Looking for a comprehensive, updated guide to the best nations for tanks in War Thunder? Here you have it. 

An Abomination. 

War Thunder is one of the best-known tank and flight combat simulators on the market. This is because it offers an experience found nowhere else: the feel of combined arms, WW2-Style, is captured magnificently; Airplanes, tanks and warships fight together and against each other in a symphony of war, where every shot counts.

When dealing with ground vehicles, War Thunder offers not just tanks: armored cars, anti-air trucks, and self-propelled guns are plentiful. In this article, we will outline the top 5 best nations when it comes to land vehicles. We’ll take into consideration how big the tech tree is, how balanced it is, what firepower, armor and speed it brings to the table, and, finally, how beginner-friendly it is. 

Are you a veteran player looking for a new tech tree to grind? Are you just starting and want to know more about each nation in the game? Whatever you’re aiming at, we’re here for you. This guide is valid for 2021 as well.

#5 Great Britain (Best for experienced players)

A Churchill Mk.IV cruising along a path.

Starting with tea-sipping, slow-moving, elegant Great Britain. 

Usually, when it comes to ground vehicles, everybody considers the “big boys” to be just three: Germany, the US, and the USSR. While these nations are the most popular ones, I do believe it’s unfair not to mention the UK/Commonwealth shared tech-tree in their ranks.

This tech tree comes with heavier, more powerful options like the “Tortoise” and the Churchill family of tanks, and nimbler, faster vehicles like the South African line of armored cars. All of this means that there are a lot of playstyles for British tanks, which could be best for someone that is trying to spice up their matches. 

One of the main British weaknesses is their widespread use of solid shotshells, especially at low and mid-tiers. This will mean that, once the shot penetrates enemy armor, there is little spalling (bits and pieces of shell and steel flying about inside the enemy vehicle) that could damage the tank and crew further. In short, shotshells usually don’t make the hit vehicle go BOOM with just one shot unless you target their ammo rack. 

The British tech tree is filled with vehicles (88 in total), with a good balance between armored cars, main battle tanks, self-propelled guns, and anti-aircraft vehicles. If you already know pretty well where to aim when dealing with most tanks, then you will love picking up some good ol’ British tanks.

What Great Britain excels in:

• Supporting other players
• Sucking up a lot of damage
• Securing strategic points. 

Pick this nation if you like:

• Different playstyles to work with
• A good challenge for low and mid-tier matches
• A large number of vehicles to research and play with

Nation Overall Tank Score: 75/100  

#4 Sweden (Best for defensive roles)

Swedish light tank together with a Swedish biplane.

Do you prefer defending strategic points and eating meatballs instead of mindlessly rushing towards enemy lines? Then the Swedish ground tech tree is for you. 

If you’re more methodical and careful than the average War Thunder player, Sweden is a perfect choice. This tech tree offers a lot of fast tanks and self-propelled guns with a low silhouette, perfect for hit-and-run tactics. 

Historically, Swedish tanks are always been about defense, exploiting what little resources Sweden had to the best of their capabilities. Their tanks are not too agile, meaning they don’t turn too well on the move, or heavily armored, but are very fast, allowing you to run away after you shot your target.

Even though they have a smaller tech tree than most other nations, with 55 vehicles in total, they still bring in a lot of variety and some very peculiar vehicles, like the famous Strv 103 series and most of their anti-aircraft options. This nation is great for those players that want to try something new, but I highly suggest you research another tech tree before this one. 

What Sweden excels in:

• Defensive doctrine
• Hit-and-run tactics
• Harassing heavier enemy tanks

Pick this nation if you like:

• Playing on the defensive
• Very singular designs
• Fast, lightly armored vehicles

Nation Overall Tank Score: 77/100 

#3 Germany (Best for heavy tanks and high-caliber cannons)

The mighty Tiger I.

“Hans, ze transmission broke again… “

When you think of powerful, heavy-hitting World War 2 tanks, the first image that comes to mind is a Tiger tank rolling towards 5, 10, 20 Shermans at a time, blowing them up one by one without a scratch. 

While this is a tiny bit unrealistic, you will surely feel like a god if you learn how to best use German tanks. If you want to play Germany, you will have to learn how to “angle” your tank, which means how to position your tank at such an angle as to allow shots coming from the front to ricochet away without damaging the vehicle. This is because a lot of German tanks, especially low to mid-tier ones, are very boxy and have virtually no sloping, like on the Tiger.

The German tech tree is one of the bigger ones available, with around 125 vehicles, meaning that you will never run out of things to research and new tanks to try out. There’s a good balance between turretless self-propelled guns, main battle tanks, and anti-air vehicles, but mid-tier suffers from an absence of valid armored cars. Don’t expect to run around the battlefield with German tanks, they’re slow but at least maneuverable. 

This tech tree is fantastic for newer players since it’s well-armored and has big enough guns to allow for some mistakes, although not too many.

What Germany excels in:

• One-hitting enemy tanks
• Switching up playstyles when needed
• Dealing with heavier enemy tanks

Pick this nation if you like:

• High-caliber guns;
• Heavy Armor;
• Methodical Gameplay.

Nation Overall Tank Score: 90/100 

#2 USSR/Russia (Best for fast, well armored heavy-hitting tanks)

A Russian light tank shooting an guided anti-tank missile. 

There is no time for lists comrade, grab your T-34! URRA!

Second place goes to the red USSR. This is one of the better-balanced nations, with a heavy focus on fast, reliable tanks with good enough cannons, especially at lower tiers. The USSR is ideal for those that prefer to rush, capture points and then hold their ground until the match is over.  

When going down the Russian/USSR tech tree, you will not find one type of ground vehicle trumping over the rest. Everything is well balanced and in a standard line-up, you will be able to fit in heavy, medium, and light tanks, as well as tank destroyers and anti-air vehicles. A fantastic feature of most USSR armored vehicles is the slope on their armored plates, which will mean that you don’t have to angle your tank as much as vehicles from other countries. 

USSR/Russia has around 135 tanks and other vehicles available in their ground forces tech tree, safely landing it as the biggest ground tech tree in the whole game. I highly suggest this to be your first nation, since it leaves much room for rookie mistakes and doesn’t limit your mobility, armor, and firepower too much. 

What the USSR excels in:

• Flanking the enemy
• Capturing points
• Diverse line-ups

Pick this nation if you like:

• Fast, reliable tanks
• Powerful guns
• Aggressive playstyles

Nation Overall Tank Score: 95/100 

#1 USA (Best for balanced, powerful tanks)

A Sherman rolling over an obstacle. Note the USAF Airplane in the background.

We should all have a Sherman! You get a Sherman! You get a Sherman! EVERYONE GETS A SHERMAN! 

We have reached the top, where the USA sits as undoubtedly the most balanced, fun, and forgiving nation to play as in War Thunder. We are sorry for all the Italian, French, Japanese, and Chinese tanks that didn’t make it to the list. 

The USA offers vehicles that will allow you to pick your playstyle, letting you switch between supporting other players and doing your own thing in a single line-up, which isn’t a quality all tech trees have. American tanks are faster than most, especially at lower tiers, and pack a considerable punch. Most are not that heavily armored, but there are some good options for heavy tanks, like the Jumbo and T34. 

The Americans can choose from around 105 ground vehicles, a respectable number. The USA suffers a bit when it comes to self-propelled guns and anti-air vehicles, especially at higher tiers, but all options in those categories are powerful enough to make it up for it. This tech tree is perfect for those that are just starting out and for veterans players as well.

What the USA excels in:

• Solid line-ups
• Flanking the enemy
• Resisting frontal attacks

Pick this nation if you like:

• Powerful main battle tanks
• Fast and agile vehicles
• Lots of Shermans

Nation Overall Tank Score: 98/100 

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