The irony of watching War Thunder’s biggest YouTubers complain about the game today is that many of them spent years cheering on the very changes that got us here.
Back in 2014, Air Arcade was the king of War Thunder. Bombers could actually influence matches, progression was fast, and the mode was thriving. The complaint from the fighter crowd was always the same: “How dare someone fly straight, press the spacebar, and win.” Instead of fixing the real problem—low bomber spawns and the ability to dive like a fighter—Gaijin simply gutted bombers.
So bomber players migrated to Air RB, and the fighter crowd demanded more nerfs there too. The result? Bombers became little more than flying XP piñatas, Air Arcade lost much of what made it unique, and Air RB became the default grind mode.
The funny part is that RB’s reputation was built on being “realistic,” when it’s mostly just less information on your screen. Third-person cameras, no proper bombsights, no reflector sight calculations, and players somehow believing tanks can silently wipe out four enemies sitting 100 yards apart without anyone noticing. That’s not realism—that’s game mechanics.
I watched DollarPlays casually flank and destroy four tanks in a row. In real life, the first cannon blast would have every nearby crew alerted by radio, sound, smoke, or simply seeing a tank explode. Instead, everyone sits oblivious until it’s their turn. Ironically, Arcade’s spotting system does a better job simulating battlefield awareness than RB’s magical tunnel vision.
The RB community spent years insisting every change should cater to them because they believed they were playing the “real” mode. In reality, most people weren’t there for realism—they were there because they thought it paid better and looked more hardcore. Gaijin kept listening, Air modes became less fun, and now many of the same creators and players who pushed those changes are wondering why interest in the game is fading.
Sometimes you really do reap what you sow.