In this update7
Full notes
Full War Thunder update
Read the full published notes in a cleaner layout. The original post stays linked below.
Repeated intro
Hey everyone! Welcome to the first Community Update of 2026, where we’re going to be talking about what’s coming as well as some other bits and bobs. So sit back, grab your favourite snack and read on!
What changed
- Events
- Gameplay
- Maps
- Balance
| Disclaimer: While we’re excited to be able to share work-in-progress information before dev blogs, the dev server and the full release, please bear in mind that new features, vehicles and maps mentioned in this news are subject to change, be delayed or even cancelled. War Thunder is constantly being developed, and as with all game development, unexpected delays or other unforeseen circumstances may occur. Thank you for your interest! |
Free Decal code!
We love giving out free decals! We’ve made this specifically for this news post, you can place it on your aircraft (or tanks!) to alert other players of your skills!
Simply enter code STUDENTPILOT here!
| “Student Pilot” decal |
Once you’ve logged in, the decal can be found under:
“Student Pilot” decal: Decals > Special > Other
The decal code will remain active from the publish date of this news until March 2nd (10:00 GMT).
New Community Update Pack!
We’ve created a new Community Update pack featuring an avatar, decal, title and some GE. Check it out!
| Skilled Pilot Pack |
| This bundle includes:How To Fly profile iconAnti-Air Trees decal“The Missile Knows Where It Is” title300 Golden Eagles |
| 3.99 |
11th Crew Slot Changes
War Thunder has 10 crew slots, with an 11th being available to obtain for inviting 10 friends who each unlock at least one rank III vehicle. This was quite difficult to do however, so we’re going to be lifting this restriction. The 11th crew slot will be purchasable for Golden Eagles instead and will not be obtainable via the referral system anymore. If you already got the 11th slot, congratulations, you already won the game having so many great friends!
New Crew Skill Window
The crew skill window has been the same for years, and during that time it hasn’t changed much, making some important information hard to understand and localize. It’s showing its age now, so it’s time to improve it! We’re going to be updating this window with a more visual approach, showing the crew members and their location within the vehicle. Crew skills don’t only affect crew members, but also some other vehicle elements. These will all be highlighted (for example, the driver’s skills conditionally improve the engine and transmission, and all of them will be highlighted). This makes each part easier to understand, with more visual appeal too!
Naval Additions
Torpedo Lines On The Mini-Map
Torpedoes are a useful way to hit enemy ships that are far away. However after launching them, players often completely forget about them and have no idea of their whereabouts and if they are actually close to hitting an enemy ship. In the next major, your mini-map will show a dotted line where your torpedo has travelled, allowing you to know its whereabouts. Only your own, launched torpedoes will be shown, allied and enemy torpedoes will not be.
Hit Icons
We recently added hit icons to naval to indicate what parts of the ship were hit, and whether the impact penetrated or caused damage. We received some feedback that crew icons should also be added, so you know when you hit the crew. We’ll be adding a new icon that will pop up when you incapacitate crew, the icon
Source
Changelog.gg summarizes and formats this update. How we read updates.