the War Thunder Steam Community Hub with the tag #WTscreen203. You have time until the 26th of December to submit your screenshot.

After that date, 6 winners will be selected (3 of which will be the highest rated by the community and 3 selected by our judges), each of which receive a reward of 300GE.



[h3]Terms:[/h3]

Your screenshot must include a vehicle, updated content, or updated map released in the latest major update, Line of Contact.
You must add the #WTscreen203 tag (title cannot have any other text in it).
Artists may only win by popular vote once per four screenshot competitions.
• Screenshots need to be compliant with the War Thunder rules.
  
• You need to be the author of the screenshot.
  
• Screenshot needs to be new. You cannot use those which have previously been published or used in other competitions.
  
• We will only accept raw screenshots from the game. You cannot use any editing software nor any other visual enhancements (like Nvidia Ansel filters).
  
• You can use filters and settings built into War Thunder.
  
• You can use the replay functionality built into War Thunder.
  
• Rewards will be delivered to the author's account within 14 working days.
  

[h2]And now, time for the winners of the competition’s 202nd edition – Agile Hunters![/h2]

[h3]Winners selected via community votes:[/h3]
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3623059237
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3623574283
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3623126797

[h3]Winners selected by our judges:[/h3]
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3626565851
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3623777009
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3623822046

Each winner will get 300GE! Congratulations and see you next week!

[p][/p][p][/p][h3]Aircraft[/h3]

• [p]R-77-1 air-to-air missile — a bug that caused the missile autopilot to sometimes guide the missile to the incorrect trajectory which lead to the loss of tracking has been fixed.[/p]
• [p]J-10C — additional LS-6(IR) 250 guided bombs have been added, bringing the total amount to 10 max.[/p]
• [p]A bug in the operation of the phased array radars, which led to distortions of track parameters and loss of tracking of air targets in TWS mode has been fixed.[/p]
• [p]JAS39E — the restriction on the combined use of the under-fuselage SPICE 250 and LITENING III pod has been removed. (Report). [/p]
• [p]Su-30MKK (China) — a bug that caused the names of PL-8 and PL-12 air-to-air missiles to display as a text key on the MFD has been fixed.[/p]
• [p]A21A-3, A21RB — a bug that caused the maximum mass of the suspended armament to be underestimated has been fixed. (Report).[/p]

[p] [/p][h3]Ground Vehicles[/h3]

• [p]BMPT-72 — a bug that made it impossible to change the belt of the right cannon in the modifications window has been fixed.[/p]

[p] [/p][h3]Naval Vessels[/h3]

• [p]A bug that caused the lack of sounds when playing vessel animations in hangar has been fixed.[/p]

[p] [/p][h3]Locations and missions[/h3]

• [p]Ardennes Ardennes (winter) (all missions) — a bug that caused the vehicles to spawn inside the buildings or facing them has been fixed.[/p]
• [p]Ash River, Arctic — temporarily removed from rotation until bugs are fixed.[/p]

[p] [/p][h3]Interface[/h3]

• [p]A bug where the text and price on the new crew slot were displayed with an offset has been fixed. (Report).[/p]
• [p]A bug where, when selecting shells or countermeasures, only the ammunition of one weapon, launcher, or countermeasure pod was taken into account and selected has been fixed. (Report).[/p]
• [p]In sensor view in replay mode, a bug that caused Multi-Vehicle SAM systems that were not currently under the player’s control to not display as the player’s vehicles has been fixed.[/p]
• [p]A bug that caused the rank of the player’s vehicle preset to be incorrectly displayed in the queue window has been fixed. (Report).[/p]

[p] [/p][h3]Graphics[/h3]

• [p]A bug that caused the shadows from the weapons around  aircraft in the hangar to not render in if the weapons were not on the screen has been fixed.[/p]

[p][/p][h3]Customization and Achievements[/h3]

• [p]A bug that caused the number of dropped nuclear bombs on the “Atomic Ace” profile showcase to not increase has been fixed. (Report).[/p]

[p][/p][h3]Other[/h3]

• [p]The Holiday hangar has arrived![/p]
• [p]The ability to select the hangar has been enabled.[/p]
• [p]A bug that made it impossible to play the vehicle animations in hangar when playing from a controller has been fixed. (Report).[/p]

[hr][/hr][p]Patch notes reflect only key changes, meaning they may not include a complete list of all improvements made. Additionally, War Thunder is constantly being updated and some changes may not require an update. Changes reflected in patch notes are formed by taking reactions and requests of the community from the bug reporting service, forums and other official platforms into account. Bug fixes and changes are implemented in order of importance, for example a game-breaking bug will be worked on and implemented sooner.[/p]