Enlisted vs War Thunder in 2026

The short answer: choose Enlisted if you want to fight mainly as infantry, carry a personal AI-controlled squad and use tanks or aircraft as part of an objective battle. Choose War Thunder if the machines are the reason you are here: its aircraft, armored vehicles and naval forces have deeper damage modeling, broader progression and Arcade, Realistic and Simulator rule sets. Both are free to start, cross-platform and capable of turning progression into the dominant long-term concern.

This comparison uses current official feature pages, progression material and August 2026 update records checked on August 31, 2026, plus the documented findings in our individual reviews. Live recoil, armor penetration, matchmaking population and device frame rates remain outside that evidence.

Enlisted vs War Thunder at a glance

	Enlisted	War Thunder	Better for you if…
Primary role	Infantry squad leader, tanker or pilot	Pilot, tanker, helicopter crew or naval commander	Enlisted for soldiers; WT for vehicles
Defining system	Switch between soldiers in a personal AI squad	Physically based vehicle and module damage	You want squad continuity, or machine mastery
Combined arms	Infantry, tanks and aircraft share objective battles	Tanks with aircraft/helicopters, or ships with aircraft	Enlisted for infantry context; WT for vehicle depth
Rule sets	Objective shooter structured by equipment Battle Rating	Arcade, Realistic and Simulator, plus events and PvE options	WT for adjustable realism
Progression	Four country research trees, soldiers, squads and equipment	Large national research trees for air, ground and naval vehicles	Enlisted is narrower; WT is much broader
Free-to-play pressure	Premium squads, Gold, Battle Pass and premium acceleration	Premium account, Golden Eagles, premium vehicles and packs	Neither is progression-neutral
Platforms checked	PC, Xbox One/Series X|S, PS4 and PS5	PC, macOS, Linux, Xbox One/Series X|S, PS4 and PS5	WT for Mac/Linux support
Cross-platform play	Officially supported across PC, PlayStation and Xbox	Officially supported across PC, PlayStation and Xbox	Tie for playing together
Best first test	Build one coherent infantry lineup with an engineer	Learn one low-rank lineup in one mode and nation	Focus before spending in either

“Narrower” does not mean short. Enlisted still asks a player to research weapons and vehicles, develop soldiers and equip several squads across four countries. War Thunder simply expands the same long-horizon temptation across a much larger catalog of aircraft, ground vehicles, helicopters and naval craft.

How we compared them

We used six criteria: the role you control most often, depth of vehicle simulation, usefulness of infantry, progression breadth, official platform support and how spending accelerates access. Enlisted was checked against its current game page, squad description, research-tree material and cross-platform announcement. War Thunder was checked against its live FAQ and the official changelog, including the Heavy Cavalry update listed in August 2026.

Our use of pay-to-progress means money can increase experience or currency earnings, provide fully equipped content or shorten research. It does not automatically mean a purchase wins every battle. Mechanical knowledge, positioning, lineup quality and team objectives still matter, but account investment changes how quickly options become available.

Is Enlisted basically War Thunder with infantry?

No. The shared publisher ecosystem, WWII machines and combined-arms imagery make the comparison natural, but the games organize attention differently.

Enlisted starts with the soldier. Each infantry squad contains several individually equipped troops. You control one directly while AI soldiers obey orders, and you can switch into a survivor after the current soldier dies. Tanks and aircraft join the same objective battles, yet even a vehicle player is operating inside a battlefield whose capture points, buildings, engineers and rally routes are shaped by infantry.

War Thunder starts with the machine. Its official FAQ describes physically based damage models and vehicles spanning aircraft, helicopters, wheeled and tracked armor, and naval craft. Crew placement, modules, ammunition, armor angle and damage to individual systems decide whether a hit disables or destroys. There are AI and PvE activities, but ordinary infantry is not the playable foundation of the main combined-arms loop.

The practical test is simple. If leaving a tank to clear a house sounds essential, choose Enlisted. If studying why a shell failed to penetrate a specific plate sounds interesting, choose War Thunder.

Which has better combined-arms battles?

Enlisted's official game overview creates the more legible combined-arms story for an infantry player: it puts an AI-supported soldier squad at the center while tanks and aircraft share the battle. A tank can open a lane, an aircraft can punish a concentration and an engineer can create a rally point that changes the flow of reinforcements. The personal squad also reduces the stop-start rhythm of one-life infantry: losing one soldier can become a switch to the engineer or anti-tank specialist who survived.

The limitation is AI. Officially, squadmates follow orders and let the player switch roles, but they do not become human tactical partners. Route exposure, cover and specialist preservation remain the player's responsibility. Enlisted works best when the squad is treated as a toolkit and reserve, not as an autonomous team.

War Thunder offers more demanding vehicle interactions. Ground combined battles mix tanks with aircraft and helicopters; naval battles can include aircraft. The vehicle damage model rewards recognition, shell choice and exact aim. That depth can also produce abrupt losses when a veteran identifies a weak point or attacks from a layer the current lineup cannot answer.

Neither game guarantees a fair story in every match. Enlisted can produce equipment and vehicle pressure inside infantry objectives. War Thunder can create knowledge gaps that feel invisible until the damage camera explains them. The better battle is the one whose failure you are willing to study.

Arcade, Realistic or squad shooter: which pace fits?

Enlisted has the more conventional shooter entry point. Direct soldier controls, capture objectives and class tools are recognizable even while the squad and roster systems are new. Matches remain busy because every player brings several soldiers and can later spawn another squad or vehicle from the lineup.

War Thunder deliberately offers different assistance levels. The official FAQ positions Arcade as the simplified, faster route for newcomers, while Realistic and Simulator remove aids and ask for more historically grounded identification and vehicle behavior. That gives one account a much wider difficulty range than Enlisted.

Choose Enlisted if the desired learning curve begins with aiming, cover, rally placement and objective timing. Choose War Thunder if the desired learning curve begins with vehicle recognition, ballistics, energy, armor, ammunition and crew modules. War Thunder's flexibility is a strength only if changing realism levels sounds exciting rather than exhausting.

How do the progression grinds compare?

Enlisted organizes progression around four countries. The merged structure replaced separate campaign advancement with branching research trees, one Silver currency and matchmaking that considers equipment strength. Research unlocks a weapon or vehicle, but the result may still require purchases, soldier development and squad upgrades before it becomes a coherent lineup.

War Thunder's research catalog is far larger. The official FAQ records thousands of military vehicle models across air, ground and naval categories, and the 2026 changelog shows that new vehicles and mechanical revisions continue to arrive. A player chasing one famous modern tank or jet can therefore spend a long time in earlier machines.

The healthiest strategy is the same in both games: play horizontally before chasing the top. In Enlisted, focus on one country and a useful infantry core. In War Thunder, choose one nation, mode and historical bracket whose battles are already fun. A premium shortcut cannot repair dislike of the underlying match loop.

Our full Enlisted review examines its squad and research systems. The War Thunder review goes deeper into the vehicle ladder and knowledge curve.

Which game is more pay-to-win?

Both sell progression advantages, but the offers are not identical.

Enlisted's official site says Premium squads are fully equipped and earn more combat experience, while Gold can buy items and speed progression. It also sells a premium account, Battle Pass content and rotating premium or event-related items. Equipment Battle Rating limits where some lineups meet, yet early access to complete squads and faster research still has gameplay value.

War Thunder's FAQ says Golden Eagles can speed crew training and research, and that a premium account increases Silver Lions and Research Points. Premium vehicles arrive with upgrades and accelerate access. Gaijin's stated position is that these vehicles are not more powerful merely because they are premium; that publisher claim does not remove the advantage of faster earnings, unusual lineup options or skipping stock modification work.

Calling either game purely cosmetic would be wrong. Calling every paid player unbeatable would also be wrong. Pay-to-progress is the more precise description: money can compress time and widen available lineups, while knowledge and execution still decide individual engagements.

Test the ordinary tree first. In Enlisted, unlock an engineer and build one balanced infantry lineup. In War Thunder, learn several vehicles at one Battle Rating. Spend only if those unaccelerated battles are already worth repeating.

Can friends play across PC, PlayStation and Xbox?

Yes. Enlisted's official Steam and cross-platform announcement states that battles remain cross-platform between its PC clients, PlayStation and Xbox. Cross-platform player groups are supported, though storefront account migration and cross-progression rules are not identical across every route.

War Thunder's official FAQ states that PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S players can share servers and form squads across platforms. It also documents platform-account restrictions: moving progress into or out of a PlayStation or Xbox identity is not the same as simply joining a cross-platform battle.

War Thunder additionally supports macOS and Linux according to its current requirements, while Enlisted's official game page centers Windows PC and consoles. Cross-play answers who can meet in battle; it does not promise that purchases and progress can be transferred freely between every account ecosystem.

Which is easier for a new player?

Enlisted is easier to recognize and harder to organize. A new player can point a rifle at an objective immediately, but must soon understand squad composition, specialists, rally points, equipment Battle Rating, research and Silver. The safest opening is one country, one infantry lineup and an engineer who contributes even when aim is inconsistent.

War Thunder is harder to read moment to moment. Arcade makes controls and target information more approachable, yet a new tanker still needs to learn armor and ammunition, while a new pilot must understand speed, altitude and energy. The first unexplained death is often a knowledge problem rather than a reflex problem.

For a general shooter player, Enlisted is the gentler first evening. For someone who already builds model aircraft, reads armor diagrams or has a favorite historical vehicle, War Thunder's difficulty may feel like the point rather than a barrier.

Who should pick which?

If you…	Pick	Why
Want infantry to decide objectives	Enlisted	Soldiers, engineers and rally routes are the center of battle
Want the deepest vehicle ecosystem	War Thunder	Air, ground, helicopters and naval progression dominate the product
Like switching roles after a death	Enlisted	A personal AI squad acts as specialists and second chances
Want several realism levels	War Thunder	Arcade, Realistic and Simulator support different commitments
Have a low-spec Mac or Linux setup	War Thunder	Those platforms appear in its current official requirements
Want progression to be irrelevant	Neither	Research, currencies and premium acceleration matter in both
Mainly play with three friends	Either	Both officially support cross-platform squads of up to four
Want a traditional one-life competitive FPS	Neither	Enlisted uses AI squads; War Thunder is vehicle-centered

What we did not compare

We did not declare a winner for recoil, penetration accuracy, matchmaking quality or network latency. Those need controlled current-version testing and server data. We also did not compare total download sizes because optional clients and platform packages change.

No player-count or revenue estimate is included. Public registrations, concurrent users and active accounts are different measurements. The comparison instead uses systems each publisher currently documents and decisions a new player can evaluate without invented statistics.

Frequently asked questions

Does Enlisted use the same vehicle physics as War Thunder?

This comparison does not claim identical physics or damage code. Enlisted combines vehicles with infantry squads and objective play, while War Thunder publicly centers physically based vehicle damage and a much deeper vehicle simulation ecosystem.

Can I play only tanks or aircraft in Enlisted?

You can bring vehicle squads, but Enlisted's objectives and spawn flow remain built around a mixed battlefield where infantry matters. If uninterrupted vehicle mastery is the goal, War Thunder is the more natural fit.

Which game is better without spending money?

Both can be started and played free, and both sell faster progression. Enlisted gives a quicker route to recognizable infantry action; War Thunder offers more free vehicle breadth. The better free choice is the one whose early and middle tiers are already enjoyable.

Is War Thunder harder than Enlisted?

For most shooter players, yes at first. War Thunder asks for vehicle, ammunition and damage-model knowledge even in its accessible Arcade mode. Enlisted has complex roster systems, but direct infantry controls and capture objectives are more familiar.

Can Enlisted and War Thunder players form cross-platform squads?

Each game supports squads across its own PC and console versions. They are separate games, so an Enlisted player cannot join a War Thunder match; cross-platform means friends on supported devices can play together inside the same title.

The verdict

Pick Enlisted if you want a free objective shooter where one life contains several soldiers, infantry remains decisive and tanks or aircraft add pressure to a ground battle rather than replacing it. Its AI and roster grind are real compromises, but its squad-switching rhythm is distinctive.

Pick War Thunder if the vehicles themselves are the hobby. Its damage modeling, three principal realism levels and enormous air, ground and naval catalog can sustain years of study. The price is a broader, slower research ladder and a game that often explains failure only after an experienced opponent has already punished it.

For most players arriving from a conventional FPS, Enlisted is the better first download. For military vehicle enthusiasts, War Thunder wins decisively. Neither needs a purchase to reveal its core loop, so use the free opening as the test: if the unaccelerated middle of the game is not enjoyable, the premium route is solving the wrong problem.