Today we’re taking a look at the updated Sun City and American Desert maps, plus improved weather settings!

Sun City

Previously, when viewed from the air, Sun City resembled an oasis in the middle of a desert, isolated by surrounded sands. But that’s not how real cities are built, so we’ve decided to update it. Now, the entire location, including the aircraft areas, consist of a continuous urban landscape stretching along the coastline. You’ll be fighting in a proper, large-scale Middle Eastern city! The entire environment has been overhauled, from the buildings and vegetation, to the roads and vehicles. The streets have been brought to life with a wealth of smaller, detailed objects.

The new Sun City waterfront evokes a strong sense of déjà vu for those who remember the iconic games from the 2000s centered on criminal life in a sun-drenched resort town. Palm trees, the ocean, pink sunsets, and a faint hint of danger has now arrived in War Thunder!

The main new feature is the destructibility of the entire environment. If you crash into tiled walls, the tiles will fall away and all windows can now be shattered. Interiors have been added behind the storefront glass, for example if you see a building with a bank sign, you’ll see a bank interior inside, or if it’s a shop, you’ll see a retail space. Importantly, this destructibility does not alter the navigation of the map. You cannot create new paths in the walls of buildings, so tactical approaches remain unchanged.

American Desert

American Desert is another map for Ground Battles that has undergone a complete environmental overhaul. We’ve paid particular attention to making the surrounding rocks and stones look as realistic as possible. Every building, tree, bush, road and minor detail has been reworked. However, all of the familiar routes and recognizable features of the map have remained in place, including the arriving train, which can still collide with any tanks in its path.

Both updated locations will appear in the game in the next major update, so be sure to check them out!

Improved Weather Settings

We’ve overhauled all of the weather preset settings! These changes apply to twelve presets in total, ranging from a serene clear sky, to a harsh storm. New cloud formations with more realistic shapes and density have been introduced, and lighting has been improved. Light now interacts with surfaces in different ways, depending on the selected weather preset.

“Clear” means a pristine, deep sky and sharp shadows that accentuate every detail of the surroundings. “Fog” cloaks the battlefield in a soft veil, blurring distant silhouettes and making the air feel perfectly still. “Thin cloud cover” streaks the sky with faint, subtle lines, barely altering the lighting. “Thunderclouds” grow heavy and leaden, heralding a storm and creating an unsettling atmosphere. “Rain” brings wet surfaces, glints of light on armor, and a distinct, ambient sound, while a “Storm” represents the climax: heavy clouds, intensified winds, torrents of water, and the sense that nature itself is intervening in the battle.

That’s it for this one folks! The main goal of this overhaul is to ensure that each setting aligns better with its name. All the updated weather settings will arrive in the game in the next major update. Stay tuned for more news!