War Thunder: Best Tanks in the Game [2024 Update]

With the huge range of tanks present in War Thunders, choosing the best one can be quite a daunting task. But I am here to help and today I’m sharing the best tanks to choose in War Thunder in 2024.

If you just want a quick list, the best tanks in War Thunder are the M1A2 Abrams, Tiger H1, Object 906, T-80U, M50 Ontos, Vickers Mk.7, and the Challenger 2. This is based on my experience playing the game and additional research.

Initially, I wanted to list them all, but decided against that because there is so many of them – and taking into account all their stats and PROs and CONs is too much. Instead, I will list below the best of the best.

Best Tanks in War Thunder

These are the absolute best tanks in the game, in my opinion. They are nation-dependent, but definitely worth trying out.

M1A2 Abrams

The M1A2 Abrams is a Rank 8 medium tank in War Thunder, popular for its effectiveness in various battle modes.

It combines amazing firepower with a solid armor, including a depleted Uranium composite, making it a great choice when facing different ammunition types.

This tank stands out for its mobility and thermal sight, helping players in both escaping skirmishes and engaging in long-range combat. The fact that it’s good for both beginners and veterans makes the M1A2 Abrams my top choice for tanks in War Thunder.

Tiger H1

Belonging to the nation of Germany, the Tiger H1 is a rank III Heavy tank can be insanely destructive with its 88 mm KwK36 gun.

It’s amazing at taking out tanks from large distances and is perfect for such combats. Eliminating the Tiger H1 from a long distance is also quite difficult thanks to its sophisticated box-like hull structure.

Furthermore, this structural feature helps the tank for efficient positioning and brings out much better angles to counteract other, large tanks.

The fact that it’s a heavy tank doesn’t hamper with its speed at all. In fact, it has a swift movement with a top speed of 45 km/h and an impressive reverse speed.

When it comes to defensive features, this German tank comes prepared with smoke bombs to block enemy vision and escape close-call situations.

Object 906

Moving to the Soviet region, the Object 906 tank is one of a kind! If you’re looking to flank the enemies, this rank V tank can be an excellent choice.

Since it’s a light tank, it can be easily penetrated in the battlefield. But, only if it’s not used right!

The amazing mobility of this tank enables it to move at the same speed both forwards and backwards!

This can be extremely useful while dodging enemy attacks in both close and long ranges. Furthermore, you can attack the enemies while moving at high speeds with the help of the plane-stabilized guns and catch them by surprise.

Adding to the mobility is its ability to move on any sort of water body. You can cross lakes and rivers with ease, further boosting the flanking potential of this tank.

The APHE feature strengthens Object 906 to take down enemies from the side as well. The only weakness of this tank seems to be head-on combats.

Finally, the astonishingly fast reload speed is yet another feature that aids the Object 906 as a powerful flanker.  

T-80U

The next tank on the list – T-80U – also belongs to the Soviet Union and is a rank higher than the Object 906.

The T-80U is one of the most upgraded tanks out there, with an insane number of options for both Armor and Armaments, excelling in versatility.  

This tank is also specialized for long-range combats, like the Tiger H1. Equipping the same gun as the T-80B, the laser rangefinder feature helps to minimize the errors in ranged battles.

Furthermore, the guns are also capable of shooting missiles with significant penetration capabilities. The Autoloader enables automatic feeding of projectiles as well.

While the forward speeds of the T-80U is much greater than the previous tanks, the reverse speed is quite poor and there’s a vast difference between the two speeds.

As a form of defense, this medium tank can protect itself with the help of smoke bombs as well as a smoke screen. Its complex armor does a great job in providing resistance to almost all kinds of attacks too.

M50 Ontos

Categorized as a Tank Destroyer, the M50 Ontos lives up to its categorization accurately! If you’re interested in laying low and ambushing enemies out of the blue, the M50 Ontos will give you an experience to remember!

The relatively smaller structure of the tank will help you take very effective positions as well to attack enemies. The tank also comes with a small learning curve.

Learning how to operate the different attacking options of the M50 Ontos is essential. The shooting patterns and spots will earn you free kills if you can get them right.

There are six rifles that are not affected by recoil at all, and all of these can be fired in a matter of three seconds! That’s enough to surprise and eliminate an enemy tank with ease.

Furthermore, the machine guns and HEAT/HESH shells only enhances the attacking potential of this tank immensely.

However, the absence of armor may be the only key drawback to this tank; laying low and staying out of battlefield combat is important when employing the M50 Ontos.

Vickers Mk.7

The Vickers Mk.7 is a Rank 6 British tank that is very agile and with strong defense.

Its key features include advanced technology such as a thermal imager, night vision, and laser rangefinder.

Despite its many advantages, the tank’s notable drawback is its size, which makes it more visible to enemies from a distance.

However, it compensates with very smooth handling, improved armor and all of the modern technologies mentioned above.

Challenger 2

The final tank on the list is the British Medium tank, Challenger 2. It follows the style and form of classic British tanks and is one of the seventh rank ground vehicles in the game.

Although there are noticeable differences in the guns and structure, the Challenger 2 has a lot of similarities with the T-80U, especially when it comes to the attacking and defensive options.

The 120mm gun has relatively quicker reload speed and extreme precision, which makes it quite useful to eliminate enemies from a distance. It can also act as a great cover for the light tanks that rush in towards the start.

Moreover, the angled positioning of the gun aids in turret protection. The L37A2 machine guns do a great job with high ammunition and fire rate as well.

The Challenger 2 doesn’t disappoint when it comes to defensive attributes either. Similar to the T-80U, it features smokescreen and smoke bombs for distraction.

The chemical protection in its armor boosts its defenses as well and helps to hold back flanking enemies.

However, the relatively lower speed of Challenger 2 makes it quite vulnerable in the battlefield. Playing it as a Support tank is the perfect way to bring out its maximum potential!

Wrapping Up

You might as well be surprised that I missed out on some very powerful tanks on this list as well.

The truth is, there are just way too many brilliant tanks in War Thunder, which makes it difficult to squeeze the best ones into a small list. But I’ll be more than happy to see which are your top choices – leave a comment (or more) below.

However, the ones mentioned above are pretty impressive and are the best tanks in War Thunder right now!

And if that’s not enough for you, make sure to also check out my article sharing the best War Thunder planes.

[Note: Some photos in this article via War Thunder Wiki page].