War Thunder’s Next Major Update Will Rework 2 Maps and 12 Weather Presets
Sun City will gain destructible facades without new wall openings, while American Desert keeps its established routes.
War Thunder’s next major update will overhaul Sun City and American Desert and revise all 12 weather presets, according to Gaijin’s Steam announcement.
Sun City becomes a continuous coastal city
Sun City will no longer sit apart from the surrounding desert like an isolated oasis. Its urban landscape will extend along the coastline and across the aircraft areas, with revised buildings, vegetation, roads, vehicles and street details.
Buildings will also gain more destructible details. Tiles can fall from tiled walls and windows can shatter, while storefronts will reveal matching interiors, such as a bank or shop. The damage will not open new routes through walls, so familiar movement paths and tactical approaches will remain intact.
American Desert keeps its familiar routes
American Desert’s overhaul will touch its rocks and stones, buildings, trees, bushes, roads and smaller environmental details. Its recognizable features and established routes will stay in place, including the arriving train, which can still collide with tanks in its path.
Gaijin had also reworked Southeastern City earlier in October, updating its terrain, vegetation, shores and some weather settings.
All 12 weather presets get revised visuals
The weather changes will cover presets from clear skies to storms. Gaijin has revised cloud shapes and density, and lighting will interact with surfaces differently depending on the selected preset. Clear weather will bring sharper shadows, fog will blur distant silhouettes, and rain will add wet-looking surfaces and highlights on armor. Storms will bring heavier clouds, stronger winds and intense rain.
The updated maps and weather presets are scheduled to arrive together in War Thunder’s next major update. Which part of the changes do you think will make the biggest difference in a match? For updates on these map and weather changes, follow us on X, Bluesky, YouTube, Instagram, Steam, and Telegram.
War Thunder
Developed by Gaijin Entertainment
War Thunder is a free-to-play vehicular combat MMO featuring aircraft, ground vehicles, and naval craft spanning from the early 20th century to the modern era. Players progress through technology trees across multiple nations, unlocking increasingly advanced military vehicles. The game offers three realism tiers for each vehicle type: arcade, realistic, and simulator modes. Originally developed as a flight simulator under the name "World of Planes," the game expanded to include tanks in 2014 and naval forces later, becoming a combined-arms experience. A mobile version was released in 2023.
- Genre Shooter, Simulator, Tactical
- Platforms Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, Linux, PC (Microsoft Windows), PlayStation 5, Mac, Xbox One
- Perspective First person, Third person, Virtual Reality
- Modes Single player, Multiplayer, Co-operative, Massively Multiplayer Online (MMO)
- Release January 28, 2013
- Publisher Gaijin Entertainment
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