War Thunder News

[h2]Other[/h2]

• For win64 clients, the utility that collects data on game crashes and offers to send it to the developers has been replaced. Due to the dump generation, it now allows data collection on “silent” crashes that previously occurred without any messages at all. Now when sending reports, you must send the “metadata” file containing the CrashID from the “.game_logs\” folder in the root folder of the game.
  

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.

Hey everyone,

The game may not be available at the moment as we are experiencing some technical issues on our servers. We are endeavouring to fix these issues as quickly as possible.

Thank you for your understanding.

Today we’re taking a look at one of the more unconventional light tanks out there, the Harry Hopkins Mk.I, a new tank for Britain at Rank II! 

[h2]Harry Hopkins Mk.I: A Light Tank for Great Britain at Rank II[/h2]
At a glance:

• Rapid fire 40 mm cannon!
  
• Relatively good armor for a light tank.
  
• Scouting ability.
  
• Low reverse speed.
  

Vehicle History
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Harry Hopkins, or the Mk VIII Light Tank was designed in late 1941 in order to replace the Mk VII Tetrarch, with the primary goal of increasing the overall armor protection. This was achieved, however the tank was plagued with teething issues throughout its development and testing cycle, which resulted in long delays and a significant reduction in the number of tanks produced from the initial plan. 

The tanks were deemed relatively obsolete by the time they were ready for action, several suggestions were put forward, such as attaching wings to them and using them as tank gliders, or sending them to specialized light tank units. These plans were rejected however, and the Harrys were handed over to the RAF to act as relatively static defenses for airfields and bases. 
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[h2]Introducing the Harry Hopkins Mk.I![/h2]

Meet Harry! The final light tank design made by Vickers during World War II, coming in the next major update. Despite its relative obsolescence by the time it was finally ready for combat, it has a number of advantages, so let’s have a look!



The key feature that sets this one apart from previous light tanks is oddly the armor! It features 38 mm of protection on the turret and hull, with the latter having some decent sloping, enough to shug off hits from some of the weaker shells, which is more than most light tanks can boast! The turret ring however only offers 14 mm of protection, it is a small weak spot, but at close range will be a vulnerability.

Did you know? This tank is actually named after an American, Harry Hopkins, the chief diplomatic adviser to Roosevelt and a key figure in the Lend-Lease program which saw the U.S. give significant aid to Britain. The tank was named in honor of him and his contribution to the allied war effort. 



Mobility is lower than the previous light tanks due to the increased armor, it adds one ton of weight over the Tetrach which limits its top speed to 48 km/h. This isn’t especially high for a light tank, but the extra armor does offer more versatility for different playstyles as a compromise. The largest negative though is undoubtedly the reverse speed at only 4 km/h, which should be kept in mind when playing aggressively.



Firepower will be familiar, as it is entirely identical to the Tetrarch and Daimler, featuring the same fast-firing 40 mm cannon, a shoulder stabilizer, -15 degrees of gun depression, and a somewhat average traverse rate. Despite being an early gun, its top AP shell can get through a max of 89 mm of armor, and the APHE can be similarly destructive with its decent explosive mass. It also features a smoke discharger with a total of 10 single-shot grenades.



That’s all for today, say hello to Harry in the British tree in the next major update, and keep an eye on the news for more interesting vehicles to come!

Please note that this vehicle’s characteristics may be changed before it is added to the game.

Today we’re taking a look at a machine with an interesting story, a French vehicle, captured and modified by Germany and then captured back and used by the French!

[h2]Pz.Sp.Wg.P204(f) PaK: A Light Tank for France at Rank II[/h2]
At a glance:

• Powerful L/60 50 mm cannon!
  
• Great top speed and mobility.
  
• Scouting ability.
  
• Limited protection.
  

Vehicle History
[expand]
France built over 700 AMD Panhard 35 armored cars from 1937 to 1940. After France fell, Germany would go on to enter a large number of these vehicles into service with their own army, modifying many of them to suit other roles. A late and relatively rare modification was the inclusion of a German 50 mm cannon, both the L/42 and L/60 versions were fitted into a small number of Panhard 178 models. Later after the liberation of France, the 1e Groupement Mobile de Reconnaissance would end up capturing a large amount of remaining German equipment, with some of these being their own modified Panhard armored cars! 
[/expand]



[h2]Introducing the Pz.Sp.Wg.P204(f) PaK![/h2]

Say hello to a new powerful French Panhard, this variant was captured and repurposed by the Germans to fit the long L/60 50 mm cannon, and later was captured back by France and used against Germany! This mobile and destructive armored car will be joining the French tree in the next major update, so let’s take a look!



This vehicle uses a lot of familiar parts you may already be familiar with. It’s very similar to the Pz.Sp.Wg.P204(f) KwK, a premium in the German tree. This variant however uses a longer 50 mm cannon, functionally the same as the version found on the Sd.Kfz 234/2 Puma and various late Pz.III models. With over 100mm of penetration and decent explosive filler, this cannon can comfortably deal with the majority of enemy vehicles from the side, and many of them from the front!

Mobility is similarly effective, with a 105 HP engine and max speed of 72 km/h on roads, it can traverse around the map quickly. Off-road mobility isn’t too bad either, often maintaining a speed between 35-40 km/h without much trouble. The turret traverse speed is fairly average however, so you may need to use the hull to swing the gun around quickly. 



Predictably, as with many light vehicles, armor protection is poor. Frontally, the hull armor varies between 20-30 mm of thickness, barely enough to withstand heavy machine guns. Due to the larger gun, this AMD is open topped, making it very vulnerable to high explosive shells and aircraft. It also lacks any kind of machine gun.

Regarding playstyle, the Pz.Sp.Wg.P204(f) PaK is a quintessential light tank, relying on its speed to reach strong positions early. While the gun is generally capable enough to combat many enemies from the front to some degree, side shots are much more reliable, and positioning on the flanks will be much more advantageous than trying to take enemies head on. Focus on using mobility to reach strong positions and remember to scout targets for your team!



That’s all from us today, this interesting and rare vehicle will be arriving in the French tech tree in the next major update. Until then, keep an eye on the news as we’ve got quite literally tons more to show you!

Please note that this vehicle’s characteristics may be changed before it is added to the game.

Start your engines, call your friends — tank football is back in War Thunder for 2025!

To help you remember how to jump and dash, warm up and prepare for matches properly, training events are available for you from February 25th (11:00 GMT) until February 27th (10:45 GMT). In these training events, achievement progression is not available.

From February 27th (11:00 GMT) until March 17th (05:00 GMT), daily football matches are available at the following times: from 11:00-14:00 GMT, 16:00-22:00 GMT and 00:00-05:00 GMT.

Join other players in a 3v3 event (for solo players), or gather a team together and show off your skills and tactics in a 4v4 event (for squads).

[h2]Football themed rewards![/h2]
For each goal, assist or save, you’ll receive achievement progression points. The event rewards are given for a certain number of points earned during matches in the “Tank Football” events.

For 20 points: “Team Tigers” decal

For 50 points: “Tank Football — Watch the ball!” profile background

For 100 points: “Tank Football — What a kick!” loading screen



For 500 points: Coupon for one of the golden decorations: Glove, Ball or Boot

Please note: Rewards must be claimed manually. To do this, click on your name in-game, go to the “Tank Football” area and click the “Get Reward” button.

The top 50 players on the leaderboard of every event will be granted with in-game titles:

• Top goalscorer — “Best striker 2025”
  
• Top assist score — “Best winger 2025”
  
• Top save score — “Best goalkeeper 2025”
  

[h3]Event details[/h3]

• You can see the exact conditions for each task and track your progress by clicking on your nickname and going to the Achievements → Tank Football menu.
  
• The coupons for the “Dragons” and “Tigers” decal, “M551 Football Camo” coupons and “Golden Football Decoration” coupons can be sold on the Gaijin Market.
  
• PlayStation and Xbox players can exchange each coupon for 100 Warbonds.
  
• Reward titles will be given to the top 50 players in each category until March 24th.
  

[h3]Match rules[/h3]

• Each match consists of two halves of 5 minutes each. As with mini-football, only pure playing time is taken into account.
  
• If the result is a draw, players receive an additional 2 halves of 1.5 minutes each. If at the end of two halves and extra time it’s still a draw on the scoreboard, victory is not awarded to any team.
  
• To win early in a 3 vs 3 match, you must get a 3 goal advantage.
  
• To win early in a 4 vs 4 match, you must get a 5 goal advantage.